S&T Travel Guide: Zion
Zion has been on my bucket list for years and after all this time of imagining its glory, it exceed my expectations beyond what I ever could have imagine. It is STUNNING. Seriously breathataking views from 360 degrees. It is absolutely humbling and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. My smile lines are popping from non stop cheesin.
I have to give a shoutout to my girlfriends who honestly planned this whole thing. I just got to tag along for the ride and sign here and there. They are the true masters of this itenerary and deserve all the praise. With that said I feel like its easier for me to brag - THIS TRIP WAS FLAWLESS. Legit follow this itinerary to the tee and I gurantee a good time.
BIGGEST TIPS: book transportation/rentals in advance and start each day EARLY to beat crowds and the heat.
We arrived in Zion from CA Thursday night late. There was an hour time change, so when we arrived we unpacked and went straight to bed. We stayed at an Airbnb about 25 minutes from the entrance of the park. There are a ton of little hotels/houses to rent closer to the park, but we saved a few bucks by staying a tad further out.
Day 1
Watchman Trail
We were still waiting for the other half of our group to arrive later that day, but wanted to of course make the most of our short time in Zion. We decided to hit the mountains and hike the Watchman Trail. It is a great trail to easily access from the front of the park and a solid adventure to acclimate yourself into the Zion terrain. To enter the park we bought a group pass right at the entrance ($35 total) that was good for the whole weekend.
It is about a 3 mile roundtrip with 300ft elevation to a nice viewpoint. We hiked up, which with the zero shade and fairly steep incline is a not too crazy, but considerable workout. There are a few spots on the hike that you are walking close to the edge, but overall the trail is nice and wide. At the top we soaked in the view while enjoying our pre packed paper bag lunches. The hike back down is a breeze and the brewery right at the end of the trail is the perfect way to top it off.
Day 2
Angel’s Landing and Electric Bikes
We got to Zion guru at 8:00am. Since we were renting bikes with them it gave us free all day parking in their lot (swag). They are very efficient and definitely have their shit together there, so if you are looking for a rental I def reccomend! Our group of 7 got electric bikes ($95 each) from there and headed into the park. We showed our previously purchased group ticket and were off! Immediately we were blown away by the insane 360 views of the mountains from the valley we road through. Like seriously i was non stop smiling and toook 3 million videos because i couldn’t get over it. It was amazing. The electric bikes also make it so much more enjoyable to casually ride while getting to soak in the view. Save the huffing and puffing for the steep trails ya know?
Angel’s landing hike was another showstopper. The hike up is lots of zig zags and steep incline. Definitely not for those afraid of heights. We had originally planned to do the chain portion of the hike, but there was a line that was over 2 hours long to be able to do it. If you are just doing the hike (no chains) there was no wait. We decided to skip and still got to see some insane views from the top. For those really needing that adrenaline portion, be sure to get there EXTRA early to beat the entry line.
After our hike we brought back the bikes and then we rented our gear for the Narrows the next day. Definitely think getting our gear the night before was the move because it made the early morning the next day much more efficient.
We debated going tubing or to the hot springs after this, but after a couple beers and a late lunch we decided to head home and take it easy. If you are interested in either I will link them below for you to check out. Let me know how they are!
Day 3
The Narrows
This hike is absolutely gorgeous from the very start till the end. Grand walls surround you as you trek through the virgin river. It is kind of a “choose your own adventure” type hike where you follow the general direction, but you can choose your own footing and the distance is your choice as well. Most people reccomend going to at least the branch in the gorge and then back, which is what we did. It ended up being about 7 miles round trip.
We got our equipment the day before for this hike from Zion Guru ( same place we rented bikes). You will need a pole and water socks/shoes. You can also wear the full pants overalls if you are worried about the water, but we did not and it was just fine. For the majority of the hike the water is below the knee, but there are some parts that can get super deep! We got there fairly early, so there was lots of shade from the giant canyon walls and then patches of sunshine on the way back.
You will also need to figure out transportation to get to the start of the hike. We took a semi private bus from Red Rock Shuttles that we booked a week in advance for $35 a person. It made everything flow super easy. You can also rent electric bikes, which we did yesterday and was amazing. The other option, which is free, is the state bus. Totally a great option, but be warned the lines are longggggg.
After this hike we were all ravenous, so we hit up the highly recommended Oscar’s Cafe. The serving sizes here are HUGE. We all chowed down and had some Sangria to celebrate the final hike of our trip.
I fell in love almost instantly with Zion after entering the park. This trip will forever remain as one of my favorite places to explore! I hope this agenda can help you plan your trip there. Feel free to comment any questions below and I will try and answer any I can.
