The National Parks in Utah are drop-dead gorgeous. One of my favorite parks (well they are all amazing in different ways) is Zion. We packed up my land cruiser, slid a bed in the back and all our camping gear and got in the car and just went.

Zion was the first stop on our Utah road trip. We packed up the car the day after Christmas and we were off on our adventure.  We left Los Angeles early in the morning and set sail for our first gas stop in Las Vegas. After that, we headed straight to Zion! When we arrived there was tons of traffic because they were doing construction by the park entrance. It took us an hour to reach the gate (crazy). We found our campsite for the night at South Campground near the visitor center.

While in Zion we hiked:

1. Canyon Overlook Trail:

Roughly 1 miles the very easy trail 

This trail gives you a great glimpse of Zions beautiful canyon. I recommend giving yourself an hour and a half for this clumb.

2. Angels Landing:

Difficult upward incline roughly 5 miles round-trip 

Tips:

• Start this hike as early as 6am to avoid crowds and heat
• Bring gloves with grip to hold the cables they are slippery and cold
• Prepare to be cold at the tippy top (it is very windy do not be fooled)
• Bring breakfast in your pack to enjoy breakfast at the top during sunrise

3. The Subway:

Incredibly difficult backcountry trail roughly 11 miles round trip. This hike does not have a set trail, it is not for inexperienced hikers! It is also required that you get a permit. 

Tips:

• This is a LONG strenuous hike, it is not an easy trail there is climbing around boulders, scaling up the sides of the canyon, and river crossings involved. Wear the right shoes and bring enough water.
• Bring snacks, we brought breakfast with us to have at the entrance of the subway
• Start this hike as early as possible because it is an all-day endeavor and you do not want to hike back at night
• Be aware of the cairns, follow them to stay on the trail
• I used hiking poles which really assisted with the river crossings
• If you hike it during the winter time bring layers because the high on our hike was roughly 40 degrees
• Please hike with enough water, we saw a family turn around because they were ill-prepared for the strenuous hike

We spent two nights and three days at Zion and we were able to conquer all of these hikes. Zion is definitely a great place to explore some incredible hikes. They were difficult hikes but, definitely worth the struggle.

Next on our list was to head to Bryce Canyon National Park.

Now get out and go do something!