Zion National Park For The Day
Zion National Park is open again!!!
Okay so, on May 13 I really had my travel bug going. I knew most states were starting to open back up, and that Utah had a fairly relaxed restriction to begin with, so I looked it up. And weirdly, Zion National Park was lifting restrictions that same day. I immediately started to plan.
For starters, not everything in the park is currently open. There is a wonderful brochure detailing all of the locations currently available for use. I used this as well as some of my favorite travel guides to help plan the perfect park day.
I use these books for planning (affiliate)
Almost every time I visit Zion I like to drive to the back of the park and work my way forward. I would always recommend this. For one, you get to see things along the way that might spike your interest that you hadn’t already thought of visiting. I typically go in off peak season, as I like to have my car.
Naturally, this wasn’t how that went down. Driving up to the Scenic Drive, we saw that the Rangers had it closed down, which meant the parking areas on the Drive were all full. While this wasn’t ideal, we were prepared for the possibility and determined to make the most of our day regardless. People had parked in designated areas and were walking up to the entrance on foot. You can definitely do this, but it’s an uphill walk, and it isn’t going to be easy. Keep in mind that this area doesn’t have great cell reception so it is best to be prepared when it comes to questions about navigation.
The Great Arch seen from
Zion-Mount Carmel Hwy
My friend Amanda had never been to Zion National Park before, so I wanted to take her through the tunnel anyways so that we could see the Great Arch, as well as experience the amazing tunnel. I’ve only ever entered the tunnel coming from the opposite direction, so it was pretty neat to do it this way. Driving Zion-Mount Carmel Hwy is such a beautiful and breathtaking experience, if you have the time to do it, you should. Headed East, 2.3 miles after you exit the largest tunnel you come to a parking area with very clean portable restrooms and an over look. This is the Many Pools Trailhead.
Start at the purple star, walk the green path to the tunnel. The looped area is where all the pools are! There’s frogs, or even tadpoles here too!
I hadn’t ever heard of this little trail before but it’s super easy to do with kids and has some great geology and wildlife. We took our time meandering down the trail to get to the pools and almost missed them. A gorgeous tunnel was a cool little surprise after taking our time in the slot canyon and took us twenty minutes to hike back up to the car. We didn’t stop on the way back up and my Apple Watch told me that it was a half mile back.
After spending two and a half hours in this area, hanging out, taking photos, and hiking, we were pretty happy with how our day had been going. Sand is the glitter of the outdoors and there is a lot of it on this trail so be ready to have it coat your feet. You shouldn’t need hiking boots, but I would not recommend sandals.
Our plan at this time was to head to the visitor center at the Springdale entrance to eat some lunch. As we came back down the switchbacks we saw that the Scenic Drive up the canyon was open! I squealed a tiny bit. At 2:30 pm I was amazed at how empty it was in the park. Perhaps it’s busiest in the morning but clears out midday?
Excited and hungry after our hiking adventure, we pulled up to Zion Lodge to have ourselves a picnic. The grassy area was fairly empty and we sat down to eat our egg salad and veggies. Food makes everyone tired, so we lounged around for a bit and there was enough cell service here to make a phone call. I couldn’t do much more than that, but with such beautiful scenery, who would want to be on their phone anyway?
Angels Landing is currently closed at the chain section, for obvious reasons, but the west rim trail is still open. The parking lot over here is rather large, and there were Rangers at the entrance. Don’t be afraid to chat with them, they love to give tips and advice. I spoke with one of them and his suggestion was to be prepared for your plans to change at any point in the day.
After crossing the street from this parking lot, you see a little foot bridge that takes you over the Virgin River to start your hike. We were in sandals here, and we hadn’t really planned on another hike. We wanted to watch the river flow and enjoy the scenery which was easy to do with countless spots for river access. You can wade in a bit, but we didn’t feel like changing, and opted to sit on this beautiful rock and look around and chat instead.
This was a great spot to hangout!
From talking with Ranger Handsome, we also learned that the riverside walk at Temple of Sinwava was fairly popular for the day. Knowing they have a large parking area we headed up there. Worst case scenario, we enjoyed a bit more scenery. Best case scenario happened, however, and we got a parking spot over-looking the river. I’ve never been a Jeep girl, but with Amanda’s Jeep I fell in love. Top down, we sat on the top of the jeep and looked at the river. This area did have a fair amount of people there. Families were out enjoying themselves. An older gentleman was out photographing the park with his family and even asked if he could take a photo of us on the Jeep. Chacos on, we headed down to the area off path where we were able to dip our toes in the water. Growing up in Buffalo, I was very happy with how chilly the water was. I wish we hadn’t been too lazy for shorts because the water felt amazing!
As the sun began to set, we settled down to have some cake to celebrate Amanda graduating from college! Nothing Bundt Cakes, you’re the best!
Now, I have in the past been to The Court of The Patriarchs. But, for some reason, could not figure out how exactly we had gotten there before. I know we didn’t use the shuttle during previous trips but there’s not exactly parking in this area. There weren’t any rangers in the area to ask, so we parked in the shuttle station. I don’t recommend this without permission, but this area is so beautiful, we just had to break the rules a little bit. We hopped out for a quick photo but were worried about the car, so we didn’t stay long.
After leaving the park, it was wonderful to see how many people were in Springdale supporting the local businesses. We stopped at two of them, one to buy a shirt, and the other to buy a piece of glass. Social distancing and proper hygiene were practiced. We headed home and spent the entire drive scream singing our favorite songs!
It was a great day in the park, I can’t wait until our next visit!
Timeline: (Mountain Time)
9 am left house
11:30 am arrived at the park
11:45 am arrived at many pools trailhead
1:40 pm left many pools trailhead
2:00 pm sat down for lunch at Zion Lodge
3:45 pm left Zion Lodge
4:00 pm walked across the bridge to the beginning of Angels Landing hike
4:30 pm headed to Temple of Sinwava
5:20 pm left Temple of Sinwava
5:30 pm stopped to eat cake
6:00 pm parked illegally to walk around the Court of the Patriarchs
6:45 pm left the park to support some local shops and head back to Las Vegas!
**this entire post is relevant for the reopening guidelines of May 13-21 2020. This does not apply for non-pandemic trips**
Car: basic, two wheel drive. We drove all paved roads
Best time to visit: We went on a Saturday, if you have the time off of work though, any day would be great to visit. The crowds were minimal, as I don’t think many people knew the park was open. Plus, with current travel restrictions, the park was filled primarily with locals.
Things to know: The shuttle is closed! If the Scenic byway isn’t open you can hike from a lookout at the visitors center in Springdale, or the Many Pools Trailhead. However, biking was still allowed. Almost every shop and restaurant was open in Springdale. Follow proper safety guidelines and, if you can, support local!
Cost: Free, due to the virus they are not requiring payment.
