The line had become long, so long, in fact, that people were pulling out snacks and getting to know one another, asking, “Where are you from?” and marveling at how many of us there were and how long this was taking.
Some began to lean on their companions; others sat down because it was clear it was going to be a while.
Was it the queue at Whole Foods? No. Were we waiting to get tickets to see the Fray? No. Is it possible these 20 or so (and rapidly heading toward 30) people were being held up while trying to buy the latest iPod whatzit? Nope.
We were jammed alongside a 1,200-foot drop-off on our way to the summit of Angels Landing in southwestern Utah’s Zion National Park, a 5-mile (round- trip), 1,488-vertical-foot trail so popular that near the top – where the path knife-edges and the sheer faces on either side long ago forced park officials to anchor chains so the nervous could hang on during the dicier traverses – bottlenecks have become part of the experience.
“Dude, I’m running out of water,” said the guy in front of me, Kerry Macdonald, to his hiking partner, who was not a dude but his girlfriend, Jenna Long. Macdonald and Long were visiting from Park City, Utah, during the year they are taking off after graduating from college. This was their third trip up Angels Landing on their third Zion visit.
“My parents live in St. George,” Long said, referring to the popular winter getaway and retiree-populated city about 45 minutes away. “We go over there and see them, and then we come over here and hike to get some conditioning in. We snowboard a lot through the winter all over the place, and this is a great way to stay in shape.”
Overlook draws ahs, crowds
Depending upon whom you ask, Angels Landing is indeed a great way to stay in shape (that would be to the already reasonably fit). Or it’s a terrifying slog up a sun-baked slab of sandstone (that would be to those with a fear of heights). But there’s no denying its appeal: According to Ron Terry, chief of visitor services at the park, several hundred people reach for the summit daily.
Quite a few of them often can be found lingering around the seemingly innocuous ground-level trailhead, where nearby the Virgin River winds its way past the lovely Swiss-Nordic-style Zion Lodge, home to a multitude of mule deer that wander among the rustic cabins and where a fine Southwestern meal can be had in its second-floor Red Rock Grill.
The lingerers are looking up at the Angels Landing summit, wondering if they really ought to go there, or if instead they should just head back to the lodge and have another prickly-pear margarita. The ones who decide to go there begin the gradual climb up the paved trail – enjoying a brief respite from the harsh sun in the aptly named Refrigerator Canyon – shortly find themselves dizzy and gasping for air in “Walter’s Wiggles,” a series of abrupt, steep switchbacks named for the park superintendent who in 1924 helped engineer the zigzags.
After that, it’s another bit of a breather before the real work begins: conquering any concerns that a pebble-induced slip might result in a slide down the cliffs, which at one point are those sheer drop-offs of 1,200 feet on one side, 800 on the other, where the waiting commences before the meek clutch the poles and chains while the more seasoned hikers slip around them, gamely assuming that hiking shoes will grip the slick rock. Obviously most people have no problems, but there have been five fatalities since 1983, most recently a woman last August.
“We really wish people wouldn’t take small kids up there,” Terry said. “We can’t stop them, but we wish they wouldn’t.” In March, we encountered several groups with children under the age of 6, as well as people who carried no water on what is described as a strenuous hike. And just as we were almost back down to the bottom at dusk, we repeatedly ran into parties just starting up, several inquiring as to whether they would be able to make the top before the potentially ankle-twisting blackness descended (um, no).
But that’s how determined so many are to light upon the tip of what was so named because Zion explorer Frederick Fisher said in 1916, “Only an angel could land upon it.”
A “place of refuge”
There are certainly much less crowded hikes to be had in the 146,000 acres of Zion National Park, one of this country’s most magnificent playgrounds. The result of hundreds of millions of years’ worth of the Virgin River carving out layers of sandstone into temples, towers, cliffs and slots, the canyon was named “Zion” by the Mormon pioneers because it means “place of refuge,” and the area was made a national park in 1919.
I first visited eight years ago, and have returned annually – and in one lucky year twice – ever since, and summit Angels Landing once each time, mostly because the view is unrivaled: You get Zion Canyon on either side and all of its white and red sandstone monoliths, including the gloriously massive Great White Throne, the Organ, and Cathedral and Cable mountains, and you can trace the path of the Virgin River through the park. Not to mention limping away with bragging rights and very sore quads.
Look over the Virgin from atop Angels Landing, though, and you can see the summit of Observation Point, which sits another 517 feet higher than Angels Landing and gains 2,150 feet of elevation. Observation Point’s eight mostly paved miles include the swirly, wavy, slot-width walls of Echo Canyon, and in wetter months there are waterfalls along the way. Because the hike takes longer (about five hours) and is more secluded, it attracts fewer people, and that coupled with the fact that the trail winds back into the park and away from the road makes for a quieter experience.
The crowds really pack them in at the Temple of Sinawava, located at the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, the 6-mile out-and-back road that takes you into Zion Canyon and to the trailheads of Angels Landing and Observation Point, as well as the shorter and also popular Emerald Pools hike. Seven years ago the park wisely switched to the shuttle system, and so April through October only those staying at the lodge can drive into the heart of the canyon; the rest must park and then shuttle or bike in.
That has cut down on the chaos at Sinawava, a natural amphitheater that joins with Riverside Walk, a trail leading to the mouth of the Narrows, a 16-mile journey that runs through slot canyons requiring short rappels and swimming across small pools, all the while hiking in the frigid river on what feels like algae-covered bowling balls. The trailhead is at Chamberlains Ranch at the north end of the park, and the park doles out 40 permits per day after threat of flash flooding has passed.
You don’t need a permit to wade up the Narrows from Riverside Walk, however, and the reward for taking off your shoes to pick your way along the rocks is a series of side canyons draped with lush hanging gardens, each steamy from the musky seeps, ideal rest spots when the crowds are low.
True – finding the crowds low at Zion can be a challenge. But this is a place where people are still willing to wait in line just to catch a view.
Travel editor Kyle Wagner can be reached at 303-954-1599 or travel@denverpost.com.
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INSIDER’S GUIDE
GET THERE
The best time to visit Zion National Park to avoid the crowds is November-April. The downside is that it can be downright chilly and snowy in winter. The shuttle system on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is suspended Oct. 30- March 31, which means you can drive all the way to the Temple of Sinawava.
You can fly to Salt Lake City or Las Vegas, but the driving distance is much shorter from Vegas (2 1/2 hours as opposed to 4 1/2). You also can fly into St. George, 45 minutes away, but by the time you connect through the major cities, the time differential and cost don’t make sense.
GET AROUND
There are two ways to enter Zion Canyon – via Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel or through the south entrance by Springdale. The Kolob Canyons Visitor Center is at Interstate 15, exit 40, which goes west of the park from Utah 9 and Utah 17. U.S. 89 passes east and connects with Utah 9 into the south entrance; the Zion Canyon Visitor Center is just inside the south entrance. Oversized vehicles (taller than 11 feet, 4 inches) pay $15 extra for a tunnel escort.
The fee is $25 per vehicle at either entrance, good for seven days. But why not spring for the $80 annual pass, good at any national park for a year, which helps to pay for the woefully underfunded parks system?
DINE
In nearby Springdale, the Bit & Spur Restaurant & Saloon (1212 Zion Park Blvd., 435-772-3498, bitandspur.com) is my favorite in the area. A cowboy watering hole since the 1950s, it’s now one of the best Mexican eateries ever, with a menu that runs the gamut from traditional to creative. Check out the stuffed jalapeños (cream cheese, cheddar and a drizzle of sweet-and-spicy red sauce) or brie and walnut quesadillas with homemade jalapeño jelly. If the miniature chocolate bundt cake with a scoop of peppermint is available, say yes, please. The house margarita is an acquired taste; Almendrado Tequila imparts a definite almond flavor. Purists should go for the Cadillac.
Also in Springdale, check out the Pioneer Restaurant (828 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-3009, pioneerlodge.com), very reasonably priced for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with sandwiches, a soup and salad bar, and four or five types of homemade pie daily.
In the park, the Zion Lodge’s Red Rock Grill (Zion Lodge, Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, 435-772-7760, zionlodge.com) is delightful, with an upscale New American menu of dishes such as pan-seared tilapia in a chipotle soy sauce and Navajo eggplant breaded and fried in a tomatillo cream sauce. They also make a mean prime rib. The views out the window of the park are magnificent, especially at sunset.
STAY
The Novel House Inn (73 Paradise Road, Springdale, 800-711-8400, novelhouse.com) is a gem, a charming B&B run by Norma and Ross Clay, who are gracious hosts. The “Novel” part refers to the themes of each of the 10 guestrooms – we stayed in the Tolstoy – as well as to the many books you can peruse during your visit. A filling breakfast – with hot dishes such as chile-studded eggs cooked by Norma and apple-nut muffins baked by Ross – is included and heavenly. Rates start at $129.
Cliffrose Lodge and Gardens, 281 Zion Park Blvd. 800-243-8824, cliffroselodge.com. It’s right next to the road and so can be a little noisy, but you can’t beat the convenience of this spot in Springdale right near the south entrance to the park. The back rooms with balconies have views of the Watchman peak, and the sandstone hot tub is a nice way to unwind in the cooler months. Rates start at $149.
Zion Lodge is managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts out of Colorado (888-297-2757 or 303-297-2757, zionlodge.com) and is a magical place. In the reasonably priced range, you have a choice of motel rooms or cabins (which sleep four), and the cabins are well worth it if you can get them; in season, they sell out months in advance (for instance, the cabins are sold out through July right now), but you have a shot if you try earlier in the year. Motel rooms starts at $150; cabins at $160.
Camping also is available at Zion; the Watchman Campground accepts RVs and has 66 tent sites, is well maintained and takes reservations April-October (others are first-come, first-serve only and very primitive). Rates are $16 for tents ($20 to be next to the river); RVs $18. Call 877-444-6777 or visit recreation.gov.
PLAY
Hike! Walk! Climb! Drive if you must, but see everything you can in this, the most beautiful park in the country. Get a map at the south entrance station and then stop by the Visitors Center to plan out your days. At the very least, drive through Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel and hoof it out Canyon Overlook, a fairly easy one- hour out-and-back that gives you a view of lower Zion Canyon and Pine Creek Canyon.
Get away from the hordes and see more stunning red and white rock at Kolob Canyon, exit 40 off Interstate 15. The sweeping arches, cliffs streaked with vermilion and endless hikes into deserted slots and drainages offer more opportunities to connect with the area’s dramatic Navajo sandstone.
Also be sure to stop by to say hi to the cutie-pie bison at Springdale’s Elk Park, one of the oddest little deals. It causes traffic to slow as folks say, “What the?” when they see the young bison next to the road with a handful of elk and a few longhorn cattle in a flimsy fenced-in area. Pay $2 and you can stick your hand through the fence, feed and touch the bison, if he (she? hard to tell) will let you. A lawsuit waiting to happen, I wager, but you are not going to get this close to one anywhere else.
MORE INFO: nps.gov/zion
– Kyle Wagner
