Do’s and Don’ts For Visiting Zion National Park

Do expect to develop an extreme reverence for your surroundings. Zion is the third most visited national park in the nation, and the most popular in Utah. And there’s good reason for its popularity. I came unprepared for how Zion’s grand introduction would at once sweep me off my feet.

As you drive down the Zion-Mt. Carmel Scenic Byway, mouth agape, you will begin to wonder if you have entered another world entirely. After driving between massive sheets of red, orange, and white sandstone, you are unexpectedly plunged into darkness. The road snakes through the 1.1 mile Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel carved through a seemingly impassable block of rock in what has to be a truly notable engineering feat. Not imagining how long the tunnel would be, I was sure we’d been swallowed by the towers of rock and were destined to meld with the layers of sandstone surrounding us. However, once you emerge from the tunnel, a view which you will never have dreamt of awaits you.

Don’t mistake the canyons for mountains. If you thought the canyons you had oggled on the first part of your drive were spectacular, they are mere pebbles in comparison to what lies before you now. Massive isn’t even a proper word to describe the canyons that loom over you. More mountainous than anything else, the towering cliffs sheen with a reddish tint, covered with vibrant green flora and a dusting of snow during the winter months. The rest of the drive through the byway is worth the trip to Zion on its own.

Do try to schedule your visit to the national park during a government shutdown. Although the shutdown does entail numerous unfortunate consequences, one perk I did find was that there were no rangers stationed at the National Park entrance. For those that haven’t caught on yet, this means that you don’t have to pay the $35 entrance fee to enter the park (now I think that objectively this isn’t a lot of money, but bear with the in-debt grad school student here).

Don’t come unprepared: this means hiking shoes with lots of traction (no Nikes or Yeezy’s, looking at the fashionistas out there), and a lot of water and snacks. Oh, and sunscreen. I mean I know being a ginger comes with the territory, but don’t make the same mistake I did by wearing a V-neck in the wintertime and ending up with a deep tomato red burn on your chest. Also, since there is essentially zero phone service once you get near/in the park, so try to load your GPS and map apps on your phone beforehand or, I know other millenials may hate this, actually buy a paper map to avoid the scenario I encountered where my phone decided I was still 300 miles back in Arizona after I had gotten past the ranger station.

Do stop by the visitor center, no matter how long you’ll be visiting for. I know hipsters who want to forge their own path and everything will hate hearing this, but unless you want to set out on a hike that you’ve been looking forward to for months only to find that it is closed due to flooding, I would highly suggest talking to the rangers the day of and asking about the daily conditions of each hike (i.e. I found out that Angels Landing was extremely icy the morning I wanted to go and was warned to suit up for the conditions).

Don’t start a longer hike in the middle of the day. Even if you picked a short trail (which, why? Do a longer one or do multiple because you can’t see the true magnificence of Zion from a 0.8-mile trail), don’t make the mistake of starting your hike later in the afternoon. Accidents happen, people can slip, and if you’re going in the off-season, there will be less people (ahem, rangers) around to help or pick you up if something goes wrong. Yes, this is a government-funded national park that employs well-trained individuals, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still take certain precautions.

Do take advantage of the free shuttle rides around the park. Now, the drive into Zion is honestly stunning enough on its own, but (at least during my visit) private vehicles were not allowed to continue down the scenic byway towards a majority of the hike trailheads – only park shuttles were. This really wasn’t a drawback, however, as not only do you get to relax for a few minutes before your hike, but the shuttle driver also doubles as a tour guide to tell you a little history about Zion and the canyon formations.

Don’t decide to take on a strenuous hike without the proper attire. Now I know I touched on this point while talking about coming prepared, but I figured I may need to emphasize this for the eager adventurers out there. If you are attempting to hike Angels Landing in the beginning of January, don’t wear Adidas sneakers and shorts. You will slip and slide around on the ice and risk falling off the steep 1,000-feet drop offs on either side of you. In fact, a pro tip I learned was that you can buy detachable shoe spikes on Amazon to attach to the bottoms of your hiking shoes in icy conditions. I think Angels Landing is the most dangerous hike in the park (and even one of the most dangerous in the world) due to its extremely narrow ridges and sharp drop-offs, so please don’t decide to wear your Converse just because they will look cute in your photo at the summit. I know aesthetics are really taken into account over safety for millenials, but Angels Landing is one hike where you definitely need to get your priorities straight, as Ron Weasley would say.

Don’t forget to enjoy every second of the majesty around you. If you go during the winter, as I did, the sight of the red, orange, and white colors of the canyons rising hundreds of feet above you on all sides, that contrast even more impressively against glimmering icicles hanging off rocks and sheets of ice covering the canyon walls, is absolutely breathtaking and single-handedly worth coming for.