Around 4PM on 8/19, I ended my stay at Vegas and started heading North. I waived goodbye with my friends with whom I spent four days of a nice vacation at Vegas, and headed into the unknown. For them the vacation was over and they would head back to LA to prepare for the new semester, but for me, the big trip was just about to start. This was only the first stop. Las Vegas was the furthest I had visited by surface travel in the past three years. Beyond this point, it was the great unknown and a 2,500-mile adventure ahead, and it was I alone to face it in the upcoming days. With a bit of nervous and excitement, I set off again after a brief moment of feeling lonely.
I sped my way on I-5 heading North as I left a bit later than I planned. It was again the endless desert after I crossed the city boundary of Vegas. It is really amazing that capitalism alone has created such a gleamy town here. There was not much to see on the road, as the picture above indicated, so I drove all the way to the state boundary without a break, passed by Arizona for a short duration, and entered Utah.
I stopped by the welcome center of Utah for the hotel coupons. They were just closing when I arrived, noticing that one hour should be added to my watch. Then sun was going down and I tried to keep my pace toward my first destination in Utah, Zion National Park. I had a hotel booked before leaving home at Springdale, UT, just at the gate of Zion NP. The plan was to arrive there early, take a good sleep, and start the trip early tomorrow morning. Pretty much everything was according to the plan, besides that I found nothing to eat (I was too lazy to drive out from the hotel) when I arrived at Terrace Brook Lodge at Springdale, so I felt a bit of hunger before going to bed.
Dawn at Zion
The next day I woke up early while it was still a bit cold considering this is August. I took a picture of the lodge in the morning sunlight and left for Zion National Park with no further delay.
I arrived at the Zion National Park in very short time, even before the car engine was completely warmed up. In Zion, the tourists are required to park the cars at the visitor center and take park shuttle into the canyon, in order to keep the traffic in the canyon under control. Zion is the most visited national park among those in south Utah, due to is location. It is easier to access than other Utah national parks I visited during this trip. The crowds have brought good and bad things to the park, as I will mention later in this article.
I was a bit worried that the mandatory shuttle will practically limit my mobility in the park so I cannot see most of the place during one day. But soon I found my worry is totally unnecessary. Due to the large number of visitors each year, especially in the summer, the park is well-prepared with a big fleet of shuttle buses. In addition to the availability, the bus drivers are also well-prepared with information for the visitors. The major attractions at the stops and along the road are well introduced on the bus, so people can get a good idea about where they are heading to. During my stay, I hardly waited long for the shuttle. On the schedule it says there is a bus every 7 minutes. The time I spent on the ride was also very enjoyable, listening to all the facts and stories about the park. As for my trip, it turned out that my energy, not the transportation, is the limiting factor of how much I can see in the national park. Overall the shuttle program is an excellent one and it truly makes the park more enjoyable for everyone. I wondered bit why this is not widely adopted in other national parks. And the answer I came up with was pretty simple: You need a reasonably small park and large visitor base to make such program economically feasible. Zion has the perfect condition for it.
Road to the Angels Landing
The first stop I planned to go to was the Angels Landing. A friend of mine highly recommended the hike to the Angels Landing to me when she heard about my plan of visiting Zion. Since this is a long hike, I decided to do this the first thing in the morning, and I was really lucky to choose it this way.
I got of the shuttle at the Grotto stop. The trail head was easy to find, and I soon set of knowing little about what is before me. The trail started easy, following the bank of the Virgin River and slowly picked up a moderate up-hill climb. As described in my travel book, I can enjoy views of the canyon from various angles along the hike. This is a really good reminder, as the view was usually behind me and I could forget to look back if not so reminded.
The hike started from down in the canyon, so I had to look up to the mountains at the beginning.
But as the road wanders up along the cliff, the view into the canyon changes to a downward angle and I could see further from the heights.
After hiking uphill along the cliff for about 40 minutes, the road took a turn into the cliff and soon the canyon was out of sight temporarily. It was a good morning exercise up to this point, and I enjoyed the nice shape provided by the cliff next to me. I followed the road further down and stood in front of me was the famous Walter's Wiggles.
It is a very steep zig-zag switchback. Looking up to it, I felt a bit annoyed why my friend talked me into the hard work. But I thought since I had come this far I should carry on. There were plenty other visitors on the same hike, so it is supposed to be a good one.
Scout Lookout awaits for the visitors after the strenuous climb of the Walter's Wiggles. It provides another look into the Zion canyon after a short parting, but this time we can look down into the canyon. The view from Scout Lookout is already cool, and the shuttles are no larger than a pack of spaghetti from here. But still, there is more to climb. From the Scott Lookout there is a trail which leads us to the Angels Landing, the final destination of the hike.
I really pondered a bit whether I should carry on after I saw the "trial" to the Angels Landing. It it basically a walk on exposed rock with chains showing the route. But I thought, since I had spent 1.5 hour to reach here, I might as well go all the way to the top. So I moved on after a short break at the Scout Lookout.
The hike was not easy from this point on. It was especially difficult for me on that day because I was not prepared. I took 2 cameras with me in separate small bags and another handbag for water bottles and my travel guide book. Walking with those was fine, but when I had to keep one hand close to the chains those things became a real burden. I should have used a backpack, I complained to myself. Occasional sharing of the narrow route by two-way traffic made it a bit more challenging. At several points, I was close to the cliff on the side, and there was really nothing in between so I could easily see the thousands of feet drop to the canyon below directly. No wonder they put up a sign to persuade people with aerophobia to turn back.Finally I was there up at the Angels Landing. The view up there is simply magnificent, and once I was there I felt it is worth all the effort. No wonder my friend highly recommended this. No wonder everyone coming down told me to keep up and go for the top. Up here I got to see the panorama with no obstacle, and the Zion canyon is just underneath me. It made me feel that I was at the top of the world.
View of Zion Canyon from Angels Landing, notice that the Zion Lodge (the hotel in Zion NP) is in the middle of the picture.
A different view.
Yet another different angle.
My picture at the top of Angels Landing.After a good break to enjoy the view atop the Angels Landing, it was time to go back. Coming back along the same route had become more difficult than I previously thought. For the first part, I had to move carefully along the chains with three bags dangling on my arms. They had become such an annoyance that I wished I could throw them into the canyon. When I reached Scout Lookout again, the sun was in the middle of sky and all the shades receded. The down-hill walk became a grilling one under the direct exposure to sunlight. I also ran out of drinking water at the same time. I was really happy that I started early so at least I stayed in the shade when I walked up-hill, otherwise I may not make it to the top. When I finally labored my way down to the shuttle stop, I was completely exhausted. I immediately hopped onto the shuttle and headed to the Zion Lodge for some refreshments.
The overall experience at the Angels Landing was so good that I could not resist the urge to buy this poster when I saw it at the bookstore. It is posted next to where I sit typing this article now, reminding me about one of the best hiking experience I had.
This poster says it all: from the Walter's Wiggles, to Scout Lookout (in the middle of the poster with a lot of trees), and the walk on the ridge to reach Angels Landing (the top).
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