Emily's National Park Tour, Part 1

News

Aug 4

Blog by Emily Pierce, PLS, CFedS

As promised in my National Parks Month blog, I said I’d be posting from my vacation to tour just a few of our national treasures. We finished a great time at Mount Rushmore, and then we visited Zion National Park.

The Pierce family with a bunch of stone surveyors in the background (Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln).

The Oxford Dictionary defines "breathtaking" as: astonishing or awe-inspiring in quality, so as to take one's breath away.

To say Zion National Park is breathtaking is an understatement. Words just cannot describe and pictures just don't do it justice. I’ll try with a few, though – sublime, magnificent, glorious, mind-blowing, splendid, and my favorite – divine!

First, let me just say, if you plan on visiting this magnificent National Park, there is no better way to enter the park than by the East Entrance. Once you enter, one of your first views is of Checkerboard Mesa.

While it is huge, it is dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of what lies beyond the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. It will give you goosebumps. This will take you through switchbacks with death-defying drop-offs to the bottom of the Zion Canyon.

Mount Rushmore and Wyoming

From the Visitor’s Center at the south end of the Park, you can view a three-dimensional model of the canyon, get a stamp in your passport book (both my kids have a book) and board a National Park Shuttle which will take you to the end of the canyon road to the Temple of Sinawava, along with many stops in between.

There are hikes here for all skill levels. Our hike included the Grotto, the Riverside Walk, and the Emerald Pools, which are all very easy hikes. We were hoping to do the Canyon Overlook hike, but we couldn’t find parking on our way in and were too exhausted on our way out.

A couple of more challenging hikes are The Narrows and Angels Landing. The Narrows is a hike up the Virgin River bed. For this, it’s recommended to have the right equipment – waterproof hiking boots, neoprene socks, and a good trekking pole. It literally is a hike down the river bed, walking through water varying from ankle to waist deep. It’s also suggested that you understand the weather. Even a smaller rain shower can cause a flash flood like the one a few weeks ago.

Angels Landing is another hike that piqued my interest, and officially made it on my bucket list. That being said, I know this will be something I need to work myself up for. Angels Landing is arguably one of the most dangerous hikes in the U.S.

The first part is a gradual uphill walk to the famous Walter’s Wiggles. The trail is a series of 21 steep switchbacks that help you climb 250 feet in elevation. This will take you to the top of Scout’s Lookout. Making it to this point is a feat in itself and it’s where many end the hike and call it a success.

But if you’re fearless and have boundless energy, this stop is just the beginning – it’s the entrance to the famous chain section that ends at the Angel’s Landing Summit. This trek takes you along the spine of a narrow mountain range. Drop-offs of 800-1000 feet line either side, and the views are amazing. It’s a challenge to make this hike, but I’ve been told that the reward of a stunning view at the end is well worth the effort.

I’ve added Angels Landing as something I want to do in the future, but I’ll need to face my fear of heights head-on to be successful.

Zion National Park is one place that I want to visit again, but I look forward to a new view tomorrow. We’ll be visiting the Moqui Caves, visiting the Pink Coral Sand Dune State Park, and taking a UTV ride to and hiking through the Peek-a-boo Slot Canyon.

Stay tuned for more from my National Park Tour!