What time zone are we in? Hiking in UTAH
Originally, we planned an entire trip to Sedona, AZ (which is still on my list), but due to the forrest fires our plans changed. We did a little research and decided to plan a trip around Zion National Park. I made an entire itinerary prior to the trip, but we DID NOT stick to it at all. I did not take into account the weather and how long it would actually take us to do the hikes or how we would feel after the hikes. Also, travel times to the parks vs the trail head definitely made a difference as well. Our dates of travel to UTAH were August 5-10, 2021, so it was a short trip, but here is a break down of what we did day by day. There are SO MANY OTHER THINGS TO DO THERE, so if you see something you want to do… do it. We will definitely be back.
Recommended travel gear: Hydration pack, snacks, good hiking shoes (preferably with ankle support and good grip), sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, hiking sticks
DAY 1: Travel Day
Airport Travel: There are multiple airports that you can fly to, but depending on where you are staying it can be a lengthy trip. We flew into Las Vegas from FLL, then drove 2 hours to our Airbnb in Hildale, UT.
Don’t forget to rent a car ahead of time unless you are staying inside one of the parks. It will be difficult to get places without a car.
WATER CANYON RESORT
We stayed at the Water Canyon Resort located in Hildale, UT. It was under $100 per night when we went. It was right on the border of Utah/Arizona and you had to cross a timezone to get to the grocery store. They have 1, 2, and 3 bedroom studios. There is access to grills, individual studio fire pits, and a beautiful view of the mountains. There will also eventually be a Vineyard (coming in Spring 2022). We booked the Water Canyon Resort through airbnb, but there is also a website that you can book through, which is linked above.
Although you can technically camp at the parks, or switch airbnbs or hotels during your trip, we like to stay in one spot especially on short trips. But whatever you decide to do, I promise you will have an awesome trip.
When booking our airnbnb, we did not know anything about Hildale. There is nothing around and not many places to eat. We stopped at the grocery store daily for coffees in the morning, snacks, and we grilled out every night. The fridge is very small, so only buy a few groceries at a time to have room in the small refrigerator.
DAY 2: Scenic Byway 12 and Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail
I highly recommend purchasing the $80 America the Beautiful Annual National Parks Pass PRIOR to your trip for easier access into the National Parks. The pass can be shared by up to two owners.
Our first full day, we decided to drive a little farther away. The weather was gorgeous and we didn’t realize that the trail head for the Lower Calf Creek Falls was so far from our airbnb. It was a 3 hr hour dive that took us on a scenic tour (SCENIC BYWAY 12) until we landed at our destination.
Scenic Drive: I have to admit, we really enjoyed the views. Living in Florida we don’t get to see very many hill or mountains. We took so many random photos and pictures on the way there. For our first day, this was a great intro to the trip and what there was to see.
Along the Scenic drive, there are a ton of places to stop for photos as well as a few trailheads that we passed.
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Mossy Cave Trailhead(see below)
- Powell Point Vista
- Upper Valley Graineries
- Escalante Heritage Center
- Hole in the Rock Wayside
- Head of the Rocks Overlook (see below)
- Escalante River trailhead
- Lower Calf Creek Falls Trailhead (see below)
Bryce Canyon National Park: We did not go to Bryce, even though I wanted to do. The views were just DREAMY even from driving past… but we didn’t have enough time to make it inside the park. I originally planned for us to wake up early and do the Navajo/Queens Garden Loop at sunrise, but slept in since out flight was delayed and landed late. The trail is 2.9 miles and you can start at the trailhead for sunrise or sunset point. It takes about 2-3 hours to hike. No permits are needed.
Mossy Cave Trail: Along our scenic drive, we saw a small parking lot and the start of a trail head. We decided to explore. This was our first hike of the trip, short and easy. It is located on the northern end of Bryce Canyon. It was about 1 mile round trip. There is a fork in the trail about a quarter mile in –> to the right is the waterfall –> to the left is mossy cave.
Restrooms are available at the Mossy Cave Trailhead.
Head off the Rocks Overlook: This lookout is along Scenic Byway 12.
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument –> Lower Calf Creek Falls :
- This park is located on Scenic Highway 12 between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef
- Start: Lower Calf Creek Falls Trailhead – park in the parking lot, pay the 5 dollars/fill out park form then proceed to trailhead
- The round trip hike to the WATERFALL is 5.84 miles
- Difficulty: MODERATE
- The lower falls are 130ft high and you can swim in the swimming hole underneath it
DAY 3: Zion National Park
***NOTE: If you plan on hiking Angel’s Landing you must get a Permit.
Click here to be taken to recreation.gov for more info.
Zion is about 45 miles or ~54 min from the Water Canyon Resort. It was an easy and pretty drive.
Angels Landing: Angels landing is a 1,488-foot tall rock formation. The trail is 5.4 miles round trip and considered STRENUOUS. It takes about 3-4 hours round trip.
Go early! It can get crowded and it will take a long time to get up and down. It took us just over 3 hours round trip between stopping for photos and getting to the top of angel’s landing.
- Take the FREE ZION Shuttle Bus to Stop 6 for The Grotto
- Hop off the bus, cross the street, cross the bridge, and follow the signs to the right to begin your Adventure
- Start with the West Rim Trail and follow the paved path for ~ 2 miles
- You will get to Walter’s Wiggles which is an uphill climb of 21 switchbacks
- This will take you to Scout’s Lookout. (***There are RESTROOMS available here. It is also a good spot to take a break and have a snack.)
- The last 0.5 miles takes you up to Angel’s Landing!
NOTE: If you are afraid of heights you may want to stop at Scout’s lookout for some AMAZING VIEWS. The half mile hike to Angel’s Landing is Strenuous. Although there are chain rails for some assistance, many parts have steep drop-off on either side. I am not afraid of heights and at one point I looked down and wish I didn’t. But the VIEW AT THE TOP is totally worth it.
Don’t forget to Celebrate when you finish Angel’s Landing!
You definetely deserve an ice cold beer…with a view!
To get to the Canyon Brews stand, head to the Shuttle Bus or follow the 1 mile Grotto Trail all the way to that ice cold beer and sit on the lawn at the the Zion Lodge!
DAY 4: UTV Adventures & Back to Zion
UTV Adventures Tours: (about 40 min away from the Water Canyon Resort)
We decided to do a fun activity together. Although we booked last minute, we were able to find UTV Adventures in Washington, UT. We booked a 3 hour tour on a Can-Am X3 and it was AWESOME! You can crawl up boulder fields, go flying through sand dunes, or go strolling down back-country roads. When I say crawl up boulders…I mean CRAWL. These things literally can crawl straight up a rock. When I was driving, I failed the first climb we came to becasue I was afraid it was going to flip over, BUT I got it on the second try and gained some confidence for the rest of the ride.
The tour guides were awesome…and here’s why:
- They brought water and snacks
- They took us to a cliff to get cool photos
- We got to see the “Flinstone house”
- You get to cruise and drift through the sand dunes…which was fun, but kinda scary
- you get to see multiple different terrains and drive over and through multiple different terrains
Canyon Overlook trail at Zion: This is a random trail we came across…and so happy we did. In order to get to it, you have to drive through the park, go through the tunnel, then you will see a small parking lot with a few spots to park in. If that lot is full, you can park along the side of the road and walk to the trailhead. It is about a 1 mile hike to the lookout.
You can’t get to Canyon Overlook trail via bus…you have to drive and park.
Also, for this hike, I did not bring my full backpack and water bladder. It was a fairly easy and quick hike. I carried a water bottle and my phone to take photos.
DAY 5: The Narrows at Zion & Emerald Pools
The Narrows: If hiking from the bottom up, NO PERMIT IS REQUIRED; If you plan to hike top-down, which is about 16 miles, through the Virgin River Narrows, you WILL NEED A WILDERNESS PERMIT
RENT THE GEAR – water socks, water proof hiking boots, and hiking stick. You will be walking through water, so don’t ruin your own shoes. Depending on the time of the year, temperature of the water, and depth of the water, you may also choose to rent other gear that they have available in the shop at the entrance to Zion National Park.
- Take the Zion Shuttle to stop 9 – Temple of Sinawava
- Take the 1 mile river walk to get to the opening where you will leave the paved walkway and head to the rocks and water
- The hike is 9.4 miles round trip, BUT you can hike for a few min or for a few hours
- You WILL be wading through water and rocks will be slippery. Depending on the time of year, the water can get deep. Some areas will be deeper than others and you may have to swim at parts. Take your time and walk through carefully. There is NO hiking if a flash flood warning is in effect.
- You can hike as far a Big Spring –> which is 9.4 miles roundtrip
Use the bathroom at the shuttle station – there are no restrooms on the hike
We did not do the whole hike. We hiked for ~4 hours and made it ~8 miles in total. Overall, the views were incredible, the water was cold, and a we had a great time! We packed snack bars, PB&J sandwiches, and oranges for snacks along the way. There are lots of places to sit and enjoy the views and listen to the sound of running water.
Lower Emerald Pool:
After the Narrows, we stopped for a beer then decided to do one more quick hike before heading back to the airbnb. The Lower Emerald Pools is one of the shorter hikes. It is rated EASY and is 1.2 miles round trip. The trail starts at the Zion Lodge, then just cross over the bridge and follow the signs to the Emerald Pools.
We were pretty much done for the day and literally grabbed beers and did a “beer mile” to the lower emerald pool. We were not impressed. There was no dripping seeps and springs or any waterfall trickle. I guess it was a drier season. Also, the sun was not shining and the water is what you see in the photo below. We did not feel like doing the middle or upper emerald pools and turned around. We did get to see some wildlife on the hike though.
If you are up for it… you can continue on to the Middle and Upper Emerald Pools.
- Middle Emerald Pool – Rated a MODERATE hike, 1.7 miles round trip, takes about 1.5 hours
- Upper Emerald Pool – rated a MODERATE hike, 2.2 miles round trip, takes about 2 hours
That’s all folks!
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drcaitlinstouffer
