Utah Vacation-Zion Shuttle to Canyon

Today was Zion National Park day. Although we have already driven through the park several times, today we planned to actually go where only the shuttles can go. It reminds me of my early days in Florida when we would ride the monorail and boats around Disney World versus the first day we went inside. The difference is quite grand.

Zion has a shuttle service that runs inside the park. Before COVID-19, you could show up and catch a bus at any time, as long as you were willing to stand on the bus. Now, you must get a reservation for a specific time because the buses now have very limited seating. In addition to the booking, we realized early on that the park is crowded and the Visitor Center parking lot fills early. Yesterday, we booked the 8-9:00 AM shuttle window and planned to arrive at the Visitor Center before 8:00. Another thing to consider was the tunnel. According to what we read, the tunnel was not open until 8:00. So, we found ourselves in a predicament. Should we get up extra early and take the long way to get to the Visitor Center before 8:00, or sleep an extra hour and take the direct route through the tunnel and risk being late for our shuttle. We decided to take the direct route. Our first surprise was at the East entrance. There was no one at the gate, so we just drove right in. We do not feel any guilt for this, since we have the National Park Annual Pass. The second surprise came when we approached the tunnel. Again, there was no one there and the tunnel was not closed, so we drove straight through. So, in the end, we got to sleep a little longer and we still made it to the Visitor Center early and easily found a parking spot. Good start.

The shuttle bus started boarding early, so we were on our way to Zion Lodge before 8:00. The Lodge is surrounded by a collection of buildings. There’s the main building, with a food service, gift shop, and check in. Then there’s other buildings that are like hotels. And finally, there are private cabins.

Shuttle at the Lodge stop, the sun just touching the peaks

The one thing that really stood out to me was the lawn in front of the Lodge. It is a large open green space with one of the largest trees I’ve ever seen right in the middle. I was thinking at the time that I bet under that tree would be a nice place to eat lunch.

Massive tree in the lawn in front of the Lodge

After grabbing a breakfast sandwich from the lodge, we began our first hike. We took the Emerald Pools Trail up to the Lower Emerald Pool. From there, we continued up past the Middle Emerald Pool to the Upper Emerald Pool. Along the way, we were surprised twice. First, we came across a deer nibbling on the dry grass near the trail, then the trail passed below two small waterfalls.

Waterfall over Emerald Pools Trail

The lower and middle pools are nice, but the upper is the prize. It is a small pool surrounded by large rocks in a small nook in the vertical cliffs. Andrew and I climbed up on top of one of the large rocks and took in the scene. The pool was very green and inviting and the sun was now high enough to start filling the canyon with light.

Upper Emerald Pool as seen from a large rock

After soaking it all in for a while, we took the Kayenta Trail to The Grotto. The hike down was very scenic. I enjoyed watching the shadows from the canyon walls slowly walk across the valley and expose more areas with light. The winding river was especially beautiful as the light revealed its colors.

Virgin River winding through the canyon

At The Grotto, we caught a shuttle back to the Lodge. It was nearly lunch time, so we ordered some food. As expected, the lawn was now in direct sunlight and the tree in the center cast an enormous shadow over half of it. We easily found a nice shady spot, spread out our blanket, and ate. Even though we were surrounded by people – all keeping the proper social distance – I still felt like it was just us and the mountains. I felt very much at home in this place.

Andrew under the large tree in the lawn of the Lodge

After lunch Andrew and I took the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava. From there, we walked along the Riverside Walk to The Narrows. The shuttle driver referred to Riverside Walk as “The Wides”. I said ‘walked’ because this was no hike. It is basically a sidewalk that follows the river for about a mile into the narrowing canyon. Along the way, we saw a Herron in the river and plenty of chubby squirrels. At The Narrows, the Riverside Walk ends. If you want to continue, you must cross the Virgin River. There is no way across without getting wet. We decided we’d come back when we were better prepared.

Entrance to The Narrows

Back at the Temple stop, we caught a shuttle to Big Bend. From here, we hiked a short ways down to a bend in the river that is surrounded on three sides by a massive cliff. I can’t express enough how amazingly tiny I felt next to these vertical walls. It is a sight that must be seen to be believed.

We caught the next shuttle and returned to the Lodge. We found Susan and continued to the Visitor Center. By this time, we were getting hungry again, so we found a picnic table in the parking lot and had second lunch.

After eating again, we packed the car and headed back towards the condo. On the way up the mountain, we decided that we would do the Canyon Overlook Trail if we could find a place to park. Once through the tunnel, we saw that the small lot was full, so we continued homeward. To our surprise, we did see some spots not far from the trailhead, so I turned around at the next pull off and returned to where I saw the spots. Luckily, one was still available, else we would have had to go through the tunnel to the valley to turn around again.

We parked and hiked the Canyon Overlook Trail. As mentioned earlier, the trail starts with steps that climb a little ways up and around the entrance to the tunnel. I didn’t realize it until then that there is a bridge just before the entrance to the tunnel and there’s a trail in the narrow canyon below the bridge. That is something to keep in mind for another day. The trail is very short and leads to one of the best views one can imagine. Along the way, the trail is actually held up by a metal frame with wooden boards that span a gap; not one for the fearful. From the overlook, the entire canyon that the winding road climbs through is visible. I’d give it an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 for bang-for-the-buck.

View from the Canyon Overlook Trail

Back on the road again, we wound our way East out of the park. It is always an amazing drive, and this time was no different. Susan spotted a Bighorn Sheep in a small valley, so I stopped at the next pull off. When we got out and walked a short way to a rocky overlook, we saw a small herd of nine sheep in total.

Herd of Bighorn Sheep

Back on the road again, the ‘magic light’ was making the scenery even more amazing than normal. One particular spot was glowing gloriously – the Checkboard Mesa.

Checkerboard Mesa in 'magic light'

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