Zion National Park

Zion National Park
This is more of a hiking park as the drive up scenery is limited to either the Kolob Canyons or Zion Canyon in winter (November to March), since outside of those months it is closed to cars and you must use the park shuttle. The trails themselves are marvels in engineering that were built during the depression when high labour cost and environmental concerns were non existent.
Right: The Entrance to the Kolob Canyons

The West Rim Trail features a meticulously constructed series of switchbacks named Walter's Wiggles, safety cables and other fixed structures. The first six miles of the trail are the most scenic with severe drop offs a frequent element. Elevation gain to this point is 2500ft

Angels Landing is a famous side trail that branches off from the West Rim Trail at mile two - round trip distance is five miles, 1488ft

Pictured left and right: The route up Angel's Landing

The East Rim Trail is similarly fine bit of trail construction but goes higher, Cable Mountain, 15 miles return, gains nearly 3000ft, a more modest goal could bee Observation Point
8 miles return, 2148ft gain.

However the best hiking adventures in Zion are the trails created by nature through the miraculous slot canyons.

The Narrows of the North Fork of the Virgin River are the most impressive series of slot canyons in the park. Its a popular trip, so expect company. Don’t let the hordes scare you away though, this is a can’t miss experience. Check recent conditions before planning your trip as you can only do this hike in late summer (less danger of flash floods), September is the best time to go. There is a shuttle that allows you to hike them one way however day hiking the first five miles to Big Springs is enough for most people.

Right and below: The Narrows

"I highly recommend renting at least river shoes, you can get them in town at Zion Adventure Company, and I think next time I would spring for the full dry suit as well. Hiking in the dark, wet canyon can get fairly chilly in parts. They also rent dry bags specifically designed for SLRs. We only went as far as Wall Street as recent rains had resulted in higher water levels than we wanted to deal with while carrying all our camera gear. We also seemed to move in slow motion and made horrible time due to the photogenic nature of the river canyon."

The Left Fork of North Creek is the gateway for the most photogenic of all of Zion's slot canyons, the Subway. The trailhead is located on Kolob Reservoir Road in the middle of the park, away from the madness of the main valley. However permits for this spot can be subject to a lottery during peak season. 8 miles return, 1200ft gain
Trip report from March 24th 2007: "We arrived to pick up our permits and inquired about trail conditions, the Zion ranger told us there would be many icy cold pools that we would need to swim through. Wet or dry suits would be needed and winter conditions were present. We were really disappointed...but we shrugged our shoulders and said we’d just wander as far as we could."
Right: The Subway

	"However there was just one small pool in the actual subway that was thigh deep that we waded through to get to the waterfall room (which I’ve read usually entails swimming) and other than that the water was only ever ankle deep."

	Left: Inside the Subway