Sunset lights up the rock-face

Zion’s Shuttle System

With all of the amazing national and state parks we’ve seen on our travels, Zion National Park really needed to shine to impress us. It shone indeed . . . and glowed, sparkled and dazzled while it was at it. The fall foliage was stunning, and provided the perfect backdrop for our hikes. There were a few unique features we especially liked. Zion requires visitors to ride a free shuttle along the scenic route from the main entrance, rather than crowd that road with private vehicles. This keeps things much more orderly, safe, and user-friendly. It’s frustrating in other places to miss seeing things because the turnout is full, or the parking area is too crowded. People have a tendency to park at their own convenience instead of thinking of others, and this completely eliminates that.You can get off the shuttle at any point, and the driver gives some general history and tips along the way.

Winding path up the mountainside

Facing Fears on Angel’s Landing

Zion National Park has many options for hikers of all abilities. Some are gentle, and stay on paved pathways. Others are strenuous, half-day or more journeys not for the faint at heart. We chose to do the classic 5-mile Angel’s Landing hiking trail. The beginning of the trail is a series of switchbacks. We passed through those without issue, gaining altitude slowly. Continuing along, the angles got steeper, and our legs started to feel the burn. We stopped now and then to take pictures and admire the views.

Drop-off alongside the trail

After a couple of hours, we were near the top.  It was steep, with some areas navigated only by holding onto chains in the rock while looking straight down thousands of feet. It was about this time I realized something. As much as I hated to admit it, I was scared. Really scared. I’m already not a big fan of heights, but it’s something I can usually ignore. It’s really not the height itself, but the edge and the fear of falling. I know I am clumsy, and I couldn’t stop thinking about one false move resulting in my tumbling down the mountain head-first. At one of our stops someone kindly shared a tale of a woman who had plunged to her death from Angel’s landing just a few months before.

Don’t Look Down!

Angel’s Landing…the last stretch

Sitting at the top, looking at that last section to reach the “landing” itself, we watched a family with two young boys, about 6 and 8 years old. The boys were excited, running around a bit near the ledges, and the whole thing was making my stomach hurt. The mother decided that they’d gone far enough, but the Dad insisted on continuing on with the younger boy. Off they went. One stumble by the boy a few hundred feet along the narrow fin, and I couldn’t watch any more. We decided we’d save the last section for another time ourselves. Did I wimp out? I suppose, but sometimes your gut tells you “no” strongly enough that you just have to listen. I would definitely consider tackling it on a return visit, though I don’t think we missed out on anything. The view from the top is absolutely unmatched.

Fall foliage at Zion

Emerald Pools Trail

Later in the afternoon, as the sun got lower, we walked the Emerald Pools trail. Emerald Pools is highlighted by waterfalls, pools and giant rock monoliths. It’s more woodsy than our earlier rock-face-dominated hike, with spectacular fall foliage (who knew you could find that in the southwest?). The contrast between the colorful leaves and the stark red rocks was striking. Add to that the Virgin River flowing below, and you really couldn’t ask for more. We took an abundance of photos if you’d like to see more.

Deer relaxing after a hard day of grazing