Surrounded by saturated reds, oranges and blues…
The valley of Zion is a surreal sight to behold. I could not help but feel small when towering mesas and cliff sides were our constant companions during the day, and then thousands of twinkling stars at night. Also the incredible animal encounters at night with gorgeous white tailed deer entering our campsite. I obviously have an affinity for deer — bucks in particular. Planning a camping excursion to Zion is as simple as grabbing your gear and getting in your car and going! I would highly advise getting a campsite reservation first though, but beyond that I’d recommend it to anyone from beginner campers and hikers all the way up to the experts!
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Arriving in Zion you drive through a small town bordered by red rock until you pull up to the campsites. We went with the intention of car camping and syncing up with a friend who was on a cross country motorcycle excursion from Alaska to Mexico — and that’s exactly what we did! Pulling up to the campsite, we simply paid for a space and drove in, aware that our motorcycle bud, Simone, had kindly reserved us a spot. We immediately went to work pitching our tent and setting up our hammocks. Our small territory was adjacent to a little creek full of clear icy water gently babbling away, the beautiful blue contrasting with the reds of the surrounding earth. Of course I couldn’t resist wading into it!
Recommended Gear
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Supplies are a necessary part of any excursion, and fortunately for this one you don’t have to freak if you forget any basics. All you have to do is drive or walk back to the main town from the campground and there’s a fully stocked general store with all the bacon you could possibly desire (so in our case four packets)!
The goal — to complete one of the gnarliest hikes in America. I had read a bit about Angel’s Landing before this trip, but nothing can truly prepare your mind for what standing inches from 1500 foot drop offs feels like. Or the fact that there are moments where your life is literally in the grips of a few feet of metal chains — but more on that later! Taking the shuttle from Zion’s South Campground we got off at The Grotto. Immediately crossing the Virgin River it wasn’t long until the red cliffs of Angel’s Landing were staring down at us.
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The West Rim Trail is the first part of the hike, a winding paved trail that lulls you into a false sense of security for what’s to come. Getting more into Refrigerator Canyon provides some amazing views of the valley below. Take this moment to catch your breath because then it’s Walter’s Wiggles time — a series of switchbacks that will seriously get your heart a pumping!
Scout Lookout is located at the top of the Wiggles and it’s the marker for where the adventure really begins! You’ll know you’ve made it when the trail flattens out and chipmunks dash about in celebration of your arrival (and any potential food scraps you may leave in your wake). From here you can begin to see the spine of Angel’s Landing…
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When our valiant band of five made it to Scout Landing it was starting to get a bit crowded, but we pressed onward. At this point the stellar chains are introduced. These became our trusted companions for the last 500 feet of climbing to the summit.
Up to this point I’d have said the hike had been relatively easy, but these last 500 feet were unlike anything I’d ever hiked before or since (though since doing this hike I’ve also hiked Half Dome and oh mama those chains actually scared me!). The center section of the Spine has sheer drop offs all the way down to the valley floor you started from. My mind could not comprehend the elevation I was at. It was an absolute blast — though I wouldn’t recommend this to those who are afraid of heights. This hike is going to be a big no-no for those individuals. You have to fully trust the chains at different points when the trail can become a mere two feet across AND all the while dealing with down-climbers passing by you. There were many moments when we questioned why there wasn’t a strict limit on the number of hikers allowed at the summit at one time. Honestly there were times when one wrong step of a passerby could have toppled us over the edge. It really doesn’t get much more wild than that, and I can’t deny that it was quite a thrill.
The delight of reaching the top was compounded by the magnificence of the view that was laid out before us. We reached the summit around 1pm and the valley was bathed in orange light. Finding a quiet spot to enjoy the show nature had in front of us, we pulled out our much deserved snacks and had some stern conversations with some overly friendly chipmunks. All-in-all I will remember this hike for as long as I live. Those last 500 feet are an absolutely surreal experience. I cannot wait to do this hike again someday. A hiking MUST.
Driving to Bryce Canyon from Zion National Park only takes a mellow 1.5 hours! The drive is entirely worth it to see those red towers in the canyon. You’ve already made it out to Zion may as well check another spot off the bucket list!
We wanted to hike a loop trail so we hiked the Queen’s Garden trail to the Navajo Loop trail which totaled about 3 miles roundtrip. The difficulty rating is definitely a one star — its a very simple trail with some slight uphill/downhill sections, but it was more of a nice walk than an intense hike. The easy difficulty definitely allows you to soak in the views.
Quick Tip: If you’re hiking with a group of friends and you get separated from them — don’t just keep hiking! If most of the group goes to inspect a rock formation, don’t keep walking down the trail without a second glance! Always be aware of your surroundings! If you get separated — STOP. If you’ve been waiting for a while and there’s a very clear trail marked, it might be best to backtrack back to the trailhead and wait for your group there.
Alas all journeys come to an end! Doesn’t mean I had to be happy about it though! We packed up all our camping gear and tucked in for our 6 hour drive home — which quickly turned into a grueling 11 hour human endeavor in patience. Driving in the desert means you hit some spotty cell service, which also means that google maps might drop out on you. We ended up taking a wrong turn through the Mojave Desert! It ended up adding an extra two hours to the drive, but it was a beautiful place to watch the sunset.
Just outside of Las Vegas we hit another time snag. A massive traffic jam appeared to our dismay and after trudging along in it for nearly three hours we finally saw the cause of the insane back up — a semi-truck on the side of the highway literally engulfed in flames! I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the Vegas area, but fire doesn’t really mix with desert plant life. Thus the crazy number of firetrucks and police.
So a 6 hour drive turned into 11, but it made us even more stoked to fall into bed at the end of it all!
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