Utah National Park Trip

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Zion end of May won't be crowded, we were there this spring around that time. The Narrows may be too high - it was closed when were there. If it is open, you can rent all the equipment in town. With kids that age, I would try to do Angels Landing, you'll need a permit. The bus system is great but just get there early. The brewery at the exit of the bus in Zion is great, we ate there several times. I was overall impressed by the food in the Spring Hill area there.

We stayed at the Hoodoo Moab Hilton in Moab. You'll want to get into those parks very early, it will already be hot.

You can do Bryce in a day.

Bring clothes for every temp. Arches and Canyonland was hot. We were outer layersfor mornings at Zion. Bryce was freezing.

Have fun!! It is a great trip!!

+1 every time I’ve been to Bryce Canyon it has been painfully cold compared to other Utah parks, like snowing and windy in late April.

I camped near Bryce once in August and nighttime temperatures were in the low 40s. It was so freaking cold. Camped in Moab on the same trip and sweated through the night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sad to read this about Zion. It has always been my dream to do the Narrows.

Definitley go! Hiking and experiencing the Narrows were utterly amazing. It was a bit crowded at the trailhead but if you continue a few miles the crowds really fall away.
Do not miss this hike. It was something I will remember all my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sad to read this about Zion. It has always been my dream to do the Narrows.

It’s still beautiful, but it’s really crowded- at least when we were there a couple summers ago.

I dont Know if Zion has done, or is considering doing a reservation system to control the crowds. Rocky Mountain NP in Colorado does this and closer to home, you need a reservation to hike Old Rag. I can’t remember, but Zion may have had this in place when we visited? We stayed at the Zion Lodge, so we didn’t need to worry about buses and reservations.

While Zion is crowded, if you’ve never been, it’s surely worth visiting. Maybe consider the off season. I much prefer the cold over crowds, so would be fine in the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sad to read this about Zion. It has always been my dream to do the Narrows.

i liked zion a lot in April 2019 fwiw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sad to read this about Zion. It has always been my dream to do the Narrows.

Definitley go! Hiking and experiencing the Narrows were utterly amazing. It was a bit crowded at the trailhead but if you continue a few miles the crowds really fall away.
Do not miss this hike. It was something I will remember all my life.

Just temper your expectations. While PP's own hike was memorable, others' experiences may be much much different. FWIW, it was more than "a bit crowded" at the trailhead when we were there just last week. That means you have to barrel through crowds for quite a bit of the hike before it thins out. This included large groups who were trying to stay together and many were not in physical condition to be hiking.

Also keep in mind that the facilities for Zion are completely overwhelmed. The port-a-potties and dry toilet facilities had long lines and were absolutely filthy. They literally had mounds of excrement inside of them that came dangerously close (less than a foot) to the top opening.

IMO, there are so many areas nearby that have wonderful hiking opportunities you are better off doing one of those than the "famous" Narrows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We really liked the Desert Pearl Inn in Zion. You could walk to the park, and it has a pool. Zion is behind the Inn, so if you book a room off the back, that is your view, along with a little stream. We also enjoyed e-biking through Zion (we have teens).

A tip about hotels in Springdale - either stay really close such that you can walk or further down the road so that you can get on the shuttle at the first stop. We were in the middle and found the shuttle always full and ended up walking anyway after waiting 20 minutes.

Also recommend Bit & Spur. Make a reservation.

We went in the middle of summer during a heat wave and had no problem with the shuttle or needing reservations anywhere. we just stayed at the springhill suites in springdale. agree on Bit & Spur. we also went to Dulivia's one night and i had very low expectations and i'm still thinking about the pasta i had. we didn't have a bad meal in springdale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just returned from visiting "The Mighty Five."

Zion was a disappointment. It was so overcrowded and the buses were packed all the time with standing room only. The popular hikes (The Narrows) were like a non-stop assembly line of people and many of them were obviously not in physical condition to be doing it. Overheard of several instances where people had fallen or otherwise were hurt. We stayed in the lodge on Zion and even with that head-start it was still packed with people.

There were also large tour groups comprised of busloads of people who were only trying to get the perfect Instagram-type shot and were blocking viewpoints, blocking trails, etc. to do so. Bringing changes of outfits, even! Completely oblivious to the beauty around them.

As far as we were concerned, Zion was a one-and-done and we don't have plans to go back.

This is so sad. I loved Zion ... but I was there about seven years ago. We didn't experience any behavior like this.

Springdale is very cute, and every place we ate was very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sad to read this about Zion. It has always been my dream to do the Narrows.

Definitley go! Hiking and experiencing the Narrows were utterly amazing. It was a bit crowded at the trailhead but if you continue a few miles the crowds really fall away.
Do not miss this hike. It was something I will remember all my life.

Just temper your expectations. While PP's own hike was memorable, others' experiences may be much much different. FWIW, it was more than "a bit crowded" at the trailhead when we were there just last week. That means you have to barrel through crowds for quite a bit of the hike before it thins out. This included large groups who were trying to stay together and many were not in physical condition to be hiking.

Also keep in mind that the facilities for Zion are completely overwhelmed. The port-a-potties and dry toilet facilities had long lines and were absolutely filthy. They literally had mounds of excrement inside of them that came dangerously close (less than a foot) to the top opening.

IMO, there are so many areas nearby that have wonderful hiking opportunities you are better off doing one of those than the "famous" Narrows.

What time did you get to the trailhead? Not crowded if you start early enough.

Angel's Landing hasa lottery, so they're limiting that one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just returned from visiting "The Mighty Five."

Zion was a disappointment. It was so overcrowded and the buses were packed all the time with standing room only. The popular hikes (The Narrows) were like a non-stop assembly line of people and many of them were obviously not in physical condition to be doing it. Overheard of several instances where people had fallen or otherwise were hurt. We stayed in the lodge on Zion and even with that head-start it was still packed with people.

There were also large tour groups comprised of busloads of people who were only trying to get the perfect Instagram-type shot and were blocking viewpoints, blocking trails, etc. to do so. Bringing changes of outfits, even! Completely oblivious to the beauty around them.

As far as we were concerned, Zion was a one-and-done and we don't have plans to go back.

My coworker just returned from “the 5” and said literally the same thing about Zion and the Narrows.

[Anonymous]

You may pass by Kodachrome Basin state park on the way to or from Bryce Canyon (depending on how you order the parks). It isn’t the best state park in Utah but if it adds just a few extra minutes to the itinerary it is also quite charming with some great views.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You may pass by Kodachrome Basin state park on the way to or from Bryce Canyon (depending on how you order the parks). It isn’t the best state park in Utah but if it adds just a few extra minutes to the itinerary it is also quite charming with some great views.

Completely agree with this. Also, near (by Utah standards) the eastern entrance to Zion is Cedar Breaks National Monument. It was really amazing to see and very uncrowded. As a bonus, because it is so high up (about 10,000 feet), it is much cooler than Zion and is a good place to be in the afternoon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just returned from visiting "The Mighty Five."

Zion was a disappointment. It was so overcrowded and the buses were packed all the time with standing room only. The popular hikes (The Narrows) were like a non-stop assembly line of people and many of them were obviously not in physical condition to be doing it. Overheard of several instances where people had fallen or otherwise were hurt. We stayed in the lodge on Zion and even with that head-start it was still packed with people.

There were also large tour groups comprised of busloads of people who were only trying to get the perfect Instagram-type shot and were blocking viewpoints, blocking trails, etc. to do so. Bringing changes of outfits, even! Completely oblivious to the beauty around them.

As far as we were concerned, Zion was a one-and-done and we don't have plans to go back.

My coworker just returned from “the 5” and said literally the same thing about Zion and the Narrows.

+1 on Zion and the Narrows. It’s beautiful but just so crowded. But I also recommend Dessert Pearl if you go there. Like one of the PPs we stayed in St. George a couple of nights and spent a morning in Snow Canyon State Park which was beautiful and virtually empty. We rented a place in The Ledges neighborhood which had e-bike rentals on site that we could ride to the park. My teens loved that. We also did a canyoneering tour on the outskirts of Zion which was great with amazing views.

Arches was probably our favorite. I highly recommend doing a Jeep/off-road tour there, both so you have easier access getting into the park and because it took us to parts that you wouldn’t be able to drive to on your own. We did the sunset tour and it was spectacular.

[Anonymous]

We went to Zion in May 2021 when they were still in COVID mode and had a lottery for the shuttle tickets. Narrows was open. It was a GLORIOUS trip. Few crowds, great weather.

September is also a good time. Weather is fantastic and the crowds are less because kids are back in school.

Love Snow Canyon State Park. Also if you have teens, they might like to stay at the hotel where High School Musical 2 was filmed. It's called the Inn at Entrada in St. George. It's a beautiful, beautiful resort !

[Anonymous]

Great Salt Lake is fairly disgusting from what I've heard from friends that visited.

Valley of Fire is excellent if you are in the mood for more hikes after the national parks. The Wave trail and the hieroglyphics were unforgettable for me.

[Anonymous]

I can summarize all of the previous advice in one post. Change your trip to be at least two weeks. 😂