My friend and I are trying to get through a lot of National Parks this year and we thought we’d start with Zion as our first park of the year! Not sure how many of you have been before but I’d heard so many great things about it. So time for a weekend of long hikes, no crowds and a new place to explore. I’ve actually never been to Utah either so adding another place off the list.

We flew into Vegas late Thursday evening checked into the Cosmo and I’ve been wanting to stay here for YEARS. So it was great to finally get to stay here and when we got here they actually UPGRADED US and our room overlooked the Bellagio and the strip we even had a balcony. Honestly can’t even believe how large the room was and how pretty it was.

But enough of that we got dressed and quickly headed out the door to our reservation at Beauty & Essex. One of the coolest restaurants i’ve been to and the food was incredible. It’s located inside a pawn shop inside the Cosmopolitan.

Once inside we got seated and admired the decor and all the different food options that we saw people eating. Seriously we almost ordered everything.

After dinner we couldn’t resist going to the Chandelier bar and enjoy a drink before calling it a night. I even finally tried the classic drink that everyone says to get which is a drink with this flower in it. It was a bit bitter and not my favorite drink but I’m glad I can finally say I’ve tried it.

Day 2: [Vegas - Zion]

The best thing about vegas and staying at the Cosmo is our favorite fast food breakfast spot, Eggslut. It has the best breakfast with hash browns fried in duck fat, i mean how can you go wrong with that! Plus it’s pretty reasonably priced but honestly there are plenty of breakfast options if you need something quick located all near by. We did want to do a sit down but just didn’t have enough time since we knew we needed to get moving to Zion.

About a 3 hr driven from Vegas we chat and listen to many podcasts on the drive. I didn’t realize you actually stop through 3 different states! Nevada, Arizon and ending in Utah.. I know Zion was close to the border but I guess I just never really thought about it. As we crossed over into Utah we needed a little snack and beverage, so thank god we found a Starbucks and stopped there.

Something to keep in mind as you get closer to Zion things become more limited and food/groceries are more expensive. So if you’re hoping for snacks or lunch for your hiking and want to save money I’d go to the biggest town outside of Springdale there was a super Walmart we didn’t that things would be so expensive in the town of Springdale so if we do this again we’ll for sure get snacks before. But dont worry there are a few grocery stores you can buy anything you need.

We knew the first thing we had to do was go pick up our gear for the Narrows so headed over to Zion Outfitters near the entrance of the park and pick there brains for anything else we might need to know.

I’m all about staying at hotels that are a good price and ideally including breakfast so we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Springdale they had a hot tub & also we were able to get two queen beds. Pretty modest and simple place but we didn’t need anything fancy at all.

Then headed over to do a small hike at the Canyon Overlook for our first sunset in Zion. it was pretty just seeing the sun changing the colors of the rocks. We then made our way back down and to dinner at the Zion Brewing company hoping for a beer and some yummy gastro pub food. It was a cute little place we both got burgers and fries so it satisfied our craving.

Not a bad way to end the day we also got all our gear ready for the next day so we could get up early and just get in the car and into our hike.

Day 3: [Narrow’s Hike]

Steph and I got up and had our breakfast at the hotel and then got ready to head out the door. It was super super cold out so we had to defrost the car before we could get going into the park. The best part about our hotel was that it as literally 10 mins or less from the entrance of the park. We headed in around 7:00 and made it to the entrance of the Narrows located at the very end of the park. Geared up and prepped ourself for the hike of the day!

Oh what I forgot to mention was we rented gear. A dry suit and a waterproof backpack. If you go in the winter you really cant do the hike without it ... the water is VERY cold and seriously some parts are super deep. We rented our gear from Zion Outfitters but you can also rent them from Zion Adventures. Our place didn’t have a full dry suit. (aka no sleeves it was more like overalls and you wear your own jacket). We went with the overalls and were [for the most part] good. But keep reading and I’ll tell you what happened haha.

Anyway, this was one of the most incredible hikes I’ve ever done in my entire life. It was also the perfect time of year to go because there weren’t many people during the hike. I literally think over the 7 mile hike we saw maybe 10 people max which is kinda incredible when you compare what it’s like in the summer.

When you start going in the Narrows you hike about 1 mile (20 mins ish) on a concrete path before you even hit the actual entrance of the narrows. Once there we got prepared and started our journey. Honestly we were pretty stoked and were really curious how our dry suits were going to work and how ‘wet’ or ‘cold’ we were going to get.

Our first step in the water our shoes filled with water but it wasn’t cold and lets be clear it’s normal that the shoes and socks do get wet. Thankfully the ‘socks’ are more of a wetsuit material so they get wet but stil keep your feet warm and honestly with all the walking I was doing I never felt like they were cold.

As we continued through the narrows we were both honestly soooo impressed and in awe of the rocks surrounding us and the lack of people in the narrows. In the beginning I honestly was like why is this hike listed as hard on the Zion National Park doc. It felt relatively ‘easy’ and not super heavy walking in water when we started the hike. But the few parts that were in water i we were about knee deep. I would recommend any chance you get take advantage of the LAND parts of the walk it does make the hike overall easier.

As we continued on our walk chatting and enjoying the scenery things did start to get a little more, lets say, challenging haha. We started getting to parts of the water where we were not only knee deep but getting close to waist deep. But it did fluctuate from shallow, to lots of land part to very deep.

Don’t forget to take a break if you need. We realized we started slowing down and getting pretty tired because one thing to remember is the entire walk UP stream you’re going against the current and as I said it was easy to start especially when it’s shallow but as the water gets to some deeper parts it was a lot of work.

The sticks that came with our dry suits were honestly so helpful too! We really relied on those a lot and it made things that much easier. Throughout the hike there are a few areas off the main path you can wander down and take some photos without people being in the pic. (this might be more in the summer but who knows)

As we start nearing the end of the main hike we hit a few parts of the narrows where we were about chest deep of water so the waterproof backpack really came in clutch. When we reached this giant rock which was about 10 mins from the ‘end’ of the narrows. We ran into a few people and they were all discussing how to get past and honestly we were pretty confused because it looked easy enough. One of the guys who I wanted to say was probably 6’2 or something started to go around the rock and ended up being about chest deep water sooo naturally I was like oh .... well that’s why we’re all stopped haha. We ended up climbing on the side of the rocks which was pretty scary because you couldn’t see where your feet were going. Thankfully the people helped us get through and we continued a little bit longer until we realized we were far to tired and decided to turn back.

When we turned back and went through that same spot my friend slipped and caught herself with her hand, thankfully, but still she is now wet and we probably have a good couple hours to go back to where we started.

We continue heading back and now we’re going with the current and I couldn’t believe how hard that was! We ended up stoping a few times to drink water and snack to keep our energy up haha. Going with the current though was intersting.. there were so many times I really wanted to just sit in the water and swim but I clearly wasn’t wearing the right outfit haha.

We were still enjoying our hike and were done after about 5 and a half hours and 8 miles. It was still such an incredible hike. Since we started so early we were done by 1:30 and at this point we’re ready for a nice lunch and cocktail. I mean I think we really earned it haha

Back at the car we take off our gear and it was SOO HARD!! haha but also so nice to take it all off and just have our regular hiking outfit on. It really was so nice to wear and saved us.

After returning our gear we headed to lunch at Zion Outpost and we decided to share a chicken sandwich and salad with a side of margarita. haha I couldn’t believe how good the food was so this is a MUST eat at if you visit Zion. We also made a pit stop into a grocery store to pick up snacks and lunch for our hike tomorrow. If I can give a suggestion though before you get into the Spitsfield City go to a grocery store outside of the area. It is VERY expensive in there and you’d have more selection if you go outside the park.

We headed back into the park with some blankets and a beer to find a spot to chill and just enjoy the fresh air. It was sooooo pretty out and we just loved the quiet and our beer obvi. haha. We had done a little searching for a great spot for sunset and just didn’t really find one but perhaps it isn’t the season .

After a slightly disappointing sunset haha we opted for a stargazing evening again taking advantage of our trunk and those blankets. I’ve always wanted to stargaze in a car in a national park so I finally checked it off my list!! I also had a blast playing around with my camera!

What a great way to end the night!

Day 4: [Angels Landing + Upper Emerald Pools + Vegas]

Another morning prepped to hike. We put all our layers on grabbed breakfast again in the hotel and packed our bags to head out early to make sure to get a parking spot. As soon as we park the car we head on our way to Angels Landing. It starts flat crossing over the river and then up to pretty steep switch backs that overlook the valley.

I honestly couldn’t believe how steep these switchbacks were once you make it to the top we headed through this narrow valley of sorts where you are asked to be quiet due to endangered owls.

As we hit the end of the valley you get to another area of switchbacks and this was were we needed to start wearing our crampons. I had [these ones] and my friend had more like these [crampons], honestly I wish I had crampons more like hers but mine did work and helped make things feel better. It was pretty slippery so either way so very grateful for them. Once you’re at the top you end up at Scouts Point and for anyone who is nervous about heights this would be my stopping point.

We continued on the hike aiming for the top of Angels landing. As I’ve already said we were here during off season [January] so we didn’t need a permit. But I know that is going to change come April so just keep that in mind. Already about 1000 feet up the view was spectacular and as we keep going the hiking area got narrower and steeper which honestly started to freak me out. I didn’t really think I was afraid of heights but I guess I am.

It almost doesn’t do it justice to explain how intense and narrow oh and dont forget ICY it was. There were parts during the hike that there was a chain on the side of the rock and nothing on the other side but a sheer drop. So as I said NOT for the faint of heart. As we kept going up I was even more grateful for the lack of people and my crampons. I was also grateful that there were other people in front of us helping encourage us. But really my friend is the person I have to think because she really kept me going. At one point i was so scared that i started hyperventilating and had to take a break but we were maybe 10 mins from the top so I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t do it.

Climbing rock after rock and using all my muscles to avoid slipping or even looking down took a lot of effort but once at the top it was so worth it. Once I was up there Iwas still pretty freaked out so I sat down immediately and tried to have a snack and some water to calm down. Even my friend was a little frightened because we were SOOOOO high up.

We stayed up there for about 15-20 mins before we decided ot head down and get onto FLAT grounds. On the way down there were multiple parts where we couldn’t stay standing and had to slide down because of the ice and just it being too slippery. Which of course was pretty scary as well but this was were the crampons with the large spikes would have been super helpful.

After about 4 or 5 hours of doing Angels Landing we finally make it down to the bottom head to our car for our little lunch and honestly we just really wanted to sit down for a bit haha.

We then decided to do one more hike over to Emerald Pools before we had to head out to Vegas. The Emerald Pools hike did have a good incline but t this point it was nothing compared to what we had just done. The pools and hike were also super pretty and you’re able to get another great view of the valley. So we’re so glad to have been able to do this.

Now we make our 3 hour drive back to Vegas but first we needed a little pick me up. So we tried to look for a coffee shop and all the coffee shops in Springdale were closed by the time we were heading out of the park so we had to keep trying till we found this cute little drive through coffee shop to have a brownie and tea/coffee.

Once checked in to Planet Hollywood which was a average hotel and kinda a let down because we stayed at the Cosmo to start the trip. But hey it did what we needed it to.

We had dinner plans at Koi Restaurant and the food was also amazing!! We even ordered extra food and still ate it all haha. To be fair the food was all pretty light since it was Japanese fusion. I even had another friend come join us for a drink at the restaurant and down at one of the bars downstairs.

Day 5: [Vegas]

We ended up staying through an extra day and working from he hotel before heading back to San Francisco. Of course before we could do any work we had to head over to Eggslut again for some breakfast to kick off the morning, seriously one of my favorite breakfast places. If you didn’t have to work you could have easily enjoyed some pool time or just going out to wander the strip.

Overall we had such a great weekend and hopefully some of this could be helpful but if you want more of an in-depth information about The Narrows hike or Angels Landing please check out these other blog posts. Angels Landing [Narrows (in the works)]

I’ve also listed a few restaurant suggestion for both Zion and Vegas so enjoy!