September 29, 2022 – Small Wanders

29 Sep 2022: Pa’rus Trail

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.

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.

29 Sep 2022: Shelf Canyon Trail

by JamesSeptember 29, 2022April 16, 2024Day Trips / E-Biking / National Parks / Utah / Zion National Park

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.

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.

29 Sep 2022: Zion Canyon Overlook Trail

by JamesSeptember 29, 2022April 16, 2024Day Trips / Hikes / National Parks / Sightseeing / Zion National Park

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.