Zion: our favorite National Park

Zion National Park, hidden in the Southwest corner of Utah, has to be our favorite National Park.  Although we have not visited in 18 years, there's something magical about this canyon.  It's the perfect park to enjoy over a couple of days.  The Grand Canyon or Banff are immense, nearby Bryce Canyon and Iceland's Þingvellir are too small.  Goldilocks would say Zion is "just right".

The tunnel entrance to the park, if you're coming from the east (for example, from Bryce Canyon National Park) is spectacular.  Although the southwestern entrance via St. George (for folks arriving from Las Vegas) is not bad either.  To quote from a National Geographic article "Unlike the Grand Canyon where you stand on the rim and look out, Zion Canyon is usually viewed from the bottom looking up."  The views looking up are unforgettable, particularly if you hike The Narrows, the one must-do hike in Zion.  Here are a couple shots of us hiking the Virgin River in The Narrows from our 1989 visit:

We have camped in Zion, in tents and inside an RV.  We have also slept in the park's lodge (don't expect anything more than 2-star service).  Whatever you choose you must make reservations way ahead of your visit because Zion is no longer a secret destination and the sparse accommodation options fill up every night.  It wasn't the greenest option (sorry planet) but we really enjoyed our little RV that we rented in Salt Lake City in 1989:

If you go to Zion, make sure to visit Kolob Canyons in the northwest section of the park.  There's nobody there (probably because there are no campgrounds or facilities) so you can enjoy a 5 mile scenic drive in relative solitude.  As you can see below from our last visit in 2000, the vistas are every bit as good as in the main park:

As you drive or hike throughout the main park you will be surrounded by "geology gone wild".  You can call the formations by their formal names like mesas or arches or use the local monikers of temples and thrones.

We do have to give a shout-out to Bryce Canyon National Park, since it is so close to Zion and you can experience its little splendor in less than one day.  So we certainly encourage you to visit the park.  Here we are hiking down into the main amphitheater in Bryce in 1989:

In summary, whenever anyone asks us what is our favorite National Park, we grudgingly whisper "Zion, but don't tell anyone".  The first rule of Zion National Park is you do not talk about Zion!  

If you visit you must hike *in* the Virgin River.  Try to be one of the first ones to arrive at The Narrows in the morning.  Make sure you don't mind if your footwear gets soaked and go in shorts or waterproof pants.  Otherwise you will be doing this while making dinner over a campfire afterwards: