Zion National Park- February 2023

 A magnitude of incredible that can't be described. 

I've saved this page for last, mostly because I want to dedicate some time to doing this park justice, but understand it is so much more than I can say. Zion has been the top of my National Parks Bucket List for as long as I can remember, and it really was an ethereal experience. Looking back on these pictures honestly feels like a dream, and I'm so lucky to have experienced all that I did over the two days I spent hiking here. I have never been so tempted to pack up and move somewhere in my life. Okay, I say that every time I go somewhere. But, I meant it more this time. There is something about this region of the country that resonated deep in my soul and I cannot wait to go back. The minute you drive into the park is jaw-droppingly beautiful, and there is so much to love and feel and experience. 10/10 would recommend, and take me back with you when you go. 

Angel's Landing 

It's really fun. It's kinda scary. That's all you need to know, right? This trail starts at the Grotto trail head off Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. There is a shuttle that runs down this road during peak season and it's closed to cars, but not in the winter, so I parked right at the trail head at 8am. According to AllTrails, this is a 4.4 mile hike out and back that gains 1600ft of elevation. My watch was confused how far we went, as were my legs, but the elevation does not mess around straight off the jump. The first mile and a half are switchbacks up this mountain that were steeeeep. The last quarter mile of those were very icy and microspikes were 100% needed beyond that point. After the switchbacks, you get up to a clearing that splits off into the West Rim trail and the trail to the peak of Angel's Landing. 

You need a permit past this point to hike the summit of Angel's Landing! This is applied for either months in advance, or the night before, and it's done via lottery system on Recreation.gov. I did a lot of anxious research about how many permits were available and what the odds were I'd get one in February and found exactly zero information. I had flexibility in the two Zion hiking days and my Bryce Canyon day, so I had three days to get a permit for this hike, and would work the other hikes around it. But, I got lucky on Day One and this was my first official hike here. This permit system is being tested as a way to limit the amount of people on this hike at one time, since people have fallen off and died. Pictures of this hike in the summer show endless lines of people grabbing on to the same chain holding them to the side of the mountain, and I did not want that for myself. It was just me and a chain and some snow, and I had the best experience. 

I ran into a few other hikers, which was good motivation to keep going since the horror stories were playing in my head of what can go wrong. I wasn't going to psych myself out of doing this hike, but it's always nice to hear a supportive voice as you go, and to be that voice for someone else. This hike really was a blast- pulling yourself on the chains, shimmying up the rocks, and sliding down on your bum on the way down. It felt like being on a playground 1600ft in the sky. There were also a few places that felt like I had to be *almost* there, and was not. Which was finw, because I never wanted this hike to end. 

I was alone at the summit for a little bit, and it was such a surreal experience of complete silence with the sun on my face. I wish I could live in that moment forever, honestly. A couple joined me soon after, we exchanged pictures, shared snacks, and took it all in together. It was a really amazing moment. This hike really is HARD and do not bring your children and be ready for what you're getting yourself into, and be careful. But, it's probably one of the most fulfilling moments when you're at the peak and you can look back at what you just summited and say, "Hell yeah I did that." I won't lie and say going back down wasn't also a little scary. I was wearing ski pants, and was thankful for them as I did a lot of very controlled and intentional sliding down on my bum rather than trying to balance standing up and crawling back down the rocks. Don't get cocky that the hard part is over once you're at the top, but you can breathe a much easier once you get back to the West Rim clearing. 

West Rim

This trail spans 14 miles up from the Grotto trail head, and is *technically* the start to the Angel's Landing hike. Angel's Landing branches off after a bunch of switchbacks, and the rim trail carries on after. When I came down from Angel's Landing, I did some meandering around on this trail. It has beautiful views of Angel's Landing and had a lot more snow/less foot prints to follow, which was fun. I probably hiked a mile or two, then headed back down the mountain. If you aren't able to get an Angel's Landing permit, I definitely recommend coming up here anyway. It's an amazing panoramic view from any point. 

The Narrows - Bottom up 

This was the hike that most drew me to this park, and I've literally had dreams about it prior to this trip. It did not disappoint in any step of the way. It was challenging and fun and beyond words beautiful. I rented gear from Zion Guru and I am SO glad I didn't get gear from anywhere else. I ran into others that had, and their feet were freezing and mine were nice and warm and I was so comfortable and able to take in the whole experience without distraction. The gear I rented was a pair of dry bibs that had built in booties on them that slipped into thick soled river boots. And a very important wooden walking stick. I didn't feel the coolness of the water for one single second, and I was anticipating being much colder than I ever was. The coldest part was walking to the trail head, honestly. Other gear rental places didn't have waterproof boots, and the shoes were more like water shoes and the socks weren't attached to your leggings/pants, so water got all around your feet and these other poor souls were freezing. 

The trail starts at the Riverside Walk trail head, which is at the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Parking fills up quickly, so I got there around 8am. The first mile is along the Riverside Walk, which is paved and goes between the river and the side of the canyon. Then that ends and you simply get in the water. It feels slightly counter-intuitive, and I was awaiting the cold shock that thankfully never came. Then the fun part starts. I had a couple in front of me I eventually passed, but other than that, felt like I had the entire canyon to myself. The other not fun thing to note is flash floods come through here and people die. Pay very close attention to the weather, and bug the people at the gear shop who understand weather patterns much here much better than this Midwest lady. 

I wasn't anticipating the strength of the current in the river, but it really was forceful and I was thankful for my walking stick as I tried to steady myself and move up river. There were a lot of banks on the side to walk on that were icy, so the time in the river was less than I anticipated. But, I was determined not to fall down, as I did not want to feel how cold that water was. The rocks were slick in the water as well, so the walking stick saved me from falling on more than one occasion. I'd like to thank Missouri Float Trips for preparing me for holding my own against the current with no gear, just beer. I think it genuinely helped during this hike where I had no beer, just gear, and did not fall. 

The canyon itself is something that I really can't describe. It's an other-worldly experience, and I just stood in awe for the whole hike, stunned with gratitude for the life I was living at that moment. It really is hard to tell how far you've gone in the canyon. My watch was making up numbers, but AllTrails seemed to have it more together. There are landmarks that sound like they could be a few different things I walked by, and it got a little disorienting when I was the leader of the pack. I got about 3.5 miles into the 5 miles, and it had taken me 3 hours with the current and the stopping to take 1000 pictures. So, I decided to turn around somewhere in Wall Street after the Floating Rock, and was happy with my decision. I ran into a group on the way back that asked how far it was to a certain point and I just laughed and said I literally have no idea- there is no concept of time or distance down there. It's like being in another dimension.  

The hike back was faster, and warmer, but deeper and the current behind me instead of in front of me wasn't as helpful as I thought it would be. As it got warmer and the ice melted, the water got deeper, so I was glad I turned back before I got too tired, or the hike back would have been even more of a challenge with the added depth and current. The deepest water was on the trip back, and I took my backpack off and held it over my head with one hand just so it didn't get wet. But the water was about up to my waist at that point. The 7 miles took me about 5 hours, and I would do it again every day of my life if I could. 

Upper, Middle, and Lower Emerald Pools 

The upper and middle pools can be accessed through the same trailhead as Angel's Landing/West Rim (Grotto), so it was an easy add-on coming down from there. In warmer months, this is a loop around all 3. But the Lower part of the loop is closed in winter months when there is ice, so you can access the pools from both directions, but you can't go under the falls like in the summer, making both of these hikes an out an back. Unless you turn off at a different point at the middle pools, and take the Middle Pool trail down instead. I did this, not necessarily intentionally. But, since the lower is closed, you end at the Zion Lodge trailhead about a half a mile down the road. There is a dirt path from the Lodge to Grotto that's easy enough to get back with. This loop is about 3 miles. The Lower falls can be accessed from where the upper and middle are, and you can see a different view from the trailhead at the lodge, which is about a mile out and back. 

The pools themselves were all really unique and the ice added some extra intrigue. I was also singing 10,000 Emerald Pools by Borns in my head (and maybe sometimes out loud) the whole time. The hike up to the upper was rather steep and slick, and the middle loop was very muddy. I had spikes with me but didn't put them on. The paved path up to the lower from the Lodge trail head was also icy but I managed carefully without spikes. I didn't venture out onto the frozen ponds because I like to be warm and dry. There weren't a ton of people on these hikes, even for the middle of the afternoon, but in the warmer months I could see these hikes being absolutely packed. 

Pa'rus Trail 

After Angel's Landing and the Pools on the first day, I had some daylight left. I headed toward the visitors center on the Springdale side for cell service and to pick out another hike. The Watchman was closed, unfortunately, so I stumbled upon the Pa'rus trail, and I'm really glad I did. It's a very flat, paved 3 miles (my hiker brain was like, "That's not enough of a challenge" but my legs were like, "Yeah, that's okay."). It's easy to access from the visitor's center, and it starts going by some camp sites that are currently inhabited by deer. I sat on a table and hung out with them for a little bit, then continued to wander down the paved trail through the valley. One of my absolute favorite things about my wildlife interactions at National Parks up until this point is their quiet curiosity that is so calming, and the sense that they aren't afraid that you're there. The feeling of coexistence in that moment is so powerful, and a reminder of little first grade Jessica's love of animals, who decided to be a veterinarian when she grew up and never changed her mind. 

It really was gorgeous with the mountains towering around and all of the muted green shrubbery surrounding me. There were several bridges crossing over creeks, and it was a serene time with the sun on my face to unwind after an amazing first day in Zion. Turns out that I didn't care that it wasn't a hard hike, and realized not all of them have to be. This one is so accessible to strollers and people of all athletic abilities, and it's important that we all have the opportunity to experience nature together. I also saw dogs in this trail, and immediately planned a camping trip here in my head with my pups That was the only trail I saw as dog friendly here, but I didn't look much into it as mine were snug at home.

Weeping Rock 

After the Narrows, I was not as cold (thankfully) or as tired (surprisingly) as I thought I would be. I drove by this trail head and decided to check it out. I didn't have cell service, so I popped out of the car and just went with it. This is a very short (0.3 miles), but rather steep paved hike. It was warm that day and the ice had turned to slush on the trail. The rock itself was spectacular and was pouring water from it. It was in the afternoon and the light was illuminating the whole thing. The trail goes around and under it, and it's very cool to experience. After this hike I found a picnic bench and laid in the sun for like an hour because I was very much not ready to leave and was throwing an internal temper tantrum about it. I just really love this park, okay?