Hike Zion in Springtime

At this time of year I feel like a lizard seeking sun-warmth to rejuvenate body and spirit, and my favorite revitalization center is found between the glowing walls in Zion National Park.

It is already spring in the lower desert regions of this amazing national park. Wildflowers are pushing up through the sand and the rocks are warming up nicely. The next few weeks will bring excellent conditions for hiking in the park, golfing in nearby St George, and relaxing in mild sunshine.

Spring usually arrives in Zion during late February but it came a little early this year. The weather has been mild and some trails that do not normally open up until later in the season are already dry, warm and inviting.

My favorite early spring hikes include Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock and Hidden Canyon. Angels Landing is a great spring hike, and it is probably already accessible this year, but check at the visitor center because you don't want to hike it if there is any ice on the upper portion of the trail.

The number of people in the park is low in the early spring, compared with the summer months. The park shuttle system will begin operations on April 1, and the shuttle provides convenient access to the main trailheads in Zion Canyon. Until that time you can drive private cars into the canyon and usually find parking in lots close to the trailheads.

The snowpack is low in the mountains above Zion and so runoff will be light. Some hikes, like the famous Virgin River Narrows, use streambeds as trails and they usually don't become hikeable until runoff ends (often in June). But, gazing into our crystal ball, we dare predict the Narrows, Subway and other similar hikes will be open by mid-May this year.

Zion Hiking Trails

We've spent the past couple weeks developing trail guides for some of the famous Zion hikes, focusing on trails that are favorites with tourists. We've improved the utah.com hiking overview page and posted trail details, Flash photo tours, maps and video clips for many hikes. Our maps still need some work; we'll have our artist standardize and improve them over the next couple weeks. We also need to get more photos and video for some of the trails. So, we've made a good start but you can expect improvements over time.

Here are the trails we've done so far:
Emerald Pools
Weeping Rock
Canyon Overlook
Riverside Walk
The Narrows
Angels Landing

We'll be posting similar hiking guides for other parks during the next few weeks.

The St George area, located just west of Zion Park, has become a popular golf destination and conditions there are superb in early spring. Daytime temperatures will climb up into the low 70s F, and the weather is almost always dry. The St George courses are open year-round, but in my opinion they are at their best in March and April.

Four popular Utah state parks are also located in this area. Snow Canyon offers excellent spring hiking and large sand dunes where kids have fun romping around. Sand Hollow and Coral Pink Sand Dunes offer great ATV trails over sand dunes. Sand Hollow includes a nice reservoir with very good fishing, as does adjacent Quail Lake. All of these parks offer fine picnic facilities; some have developed campgrounds.

Let us help you plan a vacation to this area.

- Dave Webb

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