The Wednesday before Labor Day weekend my boyfriend and I packed up the car for a long weekend getaway and drove the 7 hours from LA to Zion National Park in Utah.
Where To Camp:
We camped at South Campground which is first come, first serve and they do not start letting people check in until 7am. We drove through the night and were second in line at 6:00am. We were able to get a spot no problem but as the holiday weekend started to commence, not everyone was so lucky. The campground was super spacious, close to the visitor center and market and had a fire pit with a grate to you could cook. I would highly recommend!
What to Do:
We had five days to explore all that Zion had to offer. The morning of the first day was mostly devoted to setting up our camp. Once we were settled and had our tent up, we set out to explore. As I mentioned, our campground was very close to the visitor center which is where you can grab free shuttles to take you to all the stops throughout the park. A bus is pretty much always available to hop onto and if not, we didn't wait more than 5 minutes. We ended up hiking all three of the Emerald Pools; the lower, middle and upper pools. The waterfalls are breathtaking and upper pool is the perfect place to rest and eat lunch. Overall, the hike took about two hours. Afterwards we walked the grotto trail but towards the end of the trail, the thunderstorms rolled in so we called it a day and headed back to camp to make some dinner and relax with a fire.
Day 2: This was the Friday of labor day weekend now, and we knew the crowds would be rolling in the next day so we decided to do Angels Landing. For those who haven't heard about this hike, it's a 5 mile or so round trip hike with a ton of switchbacks and the last half mile is a tough ascent. There is a chain to hold onto as you climb to the top, with 1,000 foot drop offs on either side. It's rated one of the top 10 most dangerous hikes and is not for those scared of heights. It certainly was a hike for the books and the top was filled with breath taking views. I must admit, coming back down from Angel's Landing was scarier than going up.
We headed back to camp to relax for a bit and eat lunch then kept on hiking! We did the short 0.5 mile Weeping Rock trail and then did the Watchman trail for sunset. What I loved about Zion was that each hike was so unique, you didn't feel like you were just in one park.
Day 3: On the third day we hiked The Narrows! The Narrows is one of the most beautiful and unique hikes you can ever go on. You're not hiking a trail but instead the Virgin River. It's about a 10mile hike round trip and can be a bit strenous due to the large rocks on the bottom. We rented our waterproof boots and socks and walking stick from Zion Outfitters for about $25. The hiking stick definitely helps you keep your footing and I would recommend having it. The exposed dramatic canyon walls are amazing and are sure to leave you in awe. It is a long day of hiking so be prepared. This was the only hike we did this day and it took us about 8 hours.
Day 4: We originally planned to pack up our things and spend a night camping at Bryce National Park but instead decided to leave our campsite and Zion and just drive the two hours so the park. We just didn't feel like dealing with another first come fist serve parking situation the Sunday of Labor day weekend. Bryce Park is definitely cool to see but I'm glad we didn't spend more than one day there. Zion is filled with more hikes and is more for the adventurous type. In Bryce we did the Peek-a-boo trial which took about 3 hours and was the perfect hike when only having one day. It had incredible views of the hoodoos. I personally couldn't stop taking pictures. I recommend parking outside the park and then taking the free shuttle in to avoid paying the $30 park fee. Especially if you are not staying the night.
We loved Utah so much and will be back to visit the rest of the national parks in the state!
