My husband and I somewhat recently wrapped up a lengthy trip to Utah visiting the Mighty 5 national parks — a trip that’s been a dream of mine for quite some time. We, and some might call us crazy for this, chose to do this trip for our honeymoon. We spent 11 days roadtripping Utah, visiting the parks, indulging in some delicious meals, staying in gateway towns, stopping in at local coffee shops, finding gems that weren’t originally on our radar, etc., and we just had the most incredible time. I have a feeling we will be saying this was a trip of our lifetime for years to come. We booked our inbound flight into St. George, rented a car, and started our journey. The first park on our agenda to visit was Zion. We were in this area from May 16, 2024 - May 19, 2024.
If you’re visiting Zion National Park, there’s a quaint gateway town near its South entrance called Springdale. It’s home to the cutest, and most delicious, coffee shops, delightful restaurants, an efficient shuttle system, and so much more.
We didn’t actually stay in Springdale because it was a bit cheaper to stay in Hurricane - plus I found an Airbnb stay on an alpaca farm that I just could not pass up. The time we didn’t spend at our Airbnb, we spent in Ivins, St. George, Virgin, or of course—Springdale.
The Airbnb we booked was Zion Alpacas Country Casita near Hurricane. We had access to a loft on the second story. It was small, and while it wasn’t a lot, it was perfect for a young couple traveling together. The stairs we had to walk up to get to the loft were a bit steep and narrow, so keep that in mind if you have trouble navigating staircases.
Our host left a binder with information about the alpacas, and she left food out for us to feed them. The binder also had instructions on best practices while feeding them. They were so much fun to be around, and we definitely headed back to our Airbnb in the heat of the day to feed them one day. One thing I learned on this trip is that you will find llamas on an alpaca farm because alpacas aren’t assertive enough to protect themselves, so the llamas are there to protect them from predators. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this Airbnb if you don’t mind driving the 25 miles to Zion. If we go back, we’ll probably stay in Springdale, but this was such a fun experience that I’m really glad we got to have.
After we checked into our Airbnb and dropped our things off, we headed to Virgin for the first big activity of our trip — a helicopter tour 🚁!
You can read about our experience at the link below!
When we left Zion Helicopters, we headed into Springdale for dinner and ended up at Zion Canyon Brew Pub. I highly recommend sitting on their patio if they have the availability for that. I had the elevated elk burger with chimichurri fries and a prickly pear lemonade. Alex had house marinated chicken wings (IPA sriracha sauce + creamy Gorgonzola) and an Ascender Hefeweizen. After we finished eating, we headed back to the Airbnb for a good night of sleep.
The next morning, we got an early start and stopped for coffee at Deep Creek Coffee Co. before heading into the park. Alex and I split an auto lox bagel sandwich, which was an amazing breakfast before a heavy hiking day. I also got a 16 oz iced white rose latte because it was listed as one of the “local faves!” It was a little heavy on the floral side at first, but after my taste buds adjusted, I ended up really loving it.
If you’re planning to visit more than two national parks in one year, you absolutely should buy an America the Beautiful Parks Pass. It’s $80 and gets you into so many different places for one year. You’ll need to order it ahead of time because a physical card will be shipped to you. You can purchase the pass at the link below. You can also find information about which sites it grants you access to and more on how it works. It’s totally the move if you’re roadtripping Utah’s Mighty Five as we were!
Before I enter a park, I do a few different things while I still have WiFi. Most parks have little to no cell service, so I like to download offline content. I download offline maps on Google Maps — to do this, open the app and click on your photo in the top right-hand corner. Navigate to offline maps, click on select your own map. Use your fingers to zone in on the national park and click download. I also have the official National Park Service app downloaded on my phone. You can search for the parks you’re visiting, favorite them, and download the park for offline use.
I also use AllTrails. I did pay for AllTrails+ ($35.99/year) this year since we did a lot of hiking on our honeymoon. You can create different lists — I created one for each park we were visiting — and then save hikes specific to the park underneath the corresponding list. You can also download offline content for specific trails in this app. I always have a few different trails scoped out and the offline content downloaded for each trail I am considering doing.
I also make sure my CamelBak is filled with enough water and that I have sunscreen, sunglasses, snacks, and hiking poles with me (depending on the difficulty of the hike ahead). You’ll want to hike with salty snacks (helps to maintain your electrolytes balance along with preventing dehydration). We always usually bring a bottle of gatorade each, bananas, and beef jerky. Potato chips are another great snack to have.
Now—it’s time to talk about our first park visit! A lot of this park’s land has been protected since 1909, but it wasn’t until 1919 that the area was deemed what we know it as today— “Zion National Park.” The area of Zion now known as “Kolob Canyons” was first protected in 1937 and was added as an official part of the park in 1956. We didn’t explore Kolob Canyons, but I would love to go back another time and do so.
When we first enter a park, I always make sure to get a park map—they’re usually handing them out at the windows when you check in if you’re entering the park in a vehicle. When we entered on foot one of the days, there were maps at the table where we showed our park pass to a ranger.
My first stop when visiting any U.S. national park is usually the Visitor’s Center. I will get my souvenirs and look around for anything I might need to know. There’s usually a lot of information posted near the Visitor’s Center about current conditions and closures, and there’s also usually quite a bit of history about the park in this area.
As first time visitors to the park, we only visited Zion Canyon and stayed near the Southern entrance of the park. There’s a free park shuttle system that runs through Zion Canyon, and when that shuttle is running, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles. Normally, this would be from March through November + during the holiday season towards the end of December. You don’t need a reservation or ticket to ride the shuttle, but you should plan ahead. I thoroughly read the information on the page linked below to find shuttle times and to figure out which shuttle stops we needed get off at each day for which hikes we were planning to do.
To get on the shuttle when you first enter the park, you will go to the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and park your vehicle. The parking lot fills quickly in the mornings, so if you plan to park inside the national park, you’ll want to arrive before 8 a.m. as the lot is usually completely full by 9. If parking is full, there will be signs throughout Springdale alerting you to that. In the event you find yourself in that situation, there’s also a Springdale shuttle line. You can pay to park in Springdale and ride the shuttle into the park to the Visitor Center. Near Zion Outfitters/Zion Canyon Brew Pub, there’s also a walkable entrance into the park that crosses over a small pedestrian bridge over the Virgin River.
The shuttle system is a well-oiled machine, and while tons of people were utilizing them and they were very crowded, we didn’t have to wait too long at any given time.
Note that the trail bridge at Zion Lodge (Shuttle Stop no. 5) is currently closed, but there are alternate ways you can access the trailheads you’re looking for - you may just have to do some extra trekking. The Weeping Rock Shuttle Stop (no. 7) is closed due to rockfall and has been since even before we visited in May. That parking area and trail also remain closed until further notice.
One of the main attractions in Zion is hiking Angels Landing, so naturally, that was the first thing we wanted to check out. Angels Landing is a 5.4 mi strenuous trail with 1,488 feet in elevation change. The NPS estimates this trail takes most hikers approximately 4 hours to complete. Since April 1, 2022, hiking Angels Landing requires a permit from Scout Lookout to the summit. Do not attempt to hike the permit section if you don’t have one. There are rangers checking permits, and if you’re caught without one, you can be fined up to $5,000 and/or be sentenced to six months in jail.
Sections of the trail are extremely narrow, so they implemented the permit system to reduce congestion along the trail and increase the safety for hikers. Permits are obtained through a lottery system. If you know the dates of your trip, you can apply for the seasonal lottery. We applied for the Spring lottery in January of this year. We didn’t get it then, so we also entered the day-before lottery. We scored permits during day-before lottery. You can read about the lottery process and important dates and enter the lotteries at the link below. You have about a 43% chance of getting a permit for this hike, so it may take some flexibility and patience on your part. Note - your permit will let you know what time you need to be at the trailhead to begin your hike (before 9 am, between 9 am and 12 pm, and after 12 pm). Our permit was for before 9 am, so we started our day quite early).
Angels Landing was named after a remark was made during Frederick Vining Fisher’s visit to Zion Canyon in 1916. He stated that only angels might land there when viewing the cliff from the bottom of the canyon. The first person believed to reach the summit of Angels Landing was Harold Russell, park ranger, in 1923, and he was hiking with David Dennett.
The first superintendent of the park was Walter Ruesch. Along the trail, you’ll encounter a series of 21 steep switchbacks named “Walter’s Wiggles.” Walter’s Wiggles were constructed in 1926 and were the brainchild of the superintendent. Some say this section of the trail is more difficult than the exposed section to Angels Landing with 250 feet of the elevation gain alone. You’ll come up on Walter’s Wiggles 1.8 miles into the trail to Scout Lookout / Angels Landing. It is comforting to know that when you’re finished conquering the wiggles, you’ll arrive at Scout Lookout.
There are bathrooms you can utilize at Scout Lookout, which I definitely needed to use. I was not prepared for the stench, so hold your breath if you do need to use them.
Once you reach Scout Lookout, if you’re continuing along the permit section, you have another 0.5 mi to go before you reach the summit. At least eighteen people are known to have died attempting to hike Angels Landing, so it’s not a trail for the faint of heart. There are sections that are 3 feet across with 1,000 foot drops on each side. There are chains installed along sections of the trail, but they are there for you to anchor yourself to climb along the side of the cliffs. There are also chains in the center of the narrow sections with people both ascending and descending. You should be prepared to wait for people to pass.
My husband and I did about half of the permit section towards the summit before we decided not to risk finishing. We were on our honeymoon, and we had miles and miles of hiking on the agenda over the next week+. Part of the reason we decided to turn around was because we didn’t want to exhaust ourselves. Another part of the reason was definitely because it was our first time attempting a hike that high up, and we were a little scared. We didn’t want to become a headline in any newspapers that honeymooners fell to their deaths on the first full day of their trip. I joke — but the risks along this hike are considerable and should not be taken lightly. If you don’t feel up to it, don’t force yourself to keep going. I did find it much harder to hike back towards Scout Lookout. When you’re pulling yourself up, it’s easier to asses where to step next or what to grab onto. It’s more disorienting on the way back, and a lovely, lovely lady behind me caught onto the fact that I was pretty terrified. She talked me through where to step next and even held onto my CamelBak for some of the time. So many of the people we encountered were so patient with me and kind to me while I figured out what to do. Their encouraging words definitely calmed my fears!
We found out later from talking to other people visiting the park that the part of the permit section we did finish is a bit scarier than the rest because you’re scrambling along the side of a cliff with only chains to hold onto. The rest is apparently more straightforward and flatter, though more narrow with sudden drop-offs. I do have some regrets for not continuing on, but I am writing this post from the comfort of my home months later, uninjured, with endless incredible memories from the trip of a lifetime, so the regrets are small in the grand scheme of things. I am not sure I’ll ever attempt to make it to the summit again, but wow, what we did see was so incredibly beautiful. This area has some of the most stunning views overlooking Zion Canyon.
If you don’t get a permit for Angels Landing, you can still hike to Scout Lookout via the West Rim Trail. This is considered a strenuous hike and is 4.2 mi roundtrip. The elevation change is approximately 1,000 feet. Someone I know told me Scout Lookout might be nicknamed chicken’s coop because a lot of people see Angels Landing from there, chicken out, and don’t complete the hike. I get it.
The Angels Landing trailhead is accessed at the Grotto shuttle stop (no. 6). When you get off the shuttle, cross the bridge over the Virgin River to begin the West Rim Trail. The trails in Zion are well-marked, so just pay attention and follow the signs. You should be wearing hiking shoes that have good traction along these trails. I also prefer mine to be closed-toe and waterproof. I also usually opt for ankle support. I’m currently using Oboz, and I’ve included a link to the pair I have right now below.
I didn’t use hiking poles on the way up, but my legs were starting to ache as we began our way back down Walter’s Wiggles. My parents gifted us these incredible collapsible hiking poles for Christmas last year that I used throughout our entire trip. I love to hike, but this was my first trip that included that much hiking, so I used them when I was tired or sore to make sure I didn’t overdo anything. Linked below!
After we got back to the Grotto shuttle stop, we actually just walked the Grotto trail one way (0.5 mi) to Zion Lodge. We grabbed some lunch from Castle Dome Cafe, and we ate our lunch sitting on the grass underneath a tree. I had a quick drying towel in my CamelBak that we pulled out to sit on top of. I had a tuna salad sandwich, Doritos, and a coke for lunch. Alex had a grilled chicken sandwich.
Once we finished our lunch, we took the shuttle back to the Visitor Center, got in the car, and did some scenic driving. We turned onto the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and drove through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel before turning around and heading back to the Airbnb. Past the tunnel on the East side is the Canyon Overlook Trail (1.0 mi roundtrip, moderate). The trail ends at a viewpoint of lower Zion Canyon. I would have loved to do this trail, but the parking was so congested both times we passed by it that we didn’t even attempt to find parking. I suspect this is one of the ones you’d need to arrive very early for. Keep in mind that we were in Zion on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so I am not sure if it would’ve been easier to access during the week.
We went back to our Airbnb to shower and freshen up before heading back into Springdale to find dinner. I really, really wanted to eat at Spotted Dog at Flanigan’s Resort, so we went there first. Luckily, we were seated right away and had an awesome waiter named Freddy!
To drink, I had the Prickly Gin Buck, and Alex had a glass of Jordan Russian River Valley Chardonnay. I had a second drink, a strawberry tequila smash, that was also beautiful and delicious.
For an app, we got one of the specials that night, which was so divine. It was a charcuterie board with smoked trout, duck breast, salami, cheddar cheese, smoked gouda cheese, goat cheese, apple slices, candied walnuts, stone ground mustard, raspberry preserves, raisins, and toasted bread.
For dinner, I had the Ahi Tuna (blackened tuna steak pan-seared rare, apricot balsamic glaze, shiitake mushrooms, parmesan risotto cake + seasonal vegetables). Alex got the Wild Game Meatloaf (elk, buffalo, beef, bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions, pan gravy red pepper relish, roasted fingerling potatoes + seasonal vegetables). The seasonal veggies the dishes were served with when we were there in May were Brussels sprouts and radishes.
Spotted Dog is on OpenTable if you want to make a reservation!
After dinner, we wanted to go to one more place. I’d found Cowboys & Angels Speakeasy Cocktail Parlor on Instagram and really wanted to check it out. The entrance to Cowboys & Angels is hidden inside of FeelLove Coffee & Cafe Zion. We sat at the bar and had an amazing conversation with one of the bartenders. He was telling us about how one of his hobbies is storm chasing and photography. I ended up giving him a follow on Instagram.
Alex just had whiskey sours, but I had an espresso martini and a house tiki called the Holy Grail. We loved, loved this spot. Highly recommend!
Our Saturday morning began with a stop at Canyon Coffee House where I tried an iced Caribbean dreams latte (orange, coconut, + white mocha — YUM!). Alex got a ham & cheese croissant, and I had a blueberry peach scone for breakfast. Zion Canyon Coffee has to be one of the most beautiful coffee shops I have ever been to in my lifetime.
Next, we headed into Zion where we parked at the visitor’s center lot and hopped on the shuttle. We got off at shuttle stop no. 9 (the Temple of Sinawava) to hike the Riverside Walk Trail. It’s a lovely, shaded 2.2 mile round trip, easy stroll that’s alongside the Virgin River at the top of Zion Canyon. It’s also know as “the gateway to The Narrows” as you must walk this trail to access the entrance to The Narrows.
We did this one early on the Saturday morning. The sounds of the river flowing were so comforting, the canyon walls are astoundingly tall, and my favorite part might just have been photographing the many squirrels who call this area home (PSA! Do not feed any wildlife you encounter while hiking). It was also a little cooler than other areas of the park, likely due to not receiving a whole lot of direct sunlight!
If you’re wanting to hike The Narrows, you need to check to see whether they are open during your visit. The Narrows close when the Virgin River flow rate is over 150 cubic feet per second. You can check current conditions of the park at the below link.
I kid you not, The Narrows opened the day we were heading out of Zion, so we did not get to experience this wonderful hike. The research I did does suggest you will be hiking in cold water that can sometimes be up to waist deep or higher. The water levels will depend on what time of the year you are adventuring. Most of what I read recommended renting at least neoprene socks and special boots. We saw a lot of people with hiking sticks the day we were heading out, too. There are a few places in Springdale where you can rent gear to hike The Narrows. I’ve included a link below to the one I’d scoped out for us in case it had worked out.
Alternate idea to The Narrows: We did not get to do this, but if we’d had more time in Zion, we definitely would have checked out Kanarra Falls. It’s roughly 50 minutes from Zion, you need a permit ($15 | free for children 7 and under), and it’s roughly 4 miles out-and-back. You can book at the link below.
My husband is a big golfer, and the one thing he asked to do during our honeymoon was play a round of golf. I obliged and tagged along for the adventure. I am not a golfer at all, but we do trade-offs, so if we do something he’s really interested in that I am not, we’ll find something equally as interesting to me and do both.
He’d scoped out Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah and booked a tee time about a month before we left for our trip. He was able to get a Saturday afternoon tee time during the weekend we were going to be near Zion, so after our morning hike, we headed out to Ivins. Most of the resort wasn’t open yet when were there back in May, and the pro shop was currently in a trailer. Alex bought me a hat, so I’m officially a golf wife now, I guess! I don’t have too much to say about this since I didn’t play myself, but the course was absolutely beautiful, and Alex said it was “really badass.” So, there you have it - He’d recommend it, and I overheard people around us when we got there saying they'd loved it after their rounds and asking to play again. This course recently just hosted their very first PGA tournament.
*The photo of me is staged, and I did not take a swing. No greens were damaged in the taking of that photo, promise!
Alex got put with three really cool guys who were all so nice to me - thanks for a great day —Brass, Bryce, and Craig! Alex also really liked the caddy the group had, Brennan. You can book a tee time at the link below.
When we finally left the golf course, Alex told me to find somewhere for dinner in St. George. We ended up making a last minute reservation at Cliffside Restaurant and had the best time. If you’re looking for dinner with a view, this place is it.
We split a bottle of Cake Bread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, the heirloom tomato toast + bacon, the cliffside wedge, and the chicken fried chicken (with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, sautéed seasonal veggies, and hurricane gravy). We absolutely loved this place and would highly recommend a visit. We were also lucky enough to be there when the sun was setting.
We weren’t quite ready to head back to the Airbnb after dinner, and a place called Spiritual Parlor in St. George kept being recommended to me on Instagram.
We popped in and had a nightcap before we called it a night. We are so glad we did! We tried and loved the Desert Gimlet, Medicina Latina, or the Firing Squad. They may have changed their menu by now, but we had a great time here and would highly recommend visiting if you find yourself in the area.
On the Sunday morning, we packed up our things, checked out of the Airbnb, and waved goodbye to our alpaca friends. We set out to try one more coffee shop in Springdale and to see a few more things in Zion before we moved on to Bryce Canyon.
We went to FeelLove Coffee where I got an outstanding iced latte (iced Bennett—toffee nut, caramel, + espresso), and Alex and I split a chicken salad croissant that was so delicious.
FeelLove has two locations in St. George, one in Ivins, and one in Springdale. There is also one location in Loveland, CO.
We were running later than the other mornings, so we actually ended up paying to park in Springdale. The parking spot we got was across the street from Zion Outfitters and the pedestrian bridge to enter the park, so we didn’t need to take the Springdale shuttle but were planning to if the need arose.
Once we hopped on the Zion Canyon shuttle at the Visitor’s Center, we got off at shuttle stop no. 4 to walk the short, yet steep, trail to the overlook of the Court of the Patriarchs. The three patriarchs are named Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Once we did that, we walked over to the Sand Bench Loop Trail. Our goal was to hike the Emerald Pools Trail, and since, if you recall, shuttle stop no. 5 was closed, we had to walk a portion of the Sand Bench Loop Trail.
We hiked to the middle and upper pools and then took the Kayenta Trail to the Grotto shuttle stop (no. 6). I wanted to do the lower pool, too, but my legs were really starting to hurt by this point, and we were planning to do another hike in Bryce Canyon the following day. Maybe next time! The trail paths we did take were so stunning, but some sections I would definitely classify as strenuous, especially if you’ve been hiking in the days prior.
I absolutely loved our time in Zion, and this was a great note to end on. We took the shuttle back to the Visitor’s Center, got in the car, and started the drive to Tropic, Utah (Bryce Canyon). We drove the Zion-Mount Carmel Byway (also known as Utah State Route 9) and exited through the East entrance of the park where we stopped to take our pictures with the park sign!
We stopped for lunch at Thunderbird Restaurant in Mt Carmel Junction for lunch where I had a Southwestern wrap & Alex had a chicken bacon ranch wrap.
From there, we drove another hour and 10 minutes to Tropic, Utah.
If you’ve been to Springdale/Zion National Park, I hoped you loved your time there as much as we did. If you haven’t been, I hope this post has inspired you to add this to your travel bucket list. This trip was truly a dream-come-true for me, and I think of it often! Safe travels to all!
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