Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Death Valley/Zion NP Day Hikes

Hey, everybody!
This would be a good crowd to ask about some solid hikes in Zion NP. I'm heading out that-a-way in a month, spending 1 whole day (2 nites) in DV, and 4 days in Zion. I'm an advanced day-hiker (just summitted Whitney on 26 Aug) and I'm looking for some challenge while I'm out there. Trick is that I'll be travelling alone, so I don't do GPS/cross-country work and stick to actual trails where there may be at least a few people.
I've read about Angel's Flight(Landing?) and the Narrows, but I would need a ride out to the trail head for the latter.
Any pointers from the experts out there?
Thanks!!
-Laura

Laura, the Narrows is one of those "hikes of a lifetime!" I highly recommend it!.

I did it with a group of 5 a few years ago. You leave before dawn and ride a shuttle for about 90 minutes to a ranch outside Zion NP. The hike covers about 4 miles across the ranch -- dirt road and grazing pasture, then the valley slowly turns into a deeper and deeper canyon. Great fall colors here. All the hiking is gentle (there is no "trail" -- you are in the river bed), and at only one point did the water get up above the knees (it was up to the chest, except others found a ledge to cling to along the side that was only knee deep). You spend about a third of the time hiking in the water with your boots or trail-runners on. (I think you can rent water-boots in the town just outside the park.) I wore old hiking boots and retired them after that hike. Another member used trail runners and did ok. Hiking poles are definitely a big help because some of the rocks in the water are a bit slippery. You need a permit to hike -- be at the Zion visitors center first thing in the morning when they open on the day before to be sure to get one.

It is a hike you should NOT miss. Do the Angels Landing hike the day before after you get the permit.

You can call Zion to get details and the number of the outfit who offers the shuttle rides.

I agree completely with Steve- you HAVE to do both these hikes. We were out there with a group a couple years ago, and did Angel's Landing on the first day as a warmup, and then the Narrows the next day. Both hikes are among the best hikes I've been on. Angel's Landing is just magnificent up on the top (and quite fun getting up there too).

The Narrows is a very unique hike that you might not be able to duplicate anywhere else in the world. Almost our entire group including myself rented water boots and a wooden stick from that shop in town. Both of these are very helpful for this hike, and I would highly recommend using both items. You can call anyone in ZionNP and they should be able to direct you to the store that rents them (I forgot the name).

You can take a one-way shuttle that takes you to the beginning of the hike as well. Definitely do this hike while you are out there if at all possible. Have fun!

Hey all,

Like Laura, I'll be headed out to Zion for the first time in late October. Couple of questions:

1. Anyone have mileage, elevation gain, and approximate times (total) for the Narrows and Angels Landing.

2. In late October would the Narrows be feasible, or too cold with the water?

Any other recommendations for dayhikes would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Gusto

I did Angels Landing in March. It is a classic hike, but there was snow and ice on the trail when I did it and that took a lot of fun out of it. I want to go back and do it again in dry conditions. But I think it is about 5 miles round trip and about 1500 feet elevation gain. So it isn't especially tough.

There is a tougher hike in Zion to an even higher vantage point overlooking the canyon. I think it may be "Observation Point" and is about 8 miles. http://www.zion-national-park.info/observation-point.htm

I was also in Death Valley in March and loved it. Definitely check out Dante's View..very easy hike from the parking lot there..just about 1.5 miles round trip....and Golden Canyon is probably the most popular hike in the park, but good if you go to Zabriskie Point and back...about 5 miles and just beautiful.

I also did a 5 mile hike in Titus Canyon in DV, but I guess I'm not a canyon person, because it wasn't that great to me. But check out Ubehebe crater for sure....it's just a short hike, but worth it.

I know there is a hike to Telescope Peak, which would be a fairly "tough" hike as far as distance goes at least. I would have liked to do this, but I think you need an off-road vehicle to get to the trailhead.

DV was frustrating as some of the coolest places seemed fairly inaccessible with a normal car. The Eureka Dunes are another area I couldn't get to..they are the tallest sand dunes in CA (I think). And the area where the rocks "move" is up there too and I couldn't get to it.

And of course at DV, you want to walk around on the Badwater salt flats a bit, although I wouldn't call it a hike. But standing there at the lowest point in the Northern Hemisphere looking up 10,000 feet to Telescope Peak was very impressive.

But if you are only going to be in DV one day and that's it, I don't know if you'd want to spend the whole time at Telescope Peak. In one day, I did Ubehebe crater, Titus Canyon, and Golden Canyon...that was in March with shorter days and I just barely got done in time. DV is a very large area and it takes hours to go from one end to the other, so plan out your route carefully to do the most in the time you have.

I drove over to Whitney Portal while I was there and the road was closed halfway up. But I walked up to where it got very snowy and I could see Telescope peak from the other side, which was cool. And of course the Eastern Sierra stretched out before me just blew my mind, which is why I'm on this site.

On my trip in March, I also went to the Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree NP as well, and they are both superb. Well, you will have a great time...Zion and DV are some AMAZING places to visit if you are into natural wonders.

Angels Landing is superb. Did it with middle-school age boys ten years ago, and again with them as men this past Memorial Day. For a slightly longer version, start at the Lodge and go directly across the river to the Emerald Pools trail, then follow the trail up river a half mile or so to the Angels Landing trail.

Last half mile along ridge is spectacular and some big dropoffs. There are chains in some places to hold onto if needed. There were maybe 30 people up top on that holiday weekend, and one wilderness - busting music machine. I asked the guy to turn it off and received thumbs-up from several of the other sheep up there. Hopefully fewer people when you arrive.

The Park is overloved. Kinda like Whitney. When we were there, we were lucky to have Lodge reservations and be able to drive our car in, but only to the Lodge. All other transportation for us after parking our car was with the shutttle system. Those people coming in from the outside motels had to board a shuttle bus outside the Park and be brought in. Better check on the details. I don't remember their hours of running, or if it applies in the off-season. None of this was in place ten years ago. I must say it was nice and quiet and peaceful without cars and Harleys.

Harvey

I was at Zion in March on a Thursday and all the parking spaces at the major trailheads filled up pretty quickly by 10am or so. I ended finding one spare parking space at The Lodge, so that added about an extra mile or so to the Angels Landing hike, even though that wasn't my original intent.

I know they have the shuttles running during the non-winter months and this would probably be better than driving your own car in some cases trying to get to a specific trailhead. I usually would not like being forced to take a shuttle, but it would have perhaps been good in this instance.

Because of my somewhat bad experience with Angels Landing (just due to the snow and ice) and the overcast skies when I was there, I didn't have the best time at Zion, but I hope to go back in the future for a better experience.

I think it was also just slightly anticlimatic right after Death Valley, so that may have been part of me not enjoying it as much as I should have. But it really is a lovely area and I'd explore more of it away from the main road. If I had time, I'd hike a good bit of one of the "rim" trails and definitely do that Observation Point hike. But you can't go wrong with Angels Landing if you have limited time.

For some reason the Narrows really didn't interest me...I guess I just like to "climb" and walking through a bunch of water didn't sound like much fun either. I would do that hike only after I had exhausted the more interesting hikes at the park.

Was there midweek last November and wasn't too crowded, although trailhead parking lots did pretty much fill up by mid-day.

Did observation point. Neat hike, not too tough, interesting features. Was impressed by the various canyons on the way up almost as much as the view on top. Plenty of people on trail, but not excessive.

It was funny that I actually liked the amount of traffic on the Angels Landing trail when I got to the part near the top. It was suitably scary that it was nice to have some other people around and comforting to know that most of them seemed as nervous as I was about it.

That is the only hike I've ever done when I got to the top and didn't really feel elated about it. It was just too stressful sliding on that ice on the way up, and I just didn't enjoy it. The way down was even more harrowing and I slipped one time and just barely grabbed the chain before sliding even farther...I don't want to think how far I would have gone if I hadn't grabbed hold of it.

I'm surprised more people don't fall to their death from up there...maybe it just seemed more dangerous than it was....I just did a google search and read that only five people have died on that trail from 1983. That is amazing. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4220896?source=rss

Anyway, it is a very impressive view up there and in dry conditions, I think the hike would be very exciting and fun. But if there is a freak snowstorm before you try it, I might reconsider.

Thanks to everyone!

I think the suggestions of doing the Landing and then the Narrows on consecutive days is what I was thinking, but I didn't know if anyone had done any more "obscure" hikes in the park. I've read about some wonderful ones in the books I have.

But since this is my first time in the Park, I think those two will give me the perspective I'm looking for, and a chance to explore without getting too lost!

Thanks again, and if anyone has any more information, I'd love to hear about it!
-Laura

I've been doing some reading since my last post. Turns out that the shuttles stop at the end of October. Starting in November you can take your car into the park and park at the available parking areas, which, from what I'm told, aren't exactly plentiful.

Up until October you have to either park at the Visitor Center and take the shuttle into Zion Canyon, or you can park in Springdale and take the shuttle from there. A good website for Springdale and Zion Canyon is

www.zionpark.com

Thanks for the tips on Angel's Landing. I'll be saving the Narrows for another trip, seeing as I'll be heading out in November.

Gusto

I've done Angel's Landing a couple of times and I did the narrows from Chamberlain Ranch last July. Man, I love that park!!!!

The Zion Adventure Company operates a shuttle to Chamberlain Ranch. Check their website. I didn't use it because I had my own personal shuttle.....my wife.

I read a description of the Narrows hike before I left. The author said many sections are like walking on submerged bowling balls. He was right. The streambed rocks are large, smooth and slippery. We did it in two days and it would be a long dayhike. 16 miles total and often slow going. Make sure you have your hiking poles.

I'll throw in a second for Angel's landing. It is not a difficult hike but has some fun exposure and great views.

<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/album/437422294rGFnUF?start=48">Angel's Landing Zion National Park</a>

We also hiked up the narrows from the bottom, which was fun. We only got into the Wall street area...but it was cool....20 feet wide and walls over 500 feet straight up.

<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/album/437422294rGFnUF?start=72"> Zion Narrows from the bottom<a/>

Kashcraft:

Thanks SO much for posting the pics!! That's exactly what I needed to prepare for these hikes. The Narrows I'm not so worried about, but I'm not so good with edges, so Angels is going to be tough for me. BUt the knife edge doesn't look too bad, as long as there isn't someone behind me rearing to get through. I may have to get special sunglasses that kill my peripheral vision!!

Thanks again!
-Laura

Laura, I had heard about the exposure on Angel's landing for years. My children seemed to have no problem with it. I was trying to concentrate on keeping them safe and away from the edge.

Even though it is exciting/ thrilling there is a chain to hold on to while you are there. In fact, I saw very few turn around and skip the last part.

It may be one of the best hikes in all of Zion National Park. It would be well worth your time.

The complete Narrows takes two days and involves a shuttle. So we took the sample and hiked in a few hours from the bottom. Next time I am taking some hiking poles and water shoes...that would help.

Zion is one of m y favorite places to hike. October and November are the best months, avoid hiking there in the summer.

Observation point is a good hike if you do it back-to-back for 16 miles. For someone who wants a challenge, you have to do it twice, back to back.

The Angels Landing hike can be extended and should be. Also be careful, a lady died there hiking in late August. Do a Google News seach for the particulars.

Continue on past Angels Landing and you can even eventually hook up with the Kolob Canyon area of Zion NP. This is very scenic and beautiful and there is no one on the trail. The crowds vanish after Angels Landing and Walters Wiggles.

Here are the sad details of the hikers death on Angels Landing last month:

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4220896

I also have done Angels landing and the narrows. we rented equipment and took the shuttle from http://www.zionadventures.com
we had a pole, special boots as the water is cold, and a waterproof pack.I suppose it is possible to do the hike without swimming. But we swam twice for several feet, as I would rather do that than cause excessive errosion, which was occuring on the banks of the river in deep water places.
Some folks just hike from the bottom upriver.If you do that you will miss some of the "good Parts".
RR

Thanks again to everyone who posted. I have my permit reservation and shuttle all set up. Now I just can't wait to get there!

-Laura

Laura, do they grant permit reservations now? When I went, there were no reservations -- only first-come-first-served the day before the hike.

Are you doing a dayhike or an overnighter?