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Breaking Zion apart for hiking
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Map from Gorp.com
I’ve met tourists at the Park having a great time hiking Zion’s paved and manicured trails to experience many of its wonders up close and personal. In a very short time, they come to appreciate Zion.
I’ve met trail maintenance people, working hard, smiles on their faces, telling me they never tire of looking at the multi-colored sandstone spires, columns, arches, and towering cliffs. One female trail worker stood tall, arched her back to stretch, and looked around her. She swept her hand from left to right and said, “This is the view out of my office window. Pioneers and Indians had the privilege of living with this as a backdrop for their lives. I get to taste that magic, and I’m in awe. All the time.” In a very short time, they come to adore Zion.
I’ve met fanatic locals that live to experience this wonder with their hands and feet. They taste the dust and drip with sweat. They become exhausted from their efforts. They never get enough. They come back, and back, and back. A change in season only means a change in challenges. There are many pocket environments that only these faithful lovers of Zion experience, and they hold those wonders tightly, only sharing them with a few close friends. In a very short time, they come to love Zion.
There are flat and easy trails. There are strenuous uphill climbs and dangerous trails that require special preparation and equipment. Hikes can be 10 minutes, all day, or a backpacking trip. Take stock of your physical and mental fitness level in choosing a trail. If you can’t handle a thousand foot drop on both sides of the trail, with a tread only three feet wide, pulling yourself up the incline with a rope or chain railing, avoid Angel’s Landing Trail.
Videos of selected hikes in Zion National Park
http://www.utah.com/video/?place_id=131Zion National Park: Four hiking areas
West Rim Trail: A favorite trail for thousands of visitors. At the trailhead, a long flat finger of sandstone points the way into Zion Canyon. Follow the finger as you gain 2400 feet of elevation amid grand views to a small spring on the paved West Rim Trail. Ascending a series of switchbacks, the exertion will generate plenty of sweat. Overheated and sweating, you stroll into the welcome coolness of Refrigerator Canyon. Take a long break there. Your next section of trail is a series of twenty-one steep switchbacks called Walter’s Wiggles that ascends to Scout Lookout, and then more uphill trudging to Cabin Spring. Beyond the spring, the trail plunges 4.7 miles into Zion Canyon and the North Fork of the Virgin River.
East Side Trails: East Zion is definitely less traveled. Come here for an experience that differs dramatically from the hustle and bustle of Springdale and the West side entrance to the park. East side trails provide access to slot canyons, fossilized sand dunes, valleys, creeks and awesome swimming holes, hidden trails and canyons, domes, and hoodoos. There are many “hidden” wonders to discover off-trail as well. Hiking is a wonderful way to discover the “hidden” treasures of Zion National Park.
Zion Canyon Trails: Most visitors spend a majority of their time in six-mile long Zion Canyon. The trails are paved and well traveled. During the summer you’ll need to take the Zion Canyon Shuttle to access the majority of the canyon.
Map from Gorp.com
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