Written by Kim
Third time is a charm. When we did our big road trip in Sept/Oct we cut Zion from our itinerary because lodging was very expensive and rangers in Bryce told us it would be very crowded. We schedule to come a second time when we went to Vegas in November to see Billy Joel but our flight got cancelled and we had to cut Zion again. The silver lining on try #2 was that we got flight credits for the cancellation so we decided to go early Spring before the park got too crowded. We did some research on how to best use our time to enjoy the park in one day and our plans worked great for our visit.
We stayed in Hurricane which is about 30 minutes away because the hotel costs were significantly less expensive. Many people stay in Springdale which is right outside the gates. It’s basically a town built for Zion visitors. We wanted to stop for lunch there on our way out but parking in all lots is organized by different payment schemes (blue fees,, black fees, etc) and we were just too tired to figure it out. 😂
We arrived at the park a little before 7 (before sunrise) and took one of the first shuttles on a 30 minute ride to the back of the park. It was very chilly (around 40) but we were layered up so not too cold
The road into Zion Canyon is 6 miles long, ending at the Temple of Sinawava, which is named for the coyote god of the PaiuteIndians.. The canyon becomes more narrow near the Temple and a hiking trail continues to the mouth of The Narrows, a gorge only 20 feet wide and up to 2,000 feet tall.
We did the Riverwalk Trail to the bottom of the Narrows. It was an easy 2.2 mile round trip trail which was paved with only slight elevations. This flat, paved trail follows the Virgin River and ends where the Narrows begins. This easy hike is perfect for all ages and all ability levels.
The canyon was gorgeous. The Narrows at the end of this trail is one of the most famous hikes.
