With nearly 4 million visitors a year, Zion National Park is one of the most visited National Parks in the United States. And it’s easy to see why. With massive sandstone cliffs, wooded areas and a river that runs through it, Zion has everything you need for a perfect vacation.
We traveled to Zion National Park with my parents, brother and nephew, so it was important to find hikes that we could do with various athletic abilities and ages extending from 9 to 73. With a little planning, we had a terrific day hiking throughout the park.
Zion in the Summer
Zion welcomes over a half a million visitors each month in the summer, so unlike other parks, its best to arrive with a plan. Due to these overwhelming numbers, they only allow visitors to access the park via shuttle bus during the summer. It’s important to arrive early to get a free parking spot in the visitors center lot. The day we went we arrived around 6:15 a.m. and found one of the last few spots. If you arrive after the lot is full, you can park at metered spots along the road to Springdale and either take the free Springdale shuttle in or walk the 3-miles in to the visitors center.
Once we were parked, we lined up for the shuttle bus. The shuttle was running continuously at that hour, but we waited about 45-minutes to reach the front of the line. The shuttles were completely full with people standing in the aisles. It was a tight fit, but we were thankful that they were moving as many people as possible.
We found the shuttles very easy to use. The drivers were requiring that everyone were masks and extra masks were available in the visitors center for those who didn’t have one. The shuttle buses ran continuously and we found that they were available about every 5 minutes no matter which stop we were at. This made traveling through the park very easy.
Due to the geographical location of Zion, summer temperatures are over 100-degrees most days in July and August. As a result, it is important to bring plenty of water. Hiking early or late in the day is also advised. We had cooling scarves, which were truly what made our day a success and we refilled our waters multiple times throughout the day. There are water refill stations at each bathroom. The water isn’t particularly cold, but it was great to fill up without carrying extra waters for everyone.
Zion is in a very arid region, which means that when it rains in the summer there is occasionally flash flooding. If you are hiking the Narrows or anywhere near the Virgin River, be aware of the forecast so that you can plan appropriately. A park ranger told me that the water can increase by 100 times, so you don’t want to get surprised.
Emerald Pools Trail
We decided to split up at the start of our day and those of us that enjoy an easier hike would do the Emerald Pools Trail, while the more strenuous hikers would do the Angel’s Landing Trail. We got off at stop 5 and after a quick bathroom stop, headed off towards the trailhead. Emerald Pools Trail is a great easy and moderate trail that has lots of different options. After we crossed the footbridge, we opted to go to the right towards the Lower Emerald Pool, rather than left towards the Middle Emerald Pool.
The path to the Lower Emerald Pool is very scenic and is an easy trail and was a perfect fit for our group. The trail was narrow in parts and had some slight elevation gains, but overall was easy and flat. You are hiking through a wooden area between huge sandstone cliffs. It was shady and peaceful, though there were many other hikers on the trail as well. There were areas for the boys to wander off trail a bit and climb some of the large rocks that have fallen over time. It’s about .6 of a mile from the tailhead to the Lower Emerald Pool and we got there pretty quickly. Because it was summer, the waterfall wasn’t as full as springtime, but the way it comes down the side of the cliff, you can walk right under it, which was cool and cooled us off.
Just past the Lower Emerald Pool there is an overlook area where we stopped for a water break. From here it’s .6 of a mile to return the way you came, or another .6 of a mile to continue on to the Upper Emerald Pools and then 1.2 miles to return to the trailhead. We opted to hike on! The hiking from here, was definitely more moderate than the first part of the hike. The path was more narrow and rocky than the start and had more significant elevation increases.
The view at the Middle Emerald Pool was outstanding. We stopped for a quick snack and water break to really enjoy it. From here there is a one way path up to the Upper Emerald Pool. The terrain here changes again. It is so rocky that it feels like you are climbing stairs, but they were easy to navigate. And when you make it to the Upper Pool it’s totally worth it.
The views from the top were amazing. We had increased so much in elevation that the mountains, which had started above us, were now surrounding us and we were able to look down into the valley. We stopped for a water break and then returned the way we came towards the Middle Emerald Pool. There are several options here. You can walk along the Kayenta Trail towards the Grotto, go down the way you came, or continue on the Middle Emerald Pool trail which takes you back to the trailhead where you started.
Since the trail up was pretty busy, we opted to take the Middle Emerald Pool trail back to the trailhead. This trail has amazing views of the cliffs and valley below. It is not as shady as the other trail, but it also has far fewer people on it. It was almost entirely a downhill slope. The boys had fun running down and finding big rocks to sit on to wait for me to catch up. When you return to the trailhead, you’re close to shuttle stop 5 and also the Zion Lodge, which has a nice store and also a restaurant. There are lots of benches outside of the Lodge and a huge shaded grassy area you could relax on.
The Grotto and Angels Landing
We refilled our waters and hopped on the shuttle to head to The Grotto at stop 6. The Grotto is where you pick up the trailhead for Angels Landing. There is a large picnic area here with many shaded picnic tables and a nice bathroom and water refill station. This was the perfect spot to get each our lunch and meet up with Tim and my brother, who did the Angels Landing hike. You can read all about their experience here.
Riverside Walk
We really wanted to maximize our time inside the park, so after everyone ate lunch, we decided to do one more hike. We chose the Riverside Walk because it’s a mostly flat, fairly well shaded hike, that goes along the Virgin River and leads to the Narrows hike.
We didn’t get here until close to noon, so it was definitely warmer than it had been during our earlier hike. And unfortunately, it was pretty crowded, with a steady stream of people walking in both directions. The majority of the path is concrete and wide, so it is easy to navigate. There are many places where the path is open to the river below and you can walk down to the water. When we were there the water levels were low, so the boys enjoyed walking on rocks to cross the river. There was a toxic bloom of algae, so we took care not to swim. There were also many shady trees down on the riverbank and areas we could sit and enjoy the view.
The Narrows
The Riverside Walk is the start to the famous Narrows hike that traverses the Virgin River and then goes into a narrow slot canyon. It is very popular and can be quite crowded in the summer months. If you are interested in doing the Narrows hike, I highly recommend that you rent special hiking gear from one of the stores in Springdale. They will provide you with hiking boots that are made for hiking this rocky, wet trail, along with neoprene socks and a large walking stick to help you navigate the trail.
Zion National Park provided amazing views. Views of the cliffs and the valley below, views of the river and the lush greenery that surrounds it. There are many hikes available for hikers of every ability and interest. We had a wonderful day and were glad we had set out early so that we could enjoy so many different hikes throughout the day.
Are you planning a trip to Zion National Park?
Things to Know Before You Go
- If you are traveling in the summer, plan to arrive to the park early. This will allow you to park right near the visitors center and pick up the shuttle to travel through the rest of the park.
- Bring plenty of water for everyone. There are also areas to refill near each shuttle stop.
- Plan which hikes you want to do ahead of time so that you know which shuttle stop to get off at.
- If you’re hiking the Narrows, rent equipment ahead of time, to ensure availability.
- Because we arrived to the park so early, we weren’t able to get the Junior Ranger books until we were leaving for the day. You may want to print it ahead of time so your kids can complete it while in the park if you plan to arrive early.
