You simply cannot describe Zion. We reserved a camp site about a year out, and then planned a trip around those dates much later. A couple camping next to us picked up a site last minute by talking with the rangers and picking up reservation no-shows. We though that was crazy then, but we would totally do that now! The lines of cars (early, but still peak season) to get in the park were crazy long. The park closed to outside cars by 9 a.m. We were mighty glad to be inside the park on this visit. We were early in the season (late May) which meant that lots of trails still needed to be cleared of boulders and trees. But, the temperatures were perfect. The trails fully open by August, but temps soar. Pick your poison. Personally, we pick cold over hot every time. A tram provides access to all the stops in the canyon. We used our ebikes which were more convenient than the lines for the trams. If you want to hike knee deep up into the Narrows, visit later in the season. Early to middle summer, the river is running way too hard. Angel’s Landing is spectacular but also spectacularly crowded – and that is not a good thing when you are depending on a single steel cable to get up rock walls.

  • Zion Eyes (5/13/2019) - There's a stretch of road on I-15, about 90 miles north of Vegas in Littlefield, Arizona, where the scrub lined…
  • sMiley Pa’rus (5/14/2019) - On any given sunny day in Utah, 12,000+ visitors hit Zion like a Wrecking Ball.  They come for The Climb,…
  • Watchman: It All Comes Out in the Wash (5/15/2019) - Start early, end early - a great philosophy for hiking in extreme heat and day-drinking excursions. When it doesn't end…
  • Slow Boat to Zion (5/16/2019) - The best cure for a Watchman hangover is slow riding Zion Canyon Drive and people watching your way through the…
  • Looking Down On Angel’s Landing (5/18/2019) - After a camp day where heavy rain and wind made great accompaniment to reading, napping, and movies, we were charged…
  • Chasing Waterfalls (5/21/2019) - Neither snow, nor rain, nor cold, nor hail of last night kept us from making our appointed Zion rounds today.…
  • Next Time Bring Rope (5/22/2019) - If a trail isn't closed, we've hiked it. Biked to it. Taken a tram to it. Pictured it. Blogged about…
  • A Day In The Pits (5/23/2019) - Since beef and kamut soup takes 8 hours of slow cooking, our best while-we-wait activity was 11 miles outside the…
  • Wetwalkers (5/24/2019) - Big hike and bikes require rest and stretch, best accomplished with a good book, laundry and a stroll downtown. After…
  • YES WE CANyon (5/25/2019) - When your primary vehicles are two wheels and six, any excursion normally made with four has to be "worth it."…