Favorite hike
The Narrows. This was unlike any hike I’d done before. We got up early to catch the first shuttle from the entrance of Zion National Park at 6 AM. Unfortunately, a lot of other people thought the same thing, so we actually got the second shuttle and it was standing room only. We took that to the last stop and then walked for about a mile on a paved path. The path ended and there was just a river in front of us. I’m glad that we weren’t the first ones there because I wouldn’t have known what to do or where to go, but I guess you just go into the river. For the rest of the day, we hiked through the river which varied from just a few inches of water to above our waist in sections. The floor of the river bed was made up of large smooth rocks so it was quite slippery in places. I was really glad to have neoprene socks, hiking boots, and a walking stick (Anika didn’t use a stick). The rapids were pretty strong in some places and I fell in once and scraped my knee a little bit, but that was the only injury among the 5 of us. The water was really cold at 7AM, but felt very refreshing on the way back when the sun was out. I won’t be able to properly describe how great this hike felt. For almost all of it, you’re walking between two rock faces that are at least a thousand feet high. You get numb to it after a while, but I never lost that sense of awe at how amazing this place was, and how small it made my problems feel.
Favorite place to get outfitted for that hike
Zion Adventures. Our hotel recommended this place and they were great. No high pressure sales, and the staff provided useful information. They were having a sale where we could rent the boots, socks and pole for $30. That was cheaper than the rate at the entrance to the park, but we didn’t shop around too much. We also ended up getting some souvenirs from here.
Favorite restaurant
Oscar’s Cafe. We were a little bummed that we found this place on our last day because it was so good. I had the ribs and they were fall-off-the-bone tender. Everything we ordered was tasty including the sangria. The origin story of the restaurant was cool too.
Honorable Mention: Meme’s Cafe
Best buffet breakfast
The lodge inside the park has an all you can eat breakfast buffet that was quite filling.
Favorite place to stay
Desert Pearl Inn. We’re not huge fans of staying in hotels, but house rentals weren’t really an option in Zion. This place was nice and fit all 5 of us in a room (with a pull out couch). There was a great swimming pool and jacuzzi, and it was walking distance to a lot of places we ended up going to. The town shuttle stops right out in front, though we only took that once. It’s about a 3/4 of a mile walk/run to the Zion park entrance. The only downsides were that it was not cheap and it was missing was a gym.
Favorite running route
Pa’rus Trail. You’ll find this trail right as you enter the park, and it goes for about 3.5 miles on paved mostly flat ground, which is perfect for a run in more beautiful surroundings than just about anywhere on Earth.
Favorite thing to do after a hike
Desert Pearl Inn. Jump in the pool and maybe the jacuzzi, but then definitely back to the pool. Sitting in the pool or poolside, you can see the red cliffs towering above you on both sides.
Favorite view
Scout’s Lookout. This was a more traditional hike up the cliff face along switchbacks. But the views are anything but conventional. Definitely worth the effort. We did not get the permit to go up to Angel’s Landing from here on the chain trail, but the kids want to do it if we ever come back.
Favorite ice cream
Bumbleberry chocolate ice cream at Bumbleberry Bakery.
Favorite shaved ice
Zion Hawaiian Shave Ice. While some of us had ice cream, some of us had shaved ice. It reportedly was very good. Note that this place is like inside an e-bike rental store for some reason.
Favorite grocery store
Sol Foods Supermarket. This was a great locally owned supermarket that had everything we needed to stock up for the trip, including cool shades and hats.
