We flew into St. George Regional Airport, which is tiny—just three gates, with service from American, Delta and United. It made both arrival and departure incredibly quick and easy. We rented our car through Turo, and with the parking lot right outside the terminal, pickup and return couldn’t have been simpler. The drive to Springdale and Zion is just under an hour and is probably beautiful during the day! Unfortunately, we arrived after midnight and headed back to the airport before 3 a.m., so we didn’t get to appreciate much of the scenery.
Flying into Las Vegas is another option, with a much larger selection of flights and rental cars. From Harry Reid International Airport, it’s roughly a 2½- to 3-hour drive to Springdale, making it worth comparing airfare and schedules between the two airports.
We stayed at the Bumbleberry Inn in Springdale and loved the location. The rooms were large and clean, and our balcony was perfect for enjoying a glass of wine after a long day of hiking. Our stay also included a voucher for one breakfast entrée and one drink each morning at Porter’s, the onsite restaurant. They serve lunch and dinner as well, and both the food and service were quite good.
Springdale itself is a super cute, very walkable little town, especially if you choose a centrally located hotel like the Bumbleberry. There are plenty of restaurants, shops and places to grab a drink within walking distance, and staying in town makes getting into Zion incredibly convenient. Once we parked at the hotel, we really didn’t need the car unless we were heading to one of the trailheads outside the main canyon.
We started our trip with the East Mesa Trail to Observation Point, which turned out to be a great introduction to Zion. The main route is about 6.8 miles round trip, but between the shuttle drop-off and a little side quest we took on a trail branching off the main route, we ended up closer to 8 miles. Our detour added a little more elevation gain and made for an interesting addition to an otherwise relatively easy hike.
The real payoff is Observation Point, where you get an incredible view down into Zion Canyon, including Angels Landing below you and the Virgin River winding through the canyon floor. There were other people on the trail, but it never felt overly crowded.
Getting there requires a little planning. The road to the East Mesa Trailhead is unpaved and rough, and parking at the actual trailhead is extremely limited. I recommend parking for free at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort and taking the East Zion Adventures shuttle instead. It costs $7 round trip and runs back from the trailhead twice an hour, so you don't have to worry about parking or taking a rental car down the rough road.
The drive from Springdale to Zion Ponderosa took us about an hour with the current road construction and was an adventure in itself, winding through the park and out the east side. There are no facilities at the trailhead, so plan accordingly and bring plenty of water.
Zion was Utah’s first national park, established in 1919.
Big day! We were very glad we rented e-bikes and got an early start, arriving at the Grotto trailhead around 7:30 a.m. There are restrooms and water available at the trailhead, making it a good place to fill up before heading out. The climb toward Angels Landing has a lot of elevation gain and was pretty intense, especially first thing in the morning! We did not have permits for Angels Landing, but weren't too disappointed since the permit is only required for the final half-mile section beyond Scout Lookout—the famous part with the chains. You can still hike all the way to Scout Lookout without one, and from there we continued onto the West Rim Trail.
The full West Rim Trail is roughly 14 miles one way, and some hikers tackle it as a point-to-point hike with transportation arranged at the other end. Instead, we continued up the West Rim to Telephone Loop, which allowed us to make one big loop before returning the way we came. Our total for the day ended up around 16 miles and took us about seven hours.
I'm very glad we did the entire loop. Getting all the way up onto the top of the canyon gave us a completely different perspective of Zion, and once we got past the Angels Landing area there were surprisingly few people on the trail. Angels Landing was a little more crowded when we came back through later in the day, but still not terrible. I imagine the permit requirement deters some people from heading that direction at all, which is a shame because there is so much more to explore along the West Rim even without an Angels Landing permit.
Rent e-bikes! Skip the shuttle lines, get an early start, and enjoy an easy ride back after a long day of hiking.
Another big day! We took the e-bikes again and arrived at the Temple of Sinawava around 7:45 a.m. There were already a surprising number of e-bikes parked there, so clearly plenty of people get an even earlier start, but it was far less crowded than how packed it was when we finished in the afternoon. There are porta potties at the trailhead, but no drinking water, so make sure you bring everything you need for the day. The first mile or so follows the paved Riverside Walk—and then you are in the Virgin River! I definitely recommend renting the proper Narrows gear. This is not a simple water-shoes kind of hike. The specialized shoes made walking over the rocks much easier, and the walking stick was absolutely crucial for keeping your balance in the current. The water is cold year-round, and in late September the air was pretty chilly too. With the canyon walls blocking much of the sun, it stayed considerably cooler in the Narrows than it did out on Zion's exposed trails.
After all the elevation gain on the West Rim the day before, this hike actually felt great. It was nice to get out of my hiking boots and into a completely different shoe, and the cold water felt surprisingly good on my feet! I would definitely recommend shorts—or even swim trunks for the men. River levels were slightly below average during our late-September visit, and the water still regularly came close to my waist in the most popular stretch of the hike.
Farther upriver, we eventually hit one deep section where the water came all the way up to my chest before returning to everything from ankle- to nearly waist-deep water. If you're planning to go all the way to Big Springs, a waterproof bag is a good idea, and I would consider a waterproof phone case an absolute minimum. Big Springs was our turnaround point and is essentially the end of the line for the bottom-up Narrows hike without a wilderness permit. It's a beautiful series of springs and small waterfalls cascading down the canyon wall and made a perfect destination before turning around and retracing our route through the river. Continuing upstream beyond Big Springs requires a wilderness permit.
An unexpected adventure! Scoggins Wash was rated moderate on AllTrails, and we went into it expecting roughly a four-hour hike. I would definitely not describe this one as moderate!
The beginning is fairly uneventful, without much elevation gain or the dramatic views we had from the rim trails. Eventually, though, the route takes you directly into a dry riverbed and the terrain becomes much more interesting. The final mile or so involves strenuous scrambling over and around large boulders, and our pace slowed considerably.
What we expected to be about a four-hour hike turned into almost six. We actually turned around with less than half a mile to go because progress had become so slow and we were getting low on water. If you're into scrambling and bouldering, this is a really fun and very different Zion adventure—but don't underestimate it based on the mileage or the AllTrails rating. Bring plenty of water and allow yourself more time than you think you'll need!
Between the iconic hikes and the trails we knew almost nothing about going in, Zion definitely lived up to the hype. Four days gave us enough time to cover a lot of ground, but there are still plenty of trails left to give us a reason to come back!
Wilton Manors, Florida
(919) 943 8918
cara@wolftravels.com
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