Zion National Park

What would a trip be without some last minute adjusting, right?! Well, two weeks before we were set to arrive in Zion National Park, they experienced their worst flash flood since 2011. The "plan" was to arrive, do a short evening hike to Emerald Pools and if the weather looked decent, hike the Narrows the following morning as most thunderstorms and crowds arrive later in the day. Then, we had a backpacking permit for the West Rim Trail. We reserved a shuttle to drop us off at Lava Point and would be staying at campground #2. Then, we would finish at the Grotto, take the shuttle back to our car and head west in Nevada towards Tahoe. The flash flood had other plans.

The refrigerator portion of the West Rim Trail (near Angel's Landing) had a severe rock fall and was not accessible. The park closed down both Emerald Pools hikes and the West Rim near our campsite.

Lower Emerald Pools

I was also planning on bringing a rain coat but I left it at camp. I have always wanted to hike the Narrows, though, so I was not going to let the cold stop me. To my surprise, I didn’t get cold the entire hike except the beginning on the trail before I was in the water. We started the river walk at 7:30 and it is a mile to reach the Virgin River. There was a very large group in front of us. Fortunately, we both felt great and hiked at a pace of 2 miles/hour. Zion has a sign at the beginning of the trail for the likelihood of a flash flood. It was “probable” the day we went with 30% chance starting at 1:00 pm. We wanted to complete our hike with enough time to get us out of the water before the chance of rain. The Narrows might be my favorite day hike. It was AMAZING! The further in you go, the more narrow it becomes. My favorite spot was “Wall Street.” Also, the crowds thin as you continue.

I highly recommend going in the morning both for safety (less chance of a storm) and to avoid all the people. You will see people without a hiking stick or poles and they will struggle. Our hiking poles saved me from many falls, although I did have a few close calls! I read that some people only think you need one but I am glad I had two poles. I could have gotten by without two but I probably would have lost my balance at least once. The water varies from ankle deep to chest deep in one area. My Dad really enjoyed this hike too. Periodically there are banks that you can walk on and sit to take a break. I would stand on them with my camera for photos and we ate snacks on them too. In all, we hiked 8 miles round trip. It is an out-and-back up to Big Spring. We turned around about a mile before Big Spring because of time. We made it back to the shuttle at 12:15 and wow was the area crowded. A lot of people were just entering the narrows—people in dresses, people with toddlers on their shoulders.

Various views of Wallstreet in the Narrows and waiting for the shuttle

We took the shuttle back to our car and then went to the visitors center to pick up our backpacking permit. The ranger let us know what springs were flowing to filter our water and provided a basic map. The map was a little deceiving but fortunately she clarified that the campsites go from 3 to 1 and then campsite 2 is last on the trail. Thank goodness because we would have thought we missed it! After obtaining our permit, we ate in Springdale. They have many nice shops and restaurants. It was very hot, 90+ degrees during the day and 75 at night. We woke up early to head to the Backcountry trailhead.

It is near Lava Point Campground. It took 40 minutes to get to arrive and some of the roads are gravel. They close them when there are heavy rains. There were 4 or so cars in the lot so we parked and headed out. We started our hike around 7:30 AM and in total, it took 6 hours to hike to camp. It was getting very warm as our hike progresses. We packed 4 liters (1 gallon) of water, which was the recommended amount. There were good views of the canyon along the way and after the first couple miles, we didn’t see anyone else. Campsite 2 is near Cabin Springs and that is where we filtered water. There is a good view in between the site and the water source. We also saw mountain lion tracks! The West Rim trail is closed at this point due to the earlier rockfall. There was a sign posted with the notice. I brought a few notes with me and studied some for my board exam. It was too hot in the sun so we laid on sleeping pads in the shade. My feet were very tired. We ate an early dinner using our camping stove (no fires permitted) and went to bed once the sun went behind the canyon. We woke up early the next morning, 4:30 AM, and filtered water in the dark. We ate granola bars on the way and decided we could boil water and eat breakfast on the way or eat a large lunch once we arrived at the car. We made good time on the way out and took the telephone canyon route instead of the rim route on the way home. It was more shaded and is a little overgrown in a few places. I was glad we were hiking early because it quickly warms up.