Zion National Park

Highlights:

–   Free shuttle bus in and around the park

–   Friendly (and full!) campground

–   Beautiful yellow foliage against the bright, red rocks

Zion is often in the lists of most-visited or most recommended national parks in the USA, and we very quickly found out why. The Grand Canyon was our entrée into the part of our road trip dominated by the classic American Red Rock Landscape that is so typical of many road trip movies, and as we drove along the Colorado River on the way to Zion, the Mars-like landscape only became more pronounced. [SIDE NOTE: If you love animal conservation as much as we do, make sure to stop at Navajo Bridge, not far outside of Grand Canyon National Park, to have a look for California Condors. There are only a few hundred remaining birds, and many tagged/GPS-tracked birds hang around this bridge. The birds were on the brink of extinction due to the use of DDT pesticide in the last century, and the Yurok Tribe has done amazing work to restore the populations].

We arrived in the late afternoon to Zion, mostly due to many stops on the way in to marvel at wildlife and beautiful rock formations on the way. [SIDE NOTE: You will pass a few Instagram Famous attractions on this route, namely, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. Both require a fee to enter (~$10), and Antelope Canyon requires a tour guide (~$85 per person). Please keep in mind that these are religious sites open to the public by the Navajo Nation after much of their land was stolen by the US government. So, while this is a high fee, consider it as small change for making up for what was stolen from the indigenous tribes across North America if  you choose to visit.] Unfortunately, our late arrival meant that the campground was completely full. We had a moment of panic upon realizing this, but decided to walk towards the group campsites (normally reserved by groups of 10+ people) to see if there might be space for us. We noticed a group of other young adults and asked if we could pay $20 to crash with them, and we were so surprised to find that it wasn’t a group at all but other various stragglers who had booked the group site upon finding the full campground. We spent the evening cooking together and chatting about our travels, playing music, and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Meeting strangers due to an over-full campground seems to lead to some of our favorite camping nights, so don’t be afraid to ask a stranger if you can share a spot in a pinch!!The rest of our time in Zion was characterized by riding the free shuttle bus around the park, hiking at many of the stops, and just soaking up the autumn sun. One of the most famous hikes in the park, Angel’s Landing, requires a permit to hike to limit the number of visitors on the narrow path. The permits were already sold out for both of the days we were there, but the park ranger we spoke to recommended that we hike to Scout Lookout, which is where the permitted part of Angel’s Landing begins. [SIDE NOTE: There were rangers at two different points on this hike checking permits, so I would not recommend trying to sneak up to Angel’s Landing without one]. The trail is paved at first and then turns into a wide, mildly steep incline followed by many switchbacks carved into the rock. We reached Scout Lookout and saw that another trail continued upwards and decided to continue hiking. Out of the path of the Angel’s Landing crowd, the amount of people significantly decreased and we had much more serenity and a view of Angel’s Landing from above, which I would definitely recommend. As people who don’t really love crowds while hiking, I don’t think I would recommend Angel’s Landing, even in the off-season, but would opt instead for some of the less popular trails. Finally, another popular trail that we didn’t do but that is very popular is the Narrows, which is almost entirely in a river. In autumn and winter this hike can become very cold very quickly, so it’s important to wear layers, rent (or bring) waterproof boots/waders (these can be rented from outfitters like Zion Outfitter outside the park), and bring a dry bag with extra clothes. Also, be aware of the weather and avoid this hike if there is risk for flash flooding (this information is readily available in the Visitor’s Center).