What to do for beginners in Zion National Park

If you haven’t been to Zion National Park before then put it on your bucket list! It is an incredible place to see! There are so many things to do in this park that are suitable for any age or physical ability.

I visited Zion National Park in September of 2018. This was my first time at Zion so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Well, lets just say I was snapping pictures left and right! LOL The scenery is absolutely stunning!! The colors are magnificent and totally take your breath away. I think if someone would have taken a picture of my facial expressions as I gazed in amazement at the colors you would have laughed – open mouth, eyes wide open, head moving at a rapid rate back and forth as my mind is processing “take a photo this direction…no get someone to stand here…oh wait I want a selfie this direction…oh look at that canyon wall the colors are beautiful…oh my gosh look at the green up against that red…oh we have to get a morning shot here…oh wow I wonder where the hikes start I am ready to hike…oh hey I am getting hungry with all this thinking!” LOL!

After getting through the initial giddiness I had at looking at all the colors the exploring began!

One of the best things to do first in this park is drive through it. And that doesn’t mean just drive through at regular speed, it means plan half a day or all day just to take everything in. There are several areas to pull off the main road and take photos. In these areas there were usually little boards or plaques that would fill you in on the history of the area. Trust me there are plenty of opportunities for that perfect Instagram shot, or family photo, selfies or whatever your photo taste requires.

When your driving through the park you will enter a tunnel. This tunnel goes through one of the mountains and it is a little over a mile long. Keep your cameras ready though because there are a few openings that give you a glimpse of the gorgeous scenery. 🙂

After we explored the park by car and got more of an idea of what it has to offer we planned a few hikes. One of them being the famous “Narrows”.

The Narrows

The Narrows is an amazing experience and a “must do” on the bucket list! You can hike anywhere from 1 to 16+ miles in this canyon! The views are incredible from your very first step in the canyon. Below is a photo of the beginning of the hike and as you can see the canyon is beautiful. There is a short paved hike that is a little under a mile before you get to the start of the narrows.

From this point on into the narrows you are hiking in water pretty much the entire time. I was only able to hike in a few miles due to lack of time but what we saw was incredible!! On my next trip (which is later this year) I will definitely spend more time in here. At least a half a day or more for sure!

As you get further into the narrows it does get a little narrower (surprise, right? LOL). These areas are absolutely gorgeous! There are several waterfalls within this hike as well and they are incredibly beautiful :).

If you do decide to take a hike in the Narrows make sure to bring hiking sticks as they will help you so much with the rocky surface. Also depending on water flow the water current can get a little strong so your hiking sticks help with that as well. I would also suggest a good water shoe. I had water hiking sandals and they worked fine for me. However if you stub your toes a lot then you will want a closed toe shoe. I also wore wet/dry capri pants and brought a few layers with me. The water can be a bit chilly,(like your feet will hurt for a minute because it is so cold lol but then you get used to it) so a sweatshirt at times can help. Don’t forget your lunch and snacks too 🙂 There is a “Leave no trace” policy in effect for the narrows so please be sure to pack out what you pack in! That even means human waste and toilet paper.

Also make sure to check the weather!! This is VERY important because flash flooding does happen in the narrows quite often. As you can see there are not many areas to seek shelter so being aware of storms is a must. Enjoy the hike, I sure did!!

To find out more on the narrows click here

Lower Emerald Pools

Another great hike for beginners is the Lower Emerald pool hike. It’s approximately 2 miles round trip and has about 200 feet elevation gain. The actual path is pretty flat the whole way to the lower pools.

We had planned to hike a little further and head up to the upper pools but the trail was closed due to rock slides. As we looked around though this lower area was very beautiful and you could tell there was evidence of many rock slides in previous years. Its an ever changing landscape 🙂

The hike is a beautiful one and I would recommend it for sure! The pathways have some steep drop off areas to the side as you climb in elevation but the trail itself is nice and easy hiking. Plus the higher you climb the view get even better :).

The water level at the lower emerald pool was very low during the time we were there. I hear that it is a lot fuller in the spring. But it was still beautiful and there was a little waterfall falling into the pool as well 🙂

The Pa’rus Trail

This is the Pa’rus trail which is dog friendly. Total round trip on this one is 3 1/2 miles with a 50 foot elevation gain. It runs along the Virgin River and is paved all the way. There are gorgeous views of the mountains on this trail and you can see for miles into the landscape.

Caution- there are goat head type bushes along the sides of the trail! The little bushes are deceiving! My dog went to the bathroom on one of these bushes and ended up with like 50 thorns on him 🙁 So I had to sit down and pick them all off.

Otherwise the trail is beautiful! You can also take your lunch and have a picnic near the water. Of course when we stopped to checked out the picnic areas I had to get in the water lol!! If you have been reading my previous posts you will notice I love to get in the water at every location I travel lol.

There are plenty more hikes in Zion for beginners these are just a few that we had taken. There are a lot more challenging ones as well and I will have an upcoming post on those :).

Have you been to Zion before? What was your favorite hike?

Chat Soon!,

Trudy