Wanderbrush

Zion National Park – Day 2

For our 2nd day in Zion, Mason and I decided to hit the ground running. We had won the lottery for Angel’s Landing permits and that was the primary focus of the day. Angel’s Landing is easily the most notable and iconic hike of Zion. Its towering views of the canyon make its terrifying climb one of the most coveted among visitors of the park. 

We entered the lottery for Angel’s Landing back in September and to our surprise secured a permit for the day after New Years. If you are an avid hiker, this feat is certainly on your bucket list. Mason and I woke up about an hour before sunrise, gathered our hiking gear, and set out on the short drive from our lodging in Springdale to the small parking lot at the trailhead. We snaked our way into one of the last 2 remaining spots at the trailhead. 

I had a mix of nerves and excitement as we gathered our gear and set off on the trailhead. To get to Angel’s Landing, you hike up to a point called Scout’s Lookout. It is a 1.8 mile hike and you trek up about 1,200 feet. Being a bit out of practice, I took this climb slow and steady as well as stopping to take in the magnificent views at the top of each switchback. Starting the hike right before sunrise, we got to see the sun seeping into the canyon and waking up our surroundings.

We finally arrived at Scout’s Lookout around 9am. The ranger had just finished her hike up and was checking permits to the eager line of hikers ready to take on the chained portion of Angel’s Landing. I was warily eyeing the next portion of the hike. I showed the ranger my permit and made my way to the base of the chains. I embarked on the chained portion for a bit before I decided to turn around. My boyfriend continued on a bit past me, but I decided to come down and take in the views while I got some photos on my film camera. 

I am proud I can say that I did at least some of the Angel’s Landing hike. As someone with a fear of heights and some questionable footing when navigating treacherous terrain, completing this hike was something that I was cautiously optimistic about. As I have become more of a hiker in my adult life, one of the major development points has been learning my boundaries and limits. I am still curating the perfect cocktail of pushing and challenging myself while also knowing when to turn around for my own safety (and sanity). Angel’s Landing was a good exercise of this. I pushed myself to do something that I would have never fathomed doing just a few years ago, but I also was aware of my limits and trusted my instinct when I knew I needed to turn back. 

After my boyfriend came down and rejoined me, we sat for a while and enjoyed our granola bars and Gatorade to help fuel us for the descent. We chatted with some other hikers and compared itineraries for the upcoming days. The view at the top of the lookout was so stunning we kept stalling as an excuse to take in every ounce of the view we could get. 

We eventually and begrudgingly started on our descent. By this time, the sun was fully exposing the grandiose nature of the canyon. We swiftly trekked down the switchbacks, occasionally stopping to chat with fellow hikers and snag some more photos. It was a cold, January day, but the sun made for perfect conditions upon our descent. 

Before we knew it we were back at the parking lot. The place was now swarming with activity as cars took up any available pull off location. We packed up the car and drove over to the visitor center by the South Entrance. The place was packed with visitors who had also taken advantage of the holiday weekend like ourselves. We navigated through the gift shop to the passport station. One of our favorite activities of our national park adventures is placing the stamp of a newly visited park within the pages. One of our other necessary mementos of a trip is marked by the purchase of a new magnet to add to our collection on the side of our fridge. As we navigated the aisles of the shop and gathered our collection of souvenirs for friends and family, we checked out, picked up a park map, and set out on the next and arguably most important mission of the day, lunch. 

We stopped in at Zion Canyon Brew Pub to grab some food, ready to eat anything and everything in our path. As we ordered our appetizers and entrees, we planned out the rest of our day. When we had trekked to Zion back in December 2022, we passed a sign for a state park – Coral Pink Sand Dunes. 

Coral Pink Sand Dunes sits about an hour southeast of Zion in Kanab, UT. This quick drive over makes it the perfect excursion to add onto your trip if you have some extra time and want another opportunity to take in the diverse beauty of Utah. The rich geology and history of the sand dunes makes it worth it in its own right, but the activities it offers make it an extraordinary experience. 

We finished our lunch and set our GPS to the state park. On our way there, we did some light research on activities, hoping to make the most of the limited daylight as we entered the afternoon. Much to our surprise, we came across a listing for ROAM UTV tours that were offered at the park. When we made our way to the entrance, we paid our entry fee and were directed to the small ROAM tour office that was located in the park. We were greeted by Jack, the friendly worker who helped book us the last slot of the last tour of the day. 

The tour did not start for a couple of hours, so naturally we took this time to roam and wander around the sand dunes and take ample pictures. The dunes were much more impressive than your average east coast beach – my only point of reference up until this point. We marveled at the impressive geology of the dunes and how they came to be. It felt like we had just stumbled upon a random oasis in the midst of the Utah landscape. We took photos and observed families climbing the dunes and using the sand sleds and boards they had rented from the main office as we eagerly awaited our tour start time. 

We made our way back to the ROAM office and were once again greeted by Jack who had us sign our waivers while we awaited the other tour passengers to arrive. In total, it was Mason and myself along with three other couples with each group getting their own UTV. Jack went over the tour instructions and gave a brief talk about how to drive the UTVs over the dunes. The key was to be fast and consistent. Much to my delight, Mason took the driver’s seat so he could navigate us in proper full throttle adventure fashion. Our tour guide took the lead and we all quickly fell in line. Our itinerary included a stop and quick hike at a slot canyon, driving to the top of one of the dunes to engage in our own round of sand sledding and boarding, and practically catching air as our well used UTVs barreled up the dunes. 

This tour is ideal for those who have a quick wit when driving and a quench for unique adventures. The experience was worth every penny, and I cannot express enough how much we recommend this to anyone who has the opportunity to visit this park. Sliding down a sand dune on a sled while the sun sets on the mountain in the distance is an experience everyone should have in their life at least once.

Our UTV tour lasted a little over 2 hours before we headed back to the starting point. We thanked our guide and headed back to the car. The darkness had slowly but surely enveloped the park, so Mason took this opportunity with the lack of light pollution to take some more night photography shots. We soaked up the last few moments of the park before heading back to Springdale. We arrived back in town around 8pm and got some tex mex at Bit and Spur Southwestern Girl. Our bodies were thoroughly sore at this point and we eagerly ate our food before retiring to the hotel. 

We ended Day 2 in Zion with a warm shower and welcomed the sight of our bed to rest before our Day 3 adventure. 

Next stop, Bryce Canyon National Park.