One Last Stop: A Quick Trip Through Zion

The last hike of the trip!

• 📍 Zion National Park

• 🚙 84 miles

• 📈 Elevation Change: 4,000 feet

Favorite moment: Finally getting to hike the Canyon Overlook trail.

After eight days of camping, hiking, exploring and moving from one incredible place to the next, it was finally time to start heading home.

But there was no way I was going to drive past Zion National Park without stopping.

I've been to Zion before, but there was one short hike I'd never managed to do: the Canyon Overlook Trail. At only about a mile round trip, the hike itself wasn't the problem.

Parking was.

There are only a handful of spots near the trailhead, and on previous visits I'd never had any luck finding one. This time, I decided I was going to try again. And somehow, I got lucky.

Finally, Canyon Overlook!

I didn't get one of the coveted spots right at the trailhead, but I found parking that added only about a quarter mile to the hike. I'll take it!

For such a short trail, Canyon Overlook packs in a lot of scenery. The trail winds along the canyon walls, with beautiful views appearing almost immediately. There are rocky sections, little passageways and plenty of places where I wanted to stop and look around—or, more realistically, stop and take another picture.

Then you reach the overlook.

Wow.

It's hard to believe you can get that kind of view from such a relatively short hike. Looking out over the canyon, surrounded by Zion's massive cliffs, was a pretty perfect way to squeeze in one last adventure before the long drive home.

About Those Tunnels...

Of course, getting there also meant driving through Zion's tunnels.

I used to be afraid of tunnels. Not mildly uncomfortable. I really didn't like them.

Somewhere along the way, though, that changed. Driving through them this time didn't bother me nearly as much. Instead of thinking about being inside a mountain, I could actually enjoy the experience—and look forward to those incredible views waiting on the other side.

And Zion certainly doesn't disappoint when it comes to views. The massive cliffs, winding roads and towering rock walls make the drive through the park an experience all by itself.

"Bryce Spoiled Us"

While I was hiking, I overheard another hiker say something that made me laugh.

"Zion is beautiful, but Bryce spoiled us."

I had to agree.

After spending two days surrounded by the hoodoos and incredible colors of Bryce Canyon, it was hard not to compare the two. But the funny thing is, they're really nothing alike.

Bryce and Zion are relatively close to one another, yet they have completely different personalities. Bryce feels almost otherworldly, with its endless hoodoos, colors and formations. Zion feels massive. The cliffs tower over you, the canyons surround you and everything seems to be on a much grander scale.

I may have agreed that Bryce spoiled me, but I'd go back to Zion in a heartbeat. There are still trails I want to hike, places I want to photograph and parts of the park I haven't explored nearly enough.

One Last Hike Before Home

Eventually, though, it really was time to point the truck toward home.

This trip had started eight days earlier with the strange formations and slot canyons of Cathedral Gorge. From there came the alpine lakes and dusty roads of Great Basin, an unexpectedly peaceful night in Cedar Canyon, camping above 10,000 feet at Cedar Breaks, two incredible days at Bryce and, finally, one last hike at Zion.

There were dirt roads, mountain drives, campgrounds both empty and full, cloudy nights that refused to give me the Milky Way photographs I wanted, some great hikes and more than a few places I already want to revisit.

And now I could finally add Canyon Overlook to the list.

Zion may not have knocked Bryce out of the top spot this time. But I'm definitely not done with Zion yet.

And I'm certainly not done exploring.

Thanks for journeying with me!
~ Bridget