Great time at Zion NP
I received so many tips on my itinerary and getting into the park that I wanted to share my experience.
My partner and I went to the park with the intention of hiking the Narrows bottom-up. We got there Thursday evening at 5pm, and picked up the rental gear from Zion outfitters that was conveniently located near the visitor center. Since they close at 7pm, and they have 2 hours free parking for customers, we were able to park our car there and avoid looking for parking in the visitor parking, while we walked over and completed Watchman’s trail at sunset. I will say, that was completely underrated and the view is amazing! We came back down with headlamps.
The next day, we got to the visitor parking at 6:45am. We got easy parking - a third of the lot was empty- and were able to get into the first shuttle of the day at 7am. Thanks to everyone who recommended to get there early!
We got our gear on and started the Riverside trail from Stop 9 at 8:30am, and took our time in the water, stopped and took photos and ate snacks. At any time there were less than a handful of people around us and everyone was helping each other in harder parts to navigate. We turned around at Wall Street and got back to the start of the Narrows at 1:30. By then there were a lot of people in the water, especially in the first 1 mile of the trail. I highly recommend getting the gear, we saw a bunch of people raw-dogging the trail in flip flops and kids on their shoulders and we were worried for them. The rocks are slippery and there are bits where the current of the water makes it hard to navigate without a wooden stick or trekking poles . I wouldn’t take it lightly, especially with children.
We went back by shuttle, and had lunch at the Brewpub without moving the car from our parked spot.
After returning the gear at Zion Outfitters, we took out the car and drove up to the Canyon Overlook trail and completed that for sunset. It was an easy <1hr trail and we got lucky with parking right at the beginning. It can get scary for people scared of heights but I promise it isn’t hard with the right shoes, don’t get tunnel vision! People were very respectful and gave each other space and time in the narrow bits.
The next morning we drove through the park and out of the East Entrance to head to Bryce National Park. The tunnel view was amazing!
Overall, our experience at the park was great. In light of recent events,(the day we were there) I’d recommend not to take any trail lightly. Read people’s experiences, check AllTrails, wear the right gear, and don’t pack too much into your trip and tire yourself out. There’s something there for everyone and don’t feel pressured to do a hike because of FOMO!