Beyond heading to Antelope canyon we hadn’t planned much more than this. So when we found we had a free day our hosts suggested Zion Canyon was well worth the one hour drive from Colorado City. Skip to the end to get a summary.
While driving the long desert roads from Las Vegas to Antelope Canyon we had seen some stunning scenery with pink and red rock formations. But it was a very different backdrop to the drive from Colorado City to Zion National Park which had the pink rocks but with green and yellow bush that flourished thanks to the pretty streams that flow through the area.
Getting into Zion National Park
I had only researched Antelope Canyon so we didn’t know what to expect entering ZNP. Initially there seemed to be a bit of logistics to navigate through. The town Springdale is located on the border of the national park. From here up to the entry point are free shuttles. There are loads of paid car parks and a few free street parks.
Once you reach the entry point you’ll need to pay USD20 per adult to enter the park and from there you can catch the free shuttle to nine different points that lead to various trails. If you are visiting more than one national park in a year it pays to buy the annual pass.
I had assumed because it was school time there would hardly be anyone in this remote location but this is not quiet New Zealand. We arrived around lunch time so we had a forty minute queue for the shuttle. And as it turns out Zion National Park is the most popular national park in Utah.
The Trails
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Zion National Park do Angel’s trek which takes a full day and apparently has spectacular views of the canyon. However, we were not prepared for such a big trek so we opted for the tracks marked “Easy”.
To view all the trails click here
https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm
We first stopped at the entry to Angels Trek and played by Virgin Creek. Virgin Creek carves our the canyon in Zion. Whenever there are flash floods it creates a surge of water that erodes the walls of the canyon as well as flushing loose rocks on the river bed downstream. This creates a deeper and wider canyon. I remember playing by this stream with the fanau and being an awe of the canyon walls that towered above us.
After a quick picnic here we took the shuttle to another easy walk, Weeping Rock. Here the water has seeped into the earth from above and then reaches an impermeable layer where it pushes out of the side of a cliff. This creates a waterfall that seems to weep out of the rock.
We walked up a small hill to view Weeping Rock which creates a natural hanging garden under the shelf of the falls. It was a dry hot day so the fine mist from the sprinkle of water was a welcome sensation. From under the overhang we could look out toward a lush forest of trees at the base of a narrow red-orange gorge. With the rainbow that had formed with all the factors being in alignment, this looked like the back drop of a magical fairy tale.
This park is very well organised for thousands of tourists a day. It has flushing toilets at every shuttle stop along with drinking fountains to fill your water bottles. And at the entry point you can hire proper trekking shoes if required.
Because of the dry heat we decided not to stay too long. But the small parts we saw were beautiful. If I make it back to these parts again I will definitely set aside more time to see more of these National Parks.
Quick Learnings
- Park close to the entry point which is after the town of Springdale
- Catch a free bus or walk to the entry point where you can purchase your tickets
- Tickets are USD20 per adult and allows you free access to the park shuttle
- The shuttle takes you to nine different stops throughout the park where you can choose a trek appropriate to you
