Our last hike in Zion NP this trip was the Lower Pine Creek Waterfall trail. This is not well advertised but can be found as one of the top trails in AllTrails app or .com. The hike is short but requires crossing Lower Pine Creek several times. This means scrambling over boulders, scaling some rock slopes and creek shallows. This late in the season, the creek level was low but the waterfall still had decent flow and a good size pool.
Although a short hike, because of the scrambling and scaling of rock faces to get to the waterfall. This hike is classified as moderate on AllTrails. We found it enjoyable and different, requiring you to find your own route in some spots. Since it is lesser known, there were only a few other hikers on the trail and we had the waterfall to ourselves our entire visit. From our experience, it seems like most of the trails get busier by late morning to early afternoon so hike early to avoid traffic.
After hiking earlier in the day to Zion Canyon Overlook & Shelf Canyon. We drove into town for lunch then relaxed in the RV till early evening. It rained heavily that afternoon so I wondered how dramatic sunset might be, if there was one. So we planned to go into the park and photograph the Watchman at sunset. Riding our bikes through Zion Canyon is the best way to stop along the river. So we parked at the visitor center, where the Pa’rus trailhead starts.
Pa’rus Trail
Photographing the Watchman from the Virgin River bridge is a classic Zion postcard. Hopefully the remnants of the storm clouds catching the light, would make for an interesting, somewhat unique photo. We e-biked the Pa’rus trail during our 2021 trip. This trip we brought our Zizzo folding non-electric bikes and still had a great time biking the flat trail.
After our short hike on the Zion Canyon Overlook trail, we wanted to hike the nearby Shelf Canyon Trail. The trailhead is just a few hundred yards up the road from the Zion Canyon Overlook trailhead. According to Alltrails, the trail begins near the rest-stop parking lot. The trailhead isn’t marked and is not a managed trail, but it is rated 4-stars on Alltrails.
Shelf Canyon Trail
We found a path down into the start of the canyon next to the road that appeared to be the start of the trail. Using the Alltrails app on my phone, we followed the footpath along the canyon bed and appeared to be on trail. But after about 1/4mi, we hit a dead end or a recent rockfall that clogged the canyon. We scrambled over the first slab incline but boulders blocked the canyon. Either we were not on the trail, needed to scramble over these boulders to where the trail flattened or there had been a recent collapse into the canyon. I could not see any obvious way around and the height of the scramble was more than we wanted to try. So our Shelf Canyon Trail hike was short. According to Alltrails, the trail leads into a slot canyon but we were unable to make it past the boulders. It’s possible the ‘real’ trail was higher up along the canyon wall but no trail was obvious. We were low on water so headed back. There is no running water at the rest-stop or Zion Canyon Overlook parking lot restroom so bring plenty.
The biggest challenge of this hike, because of its location & popularity, is parking. Just beyond the Zion Tunnel’s east exit is a tiny parking lot. There’s also sparse parking up the road a few hundred yards. Since the hike is fairly short, there are people leaving quite often so you can get lucky. But, this is also where traffic backs up for the tunnel queue – where they stop traffic in one direction so RVs can travel through the middle of the tunnel for clearance. The overlook gives you a panoramic view of Zion Canyon & some of its signature peaks. But I found the trail to be more interesting than the overlook. Perhaps sunrise or sunset would be more spectacular; mid-day was beautiful but not as photogenic. The trail follows the side of the canyon and has diverse & narrow sections that make for a fun hike.
The Emerald Pools Trailhead starts at the Zion Lodge shuttle stop. It’s considered a moderate trail because it starts in the canyon and heads uphill to a series of three pools – Lower, Middle, & Upper Emerald Pools. The hike to the lower pool is actually pretty easy and accessible so the trail can be crowded. This late in the season and with the drought, the water level in the waterfall feeding the pools is low. This makes for some rather unimpressive pools, still the hike is scenic with beautiful vistas of Zion Canyon at various viewpoints.
Lower Emerald Pool
Middle Emerald Pool
The trail to the Middle Emerald Pool is less crowded but still busy. It is just a short vertical hike from the Lower Pool and opens into a wonderful panorama of the canyon.
Upper Emerald Pool
Hiking to the highest Emerald Pool is the most challenging section of the trail. Earlier in the season when the water level is higher, I’m sure this hike is more worthwhile. But our expectations were pretty low since this was our first time and we enjoy hiking the less crowded sections of trail.
Our favorite RV campground in Springdale is Zion Canyon Campground and RV Resort. The same campground we stayed in 2021. Its location just outside the park and availability of river-side campsites make it our favorite place to stay.
Last year we hiked Zion’s two most popular trails – the Narrows and Angels Landing. So this trip we wanted to explore some of the other trails:
We used our Starlink internet during our stay and it worked well with an unobstructed northward view of the sky. Zion Canyon Campground is still rebuilding their main lodge and have added cabins. They should be finished by 2023. We had a torrential rain storm blow through the 29th afternoon and we worried about flash flooding. We imagine the Narrows hikers might have some serious issues. Fortunately, we did not hear about anyone having trouble. Most of this squall hit downriver.
We had a great time – late September is a great time to visit Zion since it’s starting to cool down. The park is still busy and the shuttle is still taking full loads into the park mid-day. Hiking early can help quite a bit with less crowding on the trails. But by 10am, the traffic entering the main entrance is backed up and parking is scarce.
In September 2021, we took our first RV trip out of California to St. George Utah & Zion National Park. It was such a great trip, we decided to visit southern Utah again in 2022 to explore the many places we missed. Utah is a RV and hiker’s paradise with so many diverse and amazing national & state parks. It’ll take years to see all that Utah offers.
Oceanside>Vegas>Zion>Bryce>Kanab
26 Sept 2022 – Thousand Trails, Las Vegas We bought a Thousand Trails Camping Pass during our Yosemite Trip in July 2022. So we stopped for a one-night layover at their location in Las Vegas. The annual membership allows us to stay at any Thousand Trails campground in the southwest region at no additional cost. Driving 6 hours from Oceanside to Las Vegas is the longest single-day trek we’ve done so far. After a food & fuel break in Barstow, driving a few more hours to Vegas was no problem. We would not hesitate driving this distance again, although heavy traffic in Riverside between the 215 to 15 & in Vegas can be challenging. Thousand Trails Las Vegas is east of the Strip in central Vegas (see map below). It was busy for a Monday & looks like a popular campground. Sites are pretty close together with relatively narrow roads & turns. Site 112 was a level, loose gravel site with full hookups & only one neighbor. This location is the only Thousand Trails RV park between SoCal and Utah and we were glad to find a vacancy on our route.
27 Sep – Oct 1 2022: Springdale, Utah – Zion National Park After one-night in Vegas, we drove to Springdale, the gateway into Zion National Park south. We booked a full-hookup, riverside site for 4 nights at Zion Canyon Campground & RV Resort where we stayed last year. A fantastic location that’s 1/2mi from the entrance to Zion National Park.
Emerald Pools Trail – popular trail near Zion Lodge that treks up to three pools – Lower, Middle, Upper – fed by one waterfall. Pools were small due to the low water level this late in the season.
Zion Canyon Overlook Trail – short popular hike just east of the Zion Tunnel. Great short hike along a mid-canyon trail that ends is a panoramic view of Zion Canyon. Bring plenty of water since none is available anywhere close.
Shelf Canyon Trail – slot canyon trail near Zion Canyon Overlook Trail – looked blocked by recent rockfall(s) so we didn’t make it very far.
Lower Pine Creek Waterfall Trail – lesser known trail that end at a waterfall, a short hike that requires scrambling along the creek bed.
The Narrows Trail is still our favorite hike but it was great to explore other parts of Zion NP. Each of these trails have unique aspects, different terrain & scenery. There are plenty of Zion trails to still to explore, especially the eastern trails.
Driving from Zion to Bryce Canyon The second leg of our trip was to Bryce Canyon and there are a couple routes from Springdale. The shortest route (~1.5hr 75mi) takes you on the winding scenic road through Zion National Park. This route has the historic 1.1mi Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel with a maximum height clearance of 13ft. Taller RVs have to take the longer route around the west side of Zion NP through Hurricane than north on the 15. Towing Howie (~10ft tall, ~3400lbs) with our Tacoma to 8000ft is always a concern since it struggles on long inclines. But since Springdale/Zion is already at 4000ft, the additional 4000ft climb to Bryce was doable. So we took this winding eastbound route on UT-9E through Zion National Park & its mile-long tunnel. For a $15 ‘toll’, they stop oncoming traffic between 8am-7pm – these hours vary seasonally. Towing Howie was a piece-of-cake without any high transmission temperatures issues. It’s a beautiful scenic drive & we were tempted to pull over many times.
Leg 2 Bryce Canyon: 01 – 05 Oct 2022 We booked 4 nights at Ruby’s Inn, an RV resort a few miles outside the park entrance. It’s a huge, full-amenities RV and hotel resort that’s a town in itself – Bryce Canyon City. We reserved a full-hookup, pull-through site that was rustic, in a grove of trees, beautiful but extremely uneven. We repositioned a few time to find the flattest section and it still required 4.5″ to level Howie. The new section of RV sites numbered in the 200s are more spacious, flatter, with fewer trees. If you want more room with more open-sky (for Starlink), definitely consider booking one of theses unshaded sites.
Bryce Canyon National Park has uniquely spectacular vistas. Photos cannot do it justice & capture the wonder of this place. Hikes into Bryce Canyon:
Near Tropic, a nearby town, we hiked the Mossy Cave Trail. After the hike and lunch, we took the scenic drive through Bryce Canyon.
Bryce Canyon is an amazing place with some great hikes. Most take you down into the canyon, which can be vertically challenging. If you are visiting Zion National Park, adding Bryce Canyon to your itinerary is a must. Bryce Canyon was the high point for me this trip.
Leg 3 Kanab: 05-08 Oct 2022 To be honest, after all the hikes and driving, by the time we arrived at Kanab, we were tired. Although retired a few years now, I find it hard to sit & relax by the RV when there are so many unexplored places to see & photograph. But we shortened our 4 night stay to 3 at Kanab RV Corral. Since we shortened our visit by a day and arrived fairly early Wednesday. We spent the afternoon hiking to the Sand Caves just north of town. We also entered the lottery for a Friday permit to hike the Wave. We didn’t get selected so we drove to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s about 75mi south of Kanab but a great drive for fall colors. We had a great day exploring the north rim & enjoyed the panoramic canyon view at the lodge restaurant. We wanted to continue exploring so we drove Cape Royal Road to all the viewpoints. Another high-point was photographing sunset at Cape Royal/Angels Window, although the drive back to Kanab in the dark was challenging.
We wanted to make Day 2 of our drive home shorter so that meant driving further from Kanab Day 1. Stopping at Thousand Trails Las Vegas again would make the Day 2 drive home 6hrs or more. So we opted to stop in Las Vegas to fuel and take a break then continue to Barstow. We stayed at the Barstow/Yermo KOA in 2021 and found it to be an acceptable stopping point from Zion-Utah to Oceanside. So we reserved a pull-thru spot this trip. The site assigned to us this trip was a lot nicer than last year’s. We had trees shading our site and the restrooms were much closer & cleaner.
