Road trip part 3: Zion and Bryce Canyon
After driving up from the Grand Canyon and across the Utah border, we reached Zion National Park. We were arriving on a Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, which meant there were more people leaving than arriving at this time.
We then wanted to stop and do a short hike, but we missed the street parking and then the car park was on the wrong side of the road where we weren't allowed to turn in, so we had to go through the big tunnel first. It was very long and went through the mountain. There were the occasional windows carved into the side, but other than that it was completely dark inside.
We made it to the outside, and stopped at a viewpoint to have some lunch. The rocks were all glowing orange in the early afternoon light and we quickly finished up to get to our first hike in Zion.
We went back through the tunnel and turned into the parking area. I changed into my shorts (it had been cold when we left the Grand Canyon that morning) and we set off on the Canyon overlook trail, Mitchell's hiking sticks at the ready.
It was a short but steep hike, taking us about an hour round trip, but we went under caves, along bridges and at the end there was an amazing overlook. We could see trees and a river running through the valley below, and it was beautiful.
Once we were done here, we got back in the car, drove through the tunnel one more time, and continued on through the park and out the other side to Springdale, the town we'd be staying in. We checked in to our hotel, went to check out the balcony, and there was a stag on the lawn!
He was munching on the grass and flowering bush next door and seemed quite content as people entered and exited the car park right next to him.
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| The view from our balcony |
After watching him for a while and sitting on the balcony, we went out to find some food. We went to Oscar's cafe which served huge portions of Tex Mex. We had some good food and then went back to the hotel for the night.
The next day was our full day in Zion. We got the shuttle from right outside our lodge to right outside the park. We walked through on foot and presented our pass. Once inside it was the most tourist friendly park we've been to and felt more like a zoo with paved areas and big bus station. Luckily, because we were there on a weekday it wasn't very busy, so we were able to get straight onto the next shuttle which took us along the scenic drive into the main park. We got off at the grotto and started the trail up to emerald pools.
It was very busy and steeper than some people thought; after only a short while, groups of seniors were turning back. The trail took us along a ridge and around to some waterfalls. There were three sets, and the we reached the lower ones first. The water spilled over the ridge and sprinkled over us and I managed to get some pretty good photos of it.
We took the long route through the trees to see the other two. We saw the middle which was underwhelming, but we did see a snake there in the water.
At the upper pools it was very busy, but there was a large pool with a waterfall flowing into it. Luckily, everyone was standing back from it, so we were all able to get pictures of it without people getting in the way.
After reaching the end, it was back to the trailhead for lunch in the picnic area.
We had a long sit down after the hot hike, but after that it was back on the bus to the next hike. We went to the Sinawava Temple stop to do the riverside walk. This was the walk that people do to get to one of the most famous walks in Zion; the Narrows. The Narrows is where people hike through water in a slot canyon, but as Mitchell had just had surgery, he wasn't allowed to submerge it in water. But we walked up to the edge and saw all the people walking through the water with their sticks and waterproof shoes.
There were so many squirrels on this trail and we saw several chubby specimens trying to get into people's backpacks and steal their snacks. We also saw some baby deer from the shuttle bus!
That was it for our full day in Zion and we were pretty exhausted, so we caught the bus back to the town and got some pizza for dinner. The town of Springdale was very cool, with some art shops and lots of restaurants and cafes, and you could see the huge red rocks looming over it from all sides.
After our pizza we went for some bumbleberry pie. A bumbleberry being a secret berry named for the bumbleberry inn we were staying at. It looked like there were blackberries and blueberries in there at least.
When we'd eaten, we went back to the hotel and went to go and see the animals around the back. They had chickens, ducks, a bunny, goats and a miniature horse. A couple were already there and they had collected some windfalls from the apple tree in one of the fields and were feeding them to the very happy goats. They shared some and I got to feed the little goats.
The next morning, we were going on a day trip! We drove for two hours to get to Bryce Canyon, through Zion park and on through the Utah countryside. For the most part it was fields and trees, but as we got closer we passed through red canyon park, and we actually drove through a rock bridge.
We parked at the visitor centre and picked up a map, and then we got on the shuttle bus. We rode it all the way around to Sunrise point and started our hike. It started with an overlook of the amphitheatre and we got our first look at all the hoodoos. These odd sculptures stand up from the ground and stretched all across the horizon.
Our hiking trail led us right into them and we curled all the way though the field of rocks through the Queen's garden and the Navajo loop. We stopped for a snack and went through a couple of archways, taking lots of pictures on the way.
The first part was almost entirely rocks and we didn't see any trees or plants until we reached the second half. The last part of the hike was pretty tough and took us up a long winding path. I'd seen lots of pictures of this area online covered with people because it's so iconic, but as we were there on a Wednesday, I managed to get some pictures without people.
We walked back along the edge looking out at the view, and then got the shuttle back to the visitor centre.
We didn't feel like doing another hike at this point, but listed on the top things to do in Bryce was a scenic drive to several lookout points, so we did this before we left. It was about a forty minute drive and while it did stop at some very impressive overlooks and canyon views, we felt like we'd already seen the best bits of the day. We did enjoy seeing the natural bridge though.
We drove back to Zion, and on the way we finally saw some big horn sheep! They were blocking the road as we turned a corner, but they quickly ran away and down the side of the mountain.
That evening we went for burgers and crepes at another cafe within walking distance of our hotel and got an early night. In the morning, we went for breakfast in the inn's diner early and drove into the park this time. From inside, we caught the shuttle back to the grotto stop we'd been at two days ago, but this time we took a different trail. We were going up Angel's Landing! This hike is so popular, and incredibly steep and dangerous at the top, that they've put a lottery in place to limit the amount of people going up there. I applied for one back in July and managed to get a slot for that Thursday morning.
We set off just ahead of our time-slot, but it turned out to be ok, I don't think they check too hard mid-week. It was a fairly steady uphill climb for the first couple of miles, with similar views to what we'd seen a few days ago. We reached the peak of Scouts Landing, and began the real challenge. The last half a mile to the top of Angels Landing (so called because it's so high up, only angels could land there) was a very steep, very thin path, or no path at all, with a chain to use to pull yourself up the worst bits. It was very fun, but not for the faint of heart as either side would drop you all the way to the bottom of the valley.
But we made it to the top and looked out at the whole valley. I think the climb was more fun than the view, but it was still very impressive!
After that, we had to climb all the way back down again, which was harder than going up because it was so steep, and found it easier in certain places to turn around and go down facing the wall.
The rest of the decent wasn't too bad and we made it back to the picnic area again for lunch. While we were eating, we saw some wild turkeys inbetween the trees, just hopping around looking for shade and food.
That was it and we caught the shuttle for the last time back to the car. The drive home was six or seven hours, and we basically drove the whole way home in one go other than stopping for gas or bathroom breaks. We snacked as we drove, but made it home for a late dinner and an early night before work the next morning! It was an incredible adventure, I've never seen so much stuff in just one week! Four states, three national parks, and the best road trip buddy ever!
Lots and lots of love,
Emily and Mitchell
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