Zion National Park was a destination I chose for one of my Autumn birthday trips.  I traveled in October. Fall is not only cooler for my outdoor activities but it’s also a great time of the year to wind down, celebrate my blessings and reflect on how good God has been to me throughout the year. On this trip, I combined Las Vegas and Zion together on a 5-day road trip.

Here is my total Itinerary:

Day 1 Friday-Driving from Southern CA and arriving in Las Vegas, NV for 1 night. Shout out to my friends Pam and Arthur, for blessing me with a stay in their beautiful Las Vegas Condo for my birthday trip. I love the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens so I spent the rest of the day there and had lunch at Sadelle’s overlooking the gardens.

Day 2 Saturday -I traveled from Las Vegas to Hurricane, Utah and checked into the Days Inn. Another option for lodging is Springdale, UT,  but it is much more expensive since it is right outside the park gates. For supplies and food in Hurricane, a Walmart Supercenter is right down the street from the Days Inn. The city of Hurricane is about 20 miles from the Zion National Park entrance. After checking in, I packed up my hiking gear and headed right for the park gate in Springdale.  The automobile line was about a 15-minute wait to drive in and it was not hard to find a parking spot at the visitors center.

My goal for the first day was to hike the Narrows at the Virgin River as far as I could make it. I hopped on the free bus to the Riverwalk and walked with other happy hikers, about a quarter-mile through the beautiful Zion Canyon to the Narrows Beach, where I began my journey.

• Since I was going to be in the water all day I put the contents of my backpack in  a waterproof plastic bag just in case my backpack got wet,
• I encased my phone with a waterproof casing that allowed me to take pictures
• I purchased a pair of neoprene socks that fit comfortably in my hiking shoes. They were not waterproof but they protected my feet and stopped sand from entering and aggravating my feet.
• Carried water, lunch, fruit, hat, and sunglasses.
• Some people wear shorts but I preferred to wear knee-length leggings that dried quickly.
• Sunscreen

You can check out my “travel must-haves” for more information.

I spent 3-glorious hours hiking through the Narrows. Every new view was like a dream. The water was mid-calf to knee-deep. It was initially cold but I got used to it. I hit a few swirls and small dips from time to time but the key was to shuffle-walk where you were not sure. The experience was beautiful, awesome and surreal.

I ended the day with dinner at MeMe’s Cafe in Springdale, UT, right outside the park gates..

Day 3 Sunday-Back to the Zion from my hotel. My goal was to hike the Emerald Pools and relax on the great lawn chairs at the Zion Park Lodge, after the hike.  I also drove the 12-mile scenic route to see the Tunnel View of Zion and Checkerboard Mesa on the East side of Zion.

Day 4 Monday –  I Drove back to Las Vegas to have lunch with friends and did some shopping.

Day 5 Tuesday – I Drove back to Southern California. Hint- check the traffic flow and best times to leave. This was a workday and it took a longer than usual to get home. The traffic from Las Vegas can be very congested going into Southern CA.