I should caveat that we did zero research on any of the parks before the trip. I mean nothing. We had no idea what hikes to take, what was popular, what hikes were difficult and how to get around each park. So with each park, our first stop was to the visitor center to get a map and talk to a ranger about what they would recommend. These stops also enticed the kids to check out the gift shop (they had their standard $20 to spend on the trip) and allowed them to get their Junior Ranger Activity Book which they would furiously work to complete before even leaving the general vicinity.
From the visitor center, we learned that Zion is a car free park and there is a shuttle that runs through the valley with stops at all of the trailheads. We also quickly learned that Zion is the Manhattan of the National Parks: the line for the shuttle was an hour long and wrapped around the building. Thankfully, by staying at Watchman, we avoided the other shuttle through the town of Springdale to get to the park entrance and the line to get into the park, so I suppose we had it better than most.
With the Narrows hike planned for the next day, we opted to hike to Scouts Lookout on our first day. Map in hand, and the hour long shuttle wait over, we finally got to the trailhead at lunch time so our first priority was to stop and eat lunch before the hike (this would be a theme throughout the trip: get ready to hike, eat food at the trailhead and then hike).
During our lunch break we managed to ruin Oskar’s Junior Ranger Book (something about not getting the camelpack lid on correctly), which coupled with his disappointment for not being able to already buy a magnet from the gift shop, we were off to a rocky start. It was going to be a long 3 hour hike and possibly an even longer trip.
The hike started along the river, then straight up a crack in the mountain, followed by a nice flat section through some trees and boulders (offering a bit of shade) and finally up through Walter’s Wiggles, which are 21 short, steep switchbacks, before reaching Scouts Lookout where we encountered the most aggressive and fearless chipmunks I have ever met. Thankfully somewhere between the flat section and Walter’s Wiggles, Oskar’s bad mood lifted and we were back to having fun. The renegade chipmunks also help to lift his spirits.
Our hike back down brought even more joy: the kids had brought their walkie talkies on the trip and were communicating to each other the entire hike down (Alva was in front with Martin and I was a few hundred yards behind with Oskar).
Personally, the hike was invigorating and encouraging. I felt stronger and healthier than I have felt in a long time especially when making my way up the steep sections. And even Oskar’s initial bad mood couldn’t impact my excitement for not only this hike, but the whole trip. I had flashbacks to my own hiking adventures growing up in Lassen and Yosemite and was excited to create similar core memories for the two kiddos.
We wrapped up the hike with a quick dip of our toes in the river and then, after the shuttle back down the valley, we immediately headed out for emergency ice creams and crisps.
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