Leaving the Grand Canyon North Rim we came into a crazy hail storm out of nowehere. We left the casnyon and it was prpbably aorund 70 degrees out. We travelled north for maybe 20 miles and the temperature dripped into the low forties and then it started to hail and the road iced over.
The rest of the ride to Zion was pretty, through the parts of the Kaibab National Forest, and of course, more cliffs, rocks and mountains. There was one cute little town as we got close to the East entrance of Zion, called Kanab. There was an immediately noticeable change in the look of the rocks as we approached Zion (see pics).
Apparently, this was the upper plateau of the Zion canyon area with a unique look and feel, and it was a beautiful drive to the visitor center. There were two tunnels on the road, one definitely older than the other. The older one was a mile long and had large vehicle restrictions. When a large vehicle has to come through, the rangers have to stop all of the traffic on the other side of the tunnel. They manage this by giving a baton to the last car of that line of trucks and cars, and they are tasked with giving the baton to the ranger on the other side. We were the lucky baton holders! 
We arrived in the late afternoon, and you could see the storms in the distance in multiple directions. Again, this was a recurring theme in this area, where it was beautiful in the morning, and then clouds and passing storms in the afternoon. We looked at the maps and newspaper information provided and talked to someone at the visitor center (where we of course, got our stamp!), and learned that the main road in the heart of Zion, called the Zion Scenic Highway was not open to cars, just the shuttle buses. It rides all along the Virgin River. Apparently, within the last 20 years or so, the park got so popular and traffic jams became a real problem so they implemented this shuttle system, and honestly, it works pretty well. The shuttle was very simple – you get on at the visitor center and you have 6-8 stops to choose from and it runs in a continuous loop. Shuttles come to each stop every 8-10 minutes, so you don’t have to wait long, and they run well into the evening, around 10 p.m. It’s 80 minutes round-trip, 40 out and 40 back.
So we decided to shuttle our way out, to get the lay of the land, take in the views, listen to the narration about what we were looking at, and what the attractions and trails were at each stop. We figured this would help us decide what we wanted to do the next morning, and we would also pick a stop on the way back to do a nice short evening hike to check things out. We decided to get off at the last stop, Temples of Sriwava. At this stop, there was a “Riverside Walk” trail that ran along the Virgin River about a mile out and a mile back. At the end of the trail was a big opening to the Virgin River with a little rocky beach, and that was the start of the Narrows Trail. The Narrows Trail was intriguing. The trail follows the Virgin River to its narrowest point, about 3-4 miles upstream, where the canyon walls are only 10 feet apart. And the trail IS the river and its riverbed, so in many instances you are wading or walking through parts of the river. This trail was closed when Bill and I walked out to it, because of the storms and potential for flash floods. It could become very dangerous to be stuck in the river when a flash flood comes, because it can bring large amounts of water and debris in a very short time, and there’s nowhere to go.
The trail many had recommended to us was Angel’s Landing. It was a 6.4 mile strenuous hike with +2000 ft elevation, up to Angel’s Landing. The narration on the shuttle bus indicated that it was not for children, or those not fit or w/ heart conditions, or those with a fear of heights. They actually said “there have been fatalities on this trail”, and they repeatedly tell the visitors that “your safety is your responsibility”. Oh, and there was a cable wire at the end of the trail that you hold on to get to the end of it – yikes! Another trail that was recommended was the Observation Point, which was a little longer than Angel’s Landing in distance, but less strenuous, less elevation gain, and less rock face, so a bit safer in wet conditions. Both supposedly had beautiful views from above. And we knew what the Narrows was all about, traversing the river with its own set of risks.
So we had to make a decision which trail to do the next day– Narrows, Angel’s Landing or Observation Point. Originally, Bill had his heart set on Angel’s Landing, but after hearing about all three we weren’t sure. We wanted to extend our stay, just so we could check them all out. As we talked about it, we also compared them to some of the other trails we did in the other parks, and it made us realize and verbalize some of the differences between the parks. For example, in Grand Canyon you climbed down into the canyon, only to have to climb back up. Zion was the opposite – you climb up, and then down. In the Tetons, although overall you climb up and then down, there were a lot of ups and downs throughout the trail. Since we had NOT done anything like the Narrows watertrail, Bill was eager to try it, but I was a little nervous about it. With all the storms we’d seen, and the fact that the trail had been closed that day for flash flood warnings, can you see why I might be nervous? 
We rode the shuttle back, still unsure what to do. A park employee was catching a ride back and we over heard him talking to one of the visitors about the various trails, and got more information. He provided insight about each of the three trails we had been considering, and based on what he said, it eased our minds that we could probably do any of them as long as we were somewhat fit, and prepared with food and water, and also closed-toed shoes and a walking stick for the Narrows trail. Since we still couldn’t decide, we figured we would be prepared for any of them and make a final decision in the morning. We stopped in a general store and picked up $10 walking sticks, and a waterproof bag. We had a nice dinner at the “Bit & Spur” near our hotel, where we shared a steak dinner and delicious fish tacos. We returned to our hotel room to catch some Olympics and shuteye.
We ultimately decided to do the Narrows trail, just because it was something unique. We packed the waterproof bag with some essentials and got an early start since we were heading to Bryce Canyon later in the afternoon. Hiking the Narrows Trail, along and IN the Virgin River, was probably the coolest thing we did so far on the trip. There were definitely spots where you had to walk through the river, and in some spots it was really moving, so there’s no way we could have done it without the walking sticks. We had to keep reminding ourselves to look backwards at the unbelievable view. Since it was early, there wasn’t much sun, but where it did come in or reflect off the rocks, it was so beautiful. We took a few select pictures, but not as many as we would have liked, because the camera was packed in the waterproof bag and it was a pain to keep stopping to take it out. And I had left my phone in the car because I didn’t want to risk anything happening to it. We were afraid the water would be cold, but it really wasn’t bad and we got used to it quickly. We walked for about two hours and got just past the Orderville Canyon, and decided to go just a little bit more before turning around. We got around the bend, and there was a huge sunny spot, so we stopped there and found a big rock to take a short rest on before heading back. Just up ahead you could see the walls of the canyon were approaching their narrowest, only about 10’ apart. We think that’s what they call “Wall Street”. We started heading back and quickly realized that what people had told us was true…the river did become a busy highway as the day progressed. The walk back was a little more difficult just because we had to traverse around so many people coming from the opposite direction, and it was also much warmer since the sun was approaching high noon. All in all, a wonderful experience!
We got back to the car and hit the road for Bryce Canyon National Park.
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