Zion National Park Girl's Trip

I took a super fun spring break girl's trip to Zion National Park. Jenn asked if I would help plan a trip to Zion, and of course I said yes! Not only do I love little trips like this, but I also love planning them.

I was stretching a few days before we left, and I had a small disc rupture in my back. Worst timing ever! I was hoping it would get better each day and that I would be mostly recovered for the trip, but it ended up getting worse each day. I don't think farm chores did much to help me heal. 😅 The day before I had mostly decided not to go. I was worried about the car ride, certain parts of the hikes, I wasn't sure if I could get on and off the bikes, and I really didn't want to ruin the trip for Jenn and Joyce. At the last minute I decided to give it a try. I brought my Kindle, and figured if I couldn't do the stuff we had planned, I would stay in the hotel and read. That would be better for me than staying home and continuing to carry around bales and hay and water buckets. So so so glad I decided to give it a try. I was able to do all of it! Jenn had to put my shoes and socks on for me each day, and I just had to hike (no running), but I actually felt better after the trip than I did before we left. 

Kanarra Falls:

We left early Saturday morning to head to Zion. We made a stop in Kanarraville, Utah on the way down to hike Kanarra Falls. I love this hike, and I was so excited for Jenn and Joyce to see it! It is so stunning! 

That's a good friend right there.
I 100% could not get my shoes and socks on by myself. Jenn must have put them on for me at least 10 times on this trip. 😬

If you are ever driving by this area, I highly recommend stopping for this hike. It isn't long or hard, but the water is cold, and you do need a permit.

Look how tiny Joyce is once we entered the slot canyon.

The first of three waterfalls. When you round the corner and see this, it takes your breath away.

I love this picture of Joyce!

Me and Jenn at the top.

The second of three waterfalls.

To get past the second waterfall, you have to climb some boulders off to the right. I was a little worried about getting up them because I couldn't bend over at all. I ended up doing great. I could get up and down this section staying upright.

The third waterfall. The canyon keeps going, but I believe it's private property beyond this point so this is where hikers are supposed to turn around.

Hiking out.

Zion Day 1:

Our first day in the park was amazing! The park is closed to personal vehicles, so we rented e-bikes for the day. It was so fun! It seemed like we were the only ones in the park while we were riding down the road. We had to pull over occasionally to let a shuttle bus go by, but other than that, we were alone. It was so peaceful and beautiful! We rode up the Pa'rus trail until we entered the main road. Then we just rode along stopping at all the viewpoints and trailheads to hike. 

I highly recommend seeing Zion this way.

The Pa'rus Trail.

The Court of the Patriarchs and the Sand Bench Trail:

We loved this trail! It was a 4 mile loop that takes you right past the Court of the Patriarchs. It brought back memories of renting horses and doing it when the kids were little. 

We saw this big guy right at the start of the hike. We ended up seeing tons of turkeys in Zion. I loved them!

The three patriarchs:
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Peaks

Big red cliffs everywhere you looked!

This turkey hiked with us for about half a mile. I'm sure she was leading us away from her nest, but we felt like we made a new friend. 😁

😂😂😂

Back on the bikes to our next stop. We hiked a short 1 mile trail called Zion Grotto that just goes along the road.

Angel's Landing:

Angel's Landing was the highlight of the trip for us. All three of us put in for the lottery, and Joyce was the only one selected. We got so lucky! Each permit allows up to 6 people to hike it. I remember doing it with my kids when they were little and thinking it was so scary. I've come a long ways in my adventuring, because no part of it even phased me the time. As a matter of fact, I think even Mark would be fine on it. It is such a cool experience!

It was crazy to look up and realize we were going to be at the top of that.

Even the trail before you get to the really good part is cool!

Starting up just past Scout Lookout.

Here's the narrow ridge we go across and up. This is where the fun starts!

Joyce-Jenn-Tricia

That's a big drop beside me.

Almost there!

I'm finishing up the climb.

Pictures will never do this view justice.

A guy took our picture and then did a backflip up there! 

So much fun!

Emerald Pools:

The Emerald Pools are kind of dumb. 😬 The hike was so crowded, like a constant line of people the whole way. They aren't really emerald pools either, just glorified mud puddles. 😅 But now Jenn and Joyce have done them, and none of us care to do this particular hike again.

The waterfall that goes into the lower pools.

The upper pool.

Virgin River Walk:

Our next stop on the bikes took us to the Virgin River Trail. This is a short hike that drops down into the canyon and meanders along the river. It was pretty.

Virgin River Walk

The Narrows:

I love the Narrows! We got to them kind of late, and Jenn didn't want to get wet and then be cold while we rode the bikes back. I couldn't help myself, I had to walk up a ways. I'm the type of person that always wants to know what's around the next bend. Joyce and Jenn finally stoped and I just went a little further up. I got as deep as my crotch and then didn't go any further. Joyce and I have already talked to our husbands about coming back with them in the fall and hiking all of the Narrows. It isn't quite as deep and the water temperature is a little more mild. I CAN NOT wait! I get fixated on things I want to do, and now this is one of them. 

There was a group of guys coming out of the canyon, and they offered to take my picture for me.

The ride back to the bike shop was 9.5 miles of pure fun! The wind dried me off, and we had the whole road to ourselves most of the way. We saw lots of deer and wild turkeys. I loved touring Zion with bikes, and I can't wait to go back and do it with Mark.

Zion Day 2:

We started our second day in Zion hiking the Watchman Trail. I love this one. Mark and I hiked it with Mark's dad when we were in high school, and I did it again years later with my kiddos when they were young. So pretty!

You just can't beat the view on this one.

The sun was coming up and kissing the mountains on the other side of the canyon.

We saw 10 big horn sheep. 

They were so fun to watch!

Joyce with all her new friends.

The Watchman standing tall behind us.

We finished this section of Zion by driving the east road through the mile long tunnel. We were going to do an overlook hike on the other side of the tunnel, but there was so parking anywhere. We did see the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile though, so that made the drive worth it. 😁

😂😂😂

Kolob Canyon:

Kolob Canyon is a smaller, less known section of Zion. I love it, because it's a lot less crowded. We drove the scenic drive and did a couple hikes.

South Fork of Taylor Creek:

This is one of my favorite hikes in this section of the park. 

This is the wall that the rock climbers climb.

We hit snow at the end of the canyon.

We made it as far as we could go.

Timber Creek Overlook:

We drove the rest of the scenic drive and did one final hike at the end of the road. The canyon is so gorgeous!

On the way back to our hotel we stopped for ice cream and a little animal petting area.

The only disappointing thing about our trip was Cedar Breaks. We were planning on stoping on the way home, and I was super excited for Jenn and Joyce to see it. I had a really cool hike planned along the rim. They had a spring storm go through, and they had to close it to vehicles. The only way you could get to it was with snowshoes. Oh well, we'll just have to stop there on our fall trip. Mark and I loved it when we did it a few years ago.

I loved this trip! It had been quite a few years since I had visited the main part of Zion, and it was so fun to experience it on bikes, and with friends who had never seen it before. I can't wait to do it again with Mark in the fall!