Alright, so let's talk Zion. It was my first stop on Utah's Mighty 5 road trip and my most anticipated.
With Zion inhabitants dating back as far as the Archaic Period of 6000 B.C. to 500 A.C., there is very little archaeology left unturned from these small groups of gathers and hunters except those human traces found on rock wall drawings and homemade knives or baskets. Much of the land you'll see around Southern Utah was discovered, occupied and maintained by the OGs of western settlers; the Anasazi & Parowan people between 500-1300 A.D, and the Southern Paiute Indians from 1300 A.D all the way until the 1800s. By this time, members had become more dependent upon the land in an effort to remain more close to home. Corn fields and storage containers made out of high iron clay, for example, were developed to reduce tribe travel during seasons.
Further Zion settlements were sought after by Mormons, explorers and pioneers in the early to mid 1800s. Although heavily trafficked today, many areas of the park have been preserved in its natural state, which provides visitors with a greater understanding of what the land looked like to these early settlers. Establishing a life in the harsh, yet intoxicating landscapes of Zion's steep canyons and winding waters extended struggles and hardships for settlers in search for resources and lands to farm. Fur-traders and government surveyors also called this area home. Areas like Shunesberg and Springdale began coming to life around the 1860s with the establishment of cotton farms by Mormons from the Church of Latter Day Saints.
"Without a shred of disguise, its transcendent form rises pre-eminent. There is almost nothing to compare to it.”
--Frederick S. Dellenbaugh
Artist of Zion's Great Temple, 1904
As these establishments began to grow, so did visitors, in the form of permanent Western settlers, railroad workers and miners to admire and explore the vast canyon landscapes. By 1909, President Taft assigned the lands of Zion to be federally protected under the name Mukuntuweap National Monument, Paiute meaning "straight canyon", but later changed to Zion National Park due to grievances from state residents. To accommodate the increasing number of visitors, the Utah State Road Commission finally completed a road through the canyons by 1917, and further introducing rail and bus tours by the 1920s, just a year after the park officially received national park status.1930 marked the completion of the Mt. Caramel tunnel; a 1.1 mile tunnel through Zion's sandstone canyons to connect the highway over to Bryce and was considered to be an engineering feat for that time. The famous Kolob Canyon was then incorporated into the national park by 1956 and the canyon's scenic drive shuttle service was implemented in early 2000s.
The Zion we know today has drastically changed. Just like the rise in visitors from the park's national status recognition in the 1920s, the number of visitors has now reached 4.3 million a year! With elevations 5,000 ft in variation, the rock formations that make up this beautiful landscape is part of the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau, that stretches from Southern Utah to the Grand Canyon.
Although pictures serve the formations no justice, you can physically see the many layers that have been exposed over the millions of years from wind and water. What's interesting, is that the bottom layer of rock in Bryce Canyon is actually the same sediment at the tops of the canyons in Zion. Essentially, in a nutshell, about 70 miles northeast, Bryce Canyon was once a lake over 40 million years ago. When the Colorado Plateau began to rise in elevation over millions of years, that lake began to "drain", taking with it the sediments that had collected at the bottom. But the difference in the rock formations at Zion is the actual angles of the sedimentary layers. In most rocks you can see the different horizontal "colors" or types of sediment. At Zion, those layers are built up at different angles because of the sandstone it's comprised of. Just like a sand dune that's built up at an angle, so did this rock build up from wind and rain. And of course, as the Virgin River winded its way through these sandstone rock formations, the Zion canyons were formed and rose to what we now see today.
Because of the history and geology of Zion National Park, it was my most anticipated stop on my Utah Mighty 5 road trip. And, as basic white b*tch as it may be, it was a bucket list item of mine to hike Angel's Landing. Although my road trip was limited to only spending about 1 day for each of the 5 national parks, I was fortunate to have gotten into town the night before. Not being too familiar with the parking situation, I drove through the town of Springdale to the park's visitor's center before settling in my van at Zion River Resort RV Park for the night about 20 minutes away. The crowds of people still in town at 4:00p the day before my entrance into the park was a warning sign that an early morning would need to be a must. I decided to wake up the next morning in time to catch a shuttle bus around 7:00a. (Note: this service usually needs to be reserved in advance & is the ONLY way into the park during the season other than a bike, but is free right now due to COVID.) In my experience of peak summer season, no later than 7:30a were visitors struggling to find the free parking spots within the park and needed to move to the hourly paid parking in town. There was never a shortage of shuttles, with my longest wait time of only 5 minutes. I was on the trail to Angel's Landing by 8:00a, passing people that were already on their way down! The park ranger had commented that morning, that even though the first shuttle starts running into the park at 6:00a, people are lined up an entire hour early!
Now, I'm not recommending, I'm demanding that you pack at least 2L of water for any hike, but especially Angel's Landing. Of course it's well worth the hype, but the later in the day you go, the busier the crowds, and the "trail" (or lack there of) is already narrow enough! I'm a bit of an active hiker so I was up and down within 3 hours, with stops for pictures and snacks. After Angel's, I simply took the shuttle up to the last stop in the park to see The Narrows. Since I wasn't expecting to complete Angel's Landing so soon, I actually hiked in to the Narrows about 2 miles and only turned around for my need of a beer! I hiked Angel's in my Solomon "water shoes" but with well insulated socks for support because I intended on walking through the water of the Narrows later that day. I also highly recommend bringing a waterproof phone case as it's a disaster waiting to happen out there...After my adventures, I made a much deserved stop at Zion Canyon Brew Pub for a burger and beer before I hopped in the van and drove off to my next location!
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