Zion and Bryce National Parks
A few months back I was perusing Recreation dot gov for any available campsites that might be available, and I came across some openings at Zion National Park for the first week of November. It sounded cold, but I had this park on my “I really want to go there” list for the better part of a few years, so I snagged up the reservations.
Fast forward to last Monday and Leah and I were on our way to Zion via route 15 through Vegas, Arizona, and into Utah. The drive was largely uneventful and cruised right along, thanks to a podcast Leah found called Wild Boys. Before we knew it, we were in a St George Utah Albertsons, gathering up some groceries before heading into the park.
We arrived to the campsite right on time at 3pm, and we were greeted by a family of deer grazing in the site next to us, and as we set up camp, we couldnt help but fall in love with the towering walls of The Watchman.
We headed over to Zion Outfitters and picked up our bibs and water shoes for our hike on the Narrows, came back to camp, cooked some dinner, enjoyed a little bit of campfire trivia, and got cozy in the truck bed with a couple books. My choice for the week was a gift from my dad, The Way I Heard It, by Mike Rowe.
I was awoken by a full bladder in the middle of the night and used the opportunity out of the tent to snap a pic of The Watchman with Orion overtop of it. You can even see the Orion Nebula popping out if you zoom in on the image. Really happy with my shot here.
We awoke to a breakfast with the family of mule deer before gearing up for our hike into the Narrows.
We made it down to the Narrows and ended up doing about 7.5 miles up and back the canyon in what amounted to be a top hike I’ve ever done. Unbelievable views and sense of adventure throughout this hike.
After our Narrows adventure, we did a little fall foliage hike up to The Watchman trail, the bottom of which meandered along the Virgin River.
With another day behind us, we started the next day by driving over to the Canyon Overlook and stopping for some pics along the way.
Pretty beautiful up there.
After an evening with a delicious steak dinner, our time in Zion was up, so we packed up the truck and headed over to Bryce. On the way we came across a field full of buffalo, so you know we had to cop some pics.
We arrived in Bryce after stopping for a mediocre lunch and an absolutely fantastic gift shop visit. Hiking through the hoodoos was unbelievable. Side note, if it seems like I’m being short in this blog, its because I’m at the tail end of a 10 day work trip and I’m a little mentally fried. Sorry bout it.
Got engaged too. Love you Leah
