Utah - Day 10: Zion National Park
Angel’s Landing hike to Scout’s Lookout
On Monday, May 10, 2022, I arrived early at the Visitor Center to catch the 6am shuttle to The Grotto, the 6th stop of the Zion Canyon Shuttle. My plan for the morning was to tackle the legendary Angel’s Landing hike up to Scout’s Lookout.
The hike begins by crossing a bridge over the Virgin River onto the West Rim Trail, leading to Refrigerator Canyon, a shaded, paved section. Soon after comes Walter’s Wiggles, a series of 21 switchbacks with a 250-foot elevation gain. At the top lies the sandy plateau of Scout’s Lookout.
At this point, hikers can either continue along the narrow ridge to Angel’s Landing, stay on the West Rim Trail, or head back down. I opted to stop at Scout’s Lookout, where I enjoyed a sandwich, snapped some photos, and relaxed before heading back down to the bus stop. While I’ve heard the view from Angel’s Landing is breathtaking, I personally was nervous to hike the ridge from Scout’s Lookout to Angel’s Landing, and found the view from Scout’s Lookout to be stunning enough for me.
The Narrows
After finishing the hike, I hopped back onto the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava stop, the last shuttle stop along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, to hike The Narrows, Zion’s iconic hike through the Virgin River.
There are two ways to hike The Narrows:
Top-Down (permit required): a more challenging and adventurous route
Bottom-Up (no permit): the most common and accessible option.
I chose the Bottom-Up hike, which starts at the end of the Riverside Walk, a paved trail that leads to The Narrows. I didn’t rent any special gear, since I was comfortable using my own setup. To keep my feet warm and comfortable, I wore neoprene socks under Darn Tough hiking socks, paired with my waterproof Salomon Speedcross 5 shoes. I also brought a hiking pole, which helped me maintain my balance while hiking through the water.
Inside my daypack, I stashed my camera, portable chargers, food, and other essentials inside dry bags, a must-have for this hike, as it keeps your gear dry in wet conditions, as long as the bag isn't fully submerged
Mystery Falls, a beautiful spot where water cascades down the sandstone walls, is about half a mile in and makes a great first landmark. About 1.5 miles from the start is Wall Street, one of the narrowest and most photogenic sections of the canyon. My goal had been to make it to Wall Street, but I turned around just before reaching it, something I didn’t realize until after the hike.
Nothing is marked along the route, so it’s a game of watching for specific landmarks as you hike up the river. The spot I turned around at looked quite narrow and, even with the hiking pole, I fell into the water a couple of times. When I reached what I thought was Wall Street, I felt pretty happy with all I had seen and, since I was kinda soaked from falling, I decided it was as good as any time to turn around and hike back to Riverside Walk.
When I reached the paved area, I took off the neoprene socks swapped out my wet socks for dry hiking socks. Luckily, it was a sunny day, so my clothes and shoes dried quickly.
Emerald Pools Trails
I returned to the Temple of Sinawava stop around 2pm to catch the shuttle back to the Visitor Center. Since it was still early, I decided to hop off at the Zion Lodge (Stop #5) to hike the Emerald Pools Trails.
The trails offer scenic paths through lush vegetation and alongside streams, leading to pools nestled in the canyon's cliffs. Divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper levels, each trail offers varying levels of difficulty and provides stunning views of the park's natural beauty.
According to my Garmin watch, it took me about 2 hours to hike almost 4 miles of the Emerald Pools trails. The hike was a beautiful, more leisurely way to end an adventurous day.
I returned to the car around 5:30pm and drove back to Zion Park Motel to shower and change.
Springdale Visitor Center
After dinner, I ventured back out again to walk to the Springdale Visitor Center to stretch my legs a bit more. I returned to the hotel around 9pm, heading straight to bed.
