Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks

Winter blues kicked in, and I needed a short escape to get some fresh air and better scenery. So, I planned a last-minute trip to Zion National Park in Utah, and two weeks later, we boarded a plane, and then another plane, landing in St. George at 11 pm.

It was pitch black during the hour-long drive to Springdale, so dark that every single headlight we saw was blinding. The stars were stunning, but we had no idea what kind of landscapes were around us.

Which means the view outside our room when we woke up the next morning was a very pleasant surprise.

The hotel we were staying at was nice, with a wonderful view while we ate breakfast. We sat outside by the fire for a bit to take it in before getting started on our day of hiking.

The short drive into the park was breathtaking. I couldn’t stop taking pictures from the car, even though I knew none of them would turn out.

We pulled up to our trailhead at the Grotto and bundled up for the cold morning air.

Our first hike of the trip was Angel’s Landing, a 5-mile roundtrip hike with an almost 1,500 ft elevation change and stunning views.

The last half mile is along a narrow saddle with chains to hold onto to keep from falling off the side of the mountain. The most physically challenging part of the hike was the middle section, climbing up the“wiggles” which was a steep, zig-zagging path up to the lookout, but for me, that didn’t compare to the mental challenge of the narrow climb with chains, overlooking the steep drop-offs.

I’m usually not one to fear heights – I love paragliding and helicopter rides – but something about that hike had me freaked out. I had a minor panic attack early on where I was too afraid to move forward or backward. Anthony kept pushing me on with his usual game (“Just a little bit further! Let’s just go to that tree up there, and then you can quit.”)

This got me pretty far, with declarations of “No” and “I hate this” the whole way, but I finally chickened out at last before the final climb, which of course drove Anthony crazy since we were so close to the summit.

My nerves were only moderately lesser on the climb back down, and there was one section where my foot slipped, but fortunately it was a wider section. Once we were back on solid ground, no chains involved, I was excited for the march back down.

We were done earlier than anticipated, so, knees a little achy, we decided to go for an easy stroll along the riverside walk.

This walk was pretty anticlimactic compared to the hike we had just done, but the river and the fearless deer made it pleasant nonetheless.

By this point, we had worked up a big appetite, so we went and grabbed a late lunch before heading back to the park. We took the opposite road, toward Bryce Canyon this time and went through the dark, mile-long tunnel to come out to the trailhead for Canyon Overlook.

Light was fading, so we made the walk quickly, allowing us more time at the overlook.

We relaxed at the overlook for awhile, letting our legs rest while we took it all in.

The walk there had been a little bit treacherous in parts, so we started the walk back before it got too dark, enjoying the softer light.

Totally exhausted from the minimal sleep we had gotten the night before and all the hiking we did that day, we went back to the hotel to relax the rest of the evening. We got a bottle of wine, hung out in the hot tub, and were out by 8:30.

A good 10 hours of sleep had us rejuvenated the next morning. Our hips were sore, so we hobbled around for awhile, getting ready and eating breakfast.  The game plan for the day was to do the easier hike to Observation Point, starting at Zion Ponderosa Ranch on the east side of the park, and then going on a scenic drive after.

The drive out to the easy side was lovely with snowy patches on smaller mountains.

However, I had underestimated the difficulty in getting to the easier trail. We made it most of the way there until we encountered a muddy declining road that, according to the directions I found online, was only going to get worse. I didn’t want to risk it in our tiny rental car. We also weren’t feeling the strenuous 6-hour hike that the normal trail is. So, we decided we’d just make our scenic drive a long one, and headed out to Bryce Canyon National Park.

I hadn’t done any research on Bryce Canyon whatsoever, so I was keeping my fingers crossed during the 2-hour drive there that it would be a worthwhile adventure.

As we started getting close, a dense fog settled on us, and the snow was abundant. I was feeling less optimistic. While the winter wonderland was a pretty change, it appeared we were going to be in for some very cold weather and no visibility.

We approached Dixie National Forest, the unique red rock formations standing out through the fog. We made a few stops for pictures, but the cold prevented us from staying out of the car for too long.

And then, magically, the sun started shining through, and the fog lifted right as we arrived in Bryce.

We asked the man working the entrance gate if we would be able to do anything in the park, considering we were in simple tennis shoes and had no snow gear. He informed us that we could practically drive right up to the best viewpoints, and the paths to get the rest of the way to them were mostly clear, so we paid our entrance fee and headed in.

Our first stop was at Sunrise Point, and any concerns melted away immediately. Not making the day trip to Bryce would have been a terrible mistake, we decided. The snowy pines glistened in the sunlight, and the view out was like nothing I had ever seen before.

A half mile walk up from Sunrise Point brought us to Sunset Point which shared the same views but from a different perspective.

The sun was warm and I was melting in my winter coat and gloves, but I just couldn’t get enough.

We finally headed back to the car to drive a little further up to Inspiration Point. This required another short trek uphill, but even more hoodoos were visible from there. Almost no one else was at the park, so we got to hog all the best viewpoints for ourselves.

And then we drove just a bit further up to Bryce Point. We were well above the hoodoos by this point and had a vast, uninterrupted view all around.

I would have loved to hike down into the rim a little bit to get up-close with the hoodoos and spires, but alas, we would have needed snow gear for that, as our little low-top track shoes wouldn’t have done the job.

Even still, we had spent 2 hours at the park, and we needed to head back to Zion. Starving, we grabbed some lunch before leaving town, and then we were on the way, this time actually able to see our surroundings since the fog had gone. We retook the same pictures at the same stops, and then settled in, getting tired in the warm sunlight.

Back at Zion, we went straight to the visitor center to buy some t-shirts and then started the Watchman Trail from there.

I was expecting this trail to be an easy stroll. It was relatively short and not as steep as others, but our sore legs immediately struggled on the climb. But the small effort offered pretty big reward along the way.

We sat at the top, watching the sun set for a while over town. It started to get cold, so we picked up our stuff and started heading back, the softer light making the mountains even more picturesque.

We were almost back to our car when we saw 4-5 deer playing while a few people looked on. That was the first time I had seen deer so relaxed that they were just playing and running around out in the open like that, and it made my heart so happy to see.

We got some tasty Thai food afterward and then went back to the hotel where Anthony watched the Chiefs game he had recorded on his laptop. By the time that was over, it was pitch black out, so we headed back to the park to look at the stars. Living in the city, we only get to see a few stars at night, so the lack of light and the lack of humidity led to some pretty extraordinary stargazing for us. A perfect ending to a perfect weekend getaway.

Honestly could not have hoped for a better little trip. It was the perfect time of year for it, having no crowds to contend with, the chillier temps leading to pleasant hikes in the full sun, and the snow at Bryce giving us some wonderful variety. I plan to do the same for the next National Park we visit.