Zion National lPark, Riverside Walk, UT

After leaving Bryce Canyon National Park, we stopped in the town of Orderville, UT for some coffee and breakfast.  It was a cute little place called The Shop Coffee Company, where we ordered two drip coffees and two avocado toasts.  The avocado toast had tomato and a hard boiled egg on it which was a really fun touch.  Before long, we were entering the gates of Zion National Park, with its steep canyon walls and beautiful rock formations.  We drove through several impressive tunnels and then by Checkerboard Mesa.

We arrived at Zion by 8:30, and the first thing we noticed was how much more crowded it was than Bryce.  We circled the huge visitors center parking lot several times, and then waited about 10 minutes on a van that was packing up to leave.  We finally got parked, changed into our hiking boots and walked over to the village to catch the park shuttle.  Since this would be our only day in Zion and we pretty much knew what we wanted to see, we didn’t wait in line to talk to a ranger.  As we waited in line for the shuttle, Steve and I were trying to guess how many more people were here than at Bryce, and our guess was 100 to 1.  

We rode the shuttle up to the last stop, where we would start our river walk.  The restrooms at this stop were closed, but there were about 50 porta-potties in the parking lot, which would have been great, but they were way over used which was a real bummer.  

As we started our river walk, the beauty of the Virgin River and the contrast of the steep canyon walls calmed us right down.  This trail is super easy, but also very crowded.

There are springs in the rocks all along the river walk, creating these beautiful hanging gardens.  

The green and the shade and the beautiful river made this hike amazing!

The river walk ends at the beginning of the narrows.  This is where a many people continued on with their walking sticks and rented boots.  We just sat back and watched as people began crossing the river.  It was quite entertaining!  It was also a beautiful oasis here, so the perfect place to hang out for a few minutes.

On our way back, we decided to leave the paved trail and walk along the river.  It was a bit more difficult walking through the sand, but there were fewer people which was really nice. The river is a beautiful emerald blue color, and kind of looks like glacier water.

About half way back, we found the perfect rock for a quick protein bar snack.  

This was a wonderful walking path!  It’s perfect for all abilities, and enjoyable even if you don’t go clear to the end.  And if you have time, you can even continue into the narrows from here.