Visit to Zion National Park, May 2021
By Jim Kenney
Click on this photo for a panoramic view of Zion Canyon
My wife and I made a fun and quick (two days, one night) visit to Zion National Park in southern Utah on May 11 and 12. We enjoyed beautiful sunny, 80 degrees weather and reasonable crowds on both days. I'll try to share some highlights, photos, and info on the trip including how the park is operating in the post-pandemic environment of 2021. It costs $35 to enter the park for up to a seven day visit. We use lifetime senior National Park passes that we obtained a few years ago for $10; such a deal! May is generally a beautiful time to visit the various national parks in southern Utah.
Mingling of species at Zion Lodge
We started by making the pleasant 4.5 hour drive down Interstate 15 from Salt Lake City on the morning of Tuesday, May 11 and arrived at the park in the early afternoon. The key to our visit was securing a "western cabin" for one night at the Zion Lodge complex in the heart of the park. I got the cabin by frequently checking lodge availability online two days before our trip until I spotted someone's late cancelation and grabbed it. This is not as rare as you might think because there is no penalty for canceling a room/cabin up to two days before a visit to Zion Lodge and this makes for a lot of last minute reservation churn.
Our Cabin
A single night in one of the rustic cabins (or lodge rooms) costs a pricey ~$250, but comes with some important advantages regarding access and transportation. Staying at the Zion Lodge permits you to drive your car into the park. All other visitors must enter using crowded shuttle buses, commercial touring operators, bicycles, or on foot. Personal motor vehicles are typically not allowed on the park's primary scenic drive which runs eight miles up the canyon floor beside the North Fork of the Virgin River.
E-bikes are very popular at the park
Since the pandemic began the park instituted an online reservation system for the shuttles to prevent overcrowding at the bus stops. It costs only $1 dollar per day, but reservations must be made in advance, sometimes a month in advance for prime times. Staying overnight at the centrally located Zion Lodge for our impromptu visit allowed us to easily walk or bike to some of the park's highlights. And perhaps most importantly, as lodge guests we were offered walk-on shuttle tickets every afternoon without tangling with the advance reservation system. These advantages might actually make the Zion Lodge a good value compared to a cheaper motel in the tourist town of Springdale outside the park.
Our first goal: the canyon overlook, it's up there above that huge natural rock alcove
Since check-in time for our cabin wasn't until 4PM, the first thing we did upon arriving at the western entrance to the park was to take the second most popular scenic drive in the park, the Zion-Mt. Carmel highway and tunnel. This road climbs above the cliffs to the eastern entrance of the park. It's open to public vehicles and is quite distinct from the main scenic drive on the canyon floor beside the river. The tunnel serving this road was built in 1930 and is only one lane wide. The tunnel is one mile long with several spectacular viewing windows cut through the rock. We stopped on the east side of the tunnel at a small parking lot and took a leisurely 90 minute hike on the Canyon Overlook Trail.
Light at the end of the tunnel
The popular Canyon Overlook Trail is not much more than a one mile round trip, but it's an exciting one mile! This trail offers great rewards for modest effort, featuring expansive views, elevated boardwalks, and refreshingly cool caves. Whoever built the railing lining the cliffy parts of the trail is now my best friend (probably the CCC back in the 1930s).
Features of the Canyon Overlook Trail:
Cool cave
I like safety bars ;-)
Elevated boardwalk
Cactus, cliffs and canyons
While somewhat rocky and acrophobic, the Canyon Overlook Trail only requires about a 200' elevation climb and I found it to be a very easy hike. The trail ends at a magnificent overlook that my wife and I both enjoyed. While up there we found a shady spot to take a long water break with a beautiful breeze and great views of Zion Canyon.
Husband and Wife photo from The Canyon Overlook, bring water
After hiking the Canyon Overlook Trail it was time to check-in at Zion Lodge. Our reservation included a parking pass for our car and an access code to enter the gate for the scenic drive up Zion Canyon, but we were only allowd to go as far as the four miles to the Zion Lodge. We passed numerous E-bikers heading up or down the canyon during those four miles. Ironically, banning cars in the canyon has resulted in a daily swarm of E-bikers and regular cyclists making the 8-10 mile ride each way to the end of the canyon from Springdale, UT. It's the resort town located just outside the park where most overnight visitors stay.
Heading back down the Zion and Mt. Carmel scenic highway.
Our cabin was rustic, but nicely furnished and included a microwave and a fridge. My wife and I ate an early dinner there with supplies we brought with us. I lugged one hybrid bike with me on the trip and was determined to use it. Around 7 PM I took a quiet, solo bike ride from our cabin for about four miles each way up to what they call the Temple of Siniwava at the end of the canyon. This area is named after of the coyote spirit in the Paiute nation. The way the sunlight illuminated the cliffs was really striking at this time of day. I saw about 15 people (and two turkeys) on my bike ride.
Cyclists view of L-R: The White Throne, The Organ, Angels Landing
Road hogging turkeys
Did that little river really cut that massive wall?!?
The next morning we slept-in a little bit and again ate a relaxing meal in our cabin. We packed up our stuff and checked out by 11 AM. The pass for our car was good for the whole day and we left it at the lodge parking lot and set off on foot to see the Lower Emerald Pool. This was another easy (~one mile) hike that included much shade, a mellow 70' elevation climb, and climaxed with a close-up view of a beautiful 100' waterfall.
Part of the waterfall at Emerald Pool #1
Click to expand this panoramic view of the canyon from our hike to Emerald Pool #1
After the waterfall we rested for a while and enjoyed a shady picnic at our car near the lodge. Then at 2 PM we picked up two free shuttle tickets (bracelets) inside the lodge and caught a ride up to the Temple of Siniwava at the end of the canyon. The shuttles were operating with many open windows and reduced seating capacity. Riders were required to wear masks.
View from the shuttle bus
View of Angels Landing from the shuttle, nearly every year on average someone loses their life making the hike to its summit.
We wanted to return to the Temple of Siniwava because it is the starting point for the Riverside Walk. This is a flat, two mile trail along the Virgin River that leads to the Narrows. The Narrows is the famous area in the park where many visitors actually step into the shallow river and continue hiking for several miles up-river as the canyon grows narrower and narrower.
Lush greenery grows on "weeping" walls along the Riverside Walk
We opted to stay dry and stick to the paved walk, but it was still a very fun and interesting excursion. The area has lush vegetation, almost like a desert oasis with a lot of shade cast by the high cliffs on either side. The Riverside Walk was the most crowded spot we visited during our two days in Zion National Park. We saw several thousand walkers here, most arriving by shuttle, but hundreds also came on E-bikes and regular bikes. When we were ready to leave we had to wait about 25 minutes in a big crowd to catch a shuttle back to the lodge.
The start of The Narrows hike through the Virgin River
As we returned to our car and left the park around 5 PM I reflected with more appreciation on how delightfully empty the upper canyon was when I took my quiet bike ride the evening before. All in all, we had a great and safe visit. We passed on the famous and steep Angels Landing hike, but really enjoyed the short ones we did take. Zion National Park is beautiful and only about 30 miles off Interstate 15. I believe it was the third most visited park in the National Park system in 2020. Take that into consideration if you plan a visit.
Photos of various wildlife we encountered in the park:
Inquisitive chipmunk
Random duck
Lizard near Emerald Pool
Posing squirrel
Turkey trot close-up
Bighorn sheep beside the Canyon Overlook Trail
To circle this report back to SkiTalk, if you were really ambitious and wanted an interesting break from a week-long spring ski trip to the Wasatch it is conceivable that an overnight visit to Zion National Park is doable. It would be about a 4.5 hour drive from Little or Big Cottonwood Canyons. You could leave early in the morning and return late the next day with time enough to see everything described in this report. You'd likely experience temperatures in the 70s and maybe the 80s at the park, much different from the ski areas. The drive on Interstate 15 is very beautiful with light traffic. Two days after I completed my trip to Zion National Park I enjoyed a string of three consecutive days of fabulous spring skiing at Snowbird resort.
May 15, 2021, photo by @Rudi Riet
By Jim Kenney
Click on this photo for a panoramic view of Zion Canyon
My wife and I made a fun and quick (two days, one night) visit to Zion National Park in southern Utah on May 11 and 12. We enjoyed beautiful sunny, 80 degrees weather and reasonable crowds on both days. I'll try to share some highlights, photos, and info on the trip including how the park is operating in the post-pandemic environment of 2021. It costs $35 to enter the park for up to a seven day visit. We use lifetime senior National Park passes that we obtained a few years ago for $10; such a deal! May is generally a beautiful time to visit the various national parks in southern Utah.
Mingling of species at Zion Lodge
We started by making the pleasant 4.5 hour drive down Interstate 15 from Salt Lake City on the morning of Tuesday, May 11 and arrived at the park in the early afternoon. The key to our visit was securing a "western cabin" for one night at the Zion Lodge complex in the heart of the park. I got the cabin by frequently checking lodge availability online two days before our trip until I spotted someone's late cancelation and grabbed it. This is not as rare as you might think because there is no penalty for canceling a room/cabin up to two days before a visit to Zion Lodge and this makes for a lot of last minute reservation churn.
Our Cabin
A single night in one of the rustic cabins (or lodge rooms) costs a pricey ~$250, but comes with some important advantages regarding access and transportation. Staying at the Zion Lodge permits you to drive your car into the park. All other visitors must enter using crowded shuttle buses, commercial touring operators, bicycles, or on foot. Personal motor vehicles are typically not allowed on the park's primary scenic drive which runs eight miles up the canyon floor beside the North Fork of the Virgin River.
E-bikes are very popular at the park
Since the pandemic began the park instituted an online reservation system for the shuttles to prevent overcrowding at the bus stops. It costs only $1 dollar per day, but reservations must be made in advance, sometimes a month in advance for prime times. Staying overnight at the centrally located Zion Lodge for our impromptu visit allowed us to easily walk or bike to some of the park's highlights. And perhaps most importantly, as lodge guests we were offered walk-on shuttle tickets every afternoon without tangling with the advance reservation system. These advantages might actually make the Zion Lodge a good value compared to a cheaper motel in the tourist town of Springdale outside the park.
Our first goal: the canyon overlook, it's up there above that huge natural rock alcove
Since check-in time for our cabin wasn't until 4PM, the first thing we did upon arriving at the western entrance to the park was to take the second most popular scenic drive in the park, the Zion-Mt. Carmel highway and tunnel. This road climbs above the cliffs to the eastern entrance of the park. It's open to public vehicles and is quite distinct from the main scenic drive on the canyon floor beside the river. The tunnel serving this road was built in 1930 and is only one lane wide. The tunnel is one mile long with several spectacular viewing windows cut through the rock. We stopped on the east side of the tunnel at a small parking lot and took a leisurely 90 minute hike on the Canyon Overlook Trail.
Light at the end of the tunnel
The popular Canyon Overlook Trail is not much more than a one mile round trip, but it's an exciting one mile! This trail offers great rewards for modest effort, featuring expansive views, elevated boardwalks, and refreshingly cool caves. Whoever built the railing lining the cliffy parts of the trail is now my best friend (probably the CCC back in the 1930s).
Features of the Canyon Overlook Trail:
Cool cave
I like safety bars ;-)
Elevated boardwalk
Cactus, cliffs and canyons
While somewhat rocky and acrophobic, the Canyon Overlook Trail only requires about a 200' elevation climb and I found it to be a very easy hike. The trail ends at a magnificent overlook that my wife and I both enjoyed. While up there we found a shady spot to take a long water break with a beautiful breeze and great views of Zion Canyon.
Husband and Wife photo from The Canyon Overlook, bring water
After hiking the Canyon Overlook Trail it was time to check-in at Zion Lodge. Our reservation included a parking pass for our car and an access code to enter the gate for the scenic drive up Zion Canyon, but we were only allowd to go as far as the four miles to the Zion Lodge. We passed numerous E-bikers heading up or down the canyon during those four miles. Ironically, banning cars in the canyon has resulted in a daily swarm of E-bikers and regular cyclists making the 8-10 mile ride each way to the end of the canyon from Springdale, UT. It's the resort town located just outside the park where most overnight visitors stay.
Heading back down the Zion and Mt. Carmel scenic highway.
Our cabin was rustic, but nicely furnished and included a microwave and a fridge. My wife and I ate an early dinner there with supplies we brought with us. I lugged one hybrid bike with me on the trip and was determined to use it. Around 7 PM I took a quiet, solo bike ride from our cabin for about four miles each way up to what they call the Temple of Siniwava at the end of the canyon. This area is named after of the coyote spirit in the Paiute nation. The way the sunlight illuminated the cliffs was really striking at this time of day. I saw about 15 people (and two turkeys) on my bike ride.
Cyclists view of L-R: The White Throne, The Organ, Angels Landing
Road hogging turkeys
Did that little river really cut that massive wall?!?
The next morning we slept-in a little bit and again ate a relaxing meal in our cabin. We packed up our stuff and checked out by 11 AM. The pass for our car was good for the whole day and we left it at the lodge parking lot and set off on foot to see the Lower Emerald Pool. This was another easy (~one mile) hike that included much shade, a mellow 70' elevation climb, and climaxed with a close-up view of a beautiful 100' waterfall.
Part of the waterfall at Emerald Pool #1
Click to expand this panoramic view of the canyon from our hike to Emerald Pool #1
After the waterfall we rested for a while and enjoyed a shady picnic at our car near the lodge. Then at 2 PM we picked up two free shuttle tickets (bracelets) inside the lodge and caught a ride up to the Temple of Siniwava at the end of the canyon. The shuttles were operating with many open windows and reduced seating capacity. Riders were required to wear masks.
View from the shuttle bus
View of Angels Landing from the shuttle, nearly every year on average someone loses their life making the hike to its summit.
We wanted to return to the Temple of Siniwava because it is the starting point for the Riverside Walk. This is a flat, two mile trail along the Virgin River that leads to the Narrows. The Narrows is the famous area in the park where many visitors actually step into the shallow river and continue hiking for several miles up-river as the canyon grows narrower and narrower.
Lush greenery grows on "weeping" walls along the Riverside Walk
We opted to stay dry and stick to the paved walk, but it was still a very fun and interesting excursion. The area has lush vegetation, almost like a desert oasis with a lot of shade cast by the high cliffs on either side. The Riverside Walk was the most crowded spot we visited during our two days in Zion National Park. We saw several thousand walkers here, most arriving by shuttle, but hundreds also came on E-bikes and regular bikes. When we were ready to leave we had to wait about 25 minutes in a big crowd to catch a shuttle back to the lodge.
The start of The Narrows hike through the Virgin River
As we returned to our car and left the park around 5 PM I reflected with more appreciation on how delightfully empty the upper canyon was when I took my quiet bike ride the evening before. All in all, we had a great and safe visit. We passed on the famous and steep Angels Landing hike, but really enjoyed the short ones we did take. Zion National Park is beautiful and only about 30 miles off Interstate 15. I believe it was the third most visited park in the National Park system in 2020. Take that into consideration if you plan a visit.
Photos of various wildlife we encountered in the park:
Inquisitive chipmunk
Random duck
Lizard near Emerald Pool
Posing squirrel
Turkey trot close-up
Bighorn sheep beside the Canyon Overlook Trail
To circle this report back to SkiTalk, if you were really ambitious and wanted an interesting break from a week-long spring ski trip to the Wasatch it is conceivable that an overnight visit to Zion National Park is doable. It would be about a 4.5 hour drive from Little or Big Cottonwood Canyons. You could leave early in the morning and return late the next day with time enough to see everything described in this report. You'd likely experience temperatures in the 70s and maybe the 80s at the park, much different from the ski areas. The drive on Interstate 15 is very beautiful with light traffic. Two days after I completed my trip to Zion National Park I enjoyed a string of three consecutive days of fabulous spring skiing at Snowbird resort.
May 15, 2021, photo by @Rudi Riet
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