Zion National Park - Springdale, Utah

Zion National Park is some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. The Paiute people have a name for the canyon Zion inhabits called Mukuntuweap, meaning "straight up land," a very appropriate name for such a vertical landscape. Full of high cliffs, eroding red sandstone, and the small but powerful Virgin River the landscape of Zion is continuously changing and reshaping.

Zion is full of wonderful sites to see and things to do, with a free shuttle system it makes it a breeze to get around. The shuttle starts at the entrance to the park and has a total of 9 stops, I recommend staying on until the last stop and working your way backwards as the shuttles can get fuller the later the day goes. The most famous sites are The Narrows and Angels Landing. The Narrows is at the end of Riverside walk at the beginning of a canyon with vertical gardens along the canyon walls. Angels Landing takes you to the top of a mountain that people use to say that was so high that only angels could get there.

Zion is a beautiful location that has many wonderful places to stay with easy shuttle access to the park. If you plan on camping outside of the park I would recommend Zion Canyon Campground, with full hookups, bathrooms, showers, and walking distance to the park this the best spot with beautiful riverside views. If you are more interested in staying in a hotel I would recommend Holiday Inn Express Zion, with beautiful views, amazing hotel and a shuttle stop just outside the hotel this is a great choice with less of the traffic.

Stop 1 - Zion Canyon Visitor Center

• Park passes

• Food, gear, camping

• Shuttles

• Watchmans Trail

• Pa'rus Trail

Stop 2 - Museum

• Pa'rus Trail

Stop 3 - Canyon Junction

• View Point

Stop 4 - Court of the Patriarchs

• Sand Bench Trail

Stop 5 - Zion Lodge

• Lodging/Food

• Horseback Riding

• Lower Emerald Pool Trail

• Middle Emerald Pool Trail

• Upper Emerald Pool Trail

• Sand Bench Trail

Stop 6 - The Grotto

• The Grotto Trail

• Kayenta Trail

• Scout Lookout via West Rim Trail

• Angels Landing

Stop 7 - Weeping Rock

• Waterfall

Stop 8 - Big Bend

• View Point

• California Condor Nesting Area

Stop 9 - Temple of Sinawava

• Riverside Walk

• The Narrows

Anytime you are hiking make sure you are prepared for anything, that includes in the event you get stranded or trapped overnight. My four must haves when going hiking are water, food, a first aid kit/emergency kit, and a pocket knife. No one wants to carry a ton of things when hiking so I have found the perfect bag, this camelback not only has 2 liters of water but also has pockets to hold food and your emergency kit. Items to put in your first aid/emergency kit are: waterproof bandaids, gauze, hand sanitizer, sunblock, thermal blanket, waterproof matches, pain reliever. Also please make sure you are dressed appropriately for where you are going and always in layers, just because it is 90 degrees or more during the day doesn't mean it won't drop to low temperatures during the night. The most important thing is to be safe so always makes sure you tell someone where you are going and the route you plan to take.