Zion National Park Trip Report

I've always wanted to hike Angel's Landing. The National Park Service announced they would institute a lottery system to alleviate crowding on the trail beginning on April 1, 2022. Given my lack of ability to plan ahead, I knew I had to sneak the hike in before April or be destined to never experience the trail for the rest of my life. I made my way to Utah on the last weekend of March.

March is the perfect time of year to visit Zion National Park. It was about 50 degrees in the morning and up to maybe 70 degrees during the day, which is perfect for hiking through the rocks and the canyons.

I stayed at the SpringHill Suites in Springdale. You should definitely stay in Springdale. Every hotel offers complimentary continental breakfast and you start your day with a spectacular view of the sun shining off the canyon wall. There's nothing better. There is a free shuttle that runs through multiple stops in the town of Springdale to the pedestrian entrance of the park. There is a lot of information online, but what they don't make clear is the Springdale shuttle doesn't start running until 8am in the morning. If you want to start early in the morning, you'll either have to drive or hike into the park. Most of the hotels are within walking distance to the pedestrian entrance. SpringHill Suites was about a mile and a half. Early in the morning the pedestrian entrance is not manned and I was able to walk into the park through the pedestrian entrance without paying an entrance fee.

Once inside the park, there is a second shuttle line that takes you deeper into the park and stops at the multiple trailheads. The trail to Angel's Landing starts at stop 6, The Grotto. The highlight of the entire hike is the last half mile stretch etched into the steep canyon walls and rock fins. Many stretches can only accommodate single-file hiking, and there are multiple scrambles or climbs that require clinging to the metal chains for dear life. The reward is fantastic 360 degree view of the canyon below set against a backdrop of the Angel's Landing plateau.

The first 2 miles of the hike takes you from the trailhead to Scout Lookout. It consists of seemingly endless switchbacks that are quite steep. It took me roughly 45 minutes to complete this section although I admit I was amped and did not take any breaks. There is a restroom at Scout Landing and a fork in the road. To the left takes you to the West Rim Trail and to the right to Angel's Landing. The last half mile is as described earlier and was the hiking equivalent of an LA traffic jam. It took me upwards of an hour to reach the peak. Even with the crowds it was well worth it and I highly recommend the hike.

On the way out, I trekked a bit of the West Rim Trail and a few other smaller trails. The West Rim Trail is on the agenda for my next trip, as well as some exploration into the Court of the Patriarchs. The East Rim trail is closed at the moment and the rangers said that it may take years to fully reopen due to some rock slides. Good news is I have the years to be patient. Zion National Park makes me feel puny and insignificant in a such a healthy way. It's always great to get a friendly reminder that, in the face of mother nature, I ain't shit.