Zion National Park in Utah is well known as one of the most scenic places in the country. The towering cliffs are incredible on their own, and when you add the signature red color of the rock, the result is stunning.
(Excuse the quality of the pictures, uploading them to the site made them a bit blurry)
I had the privilege of visiting this amazing place, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. We prepared for our adventure all year. Searching the best hikes in the park, making sure to research the lesser known, but still amazing areas, and even buying equipment and learning how to rappel. This trip was something that we were looking forward to the entire year, and my family was already bonding in the process of preparing for this experience.
When we got there, I was amazed by the beauty of the park. If you ever have the chance to go to Zion, even just to drive through, I highly recommend. The views are amazing and the towering cliffs really make your problems feel smaller. We did so many of the iconic hikes like Angel’s Landing, visited Bryce Canyon, and even repelled through a slot canyon, but one of the highlights of the trip was an all day 9 mile hike we went on through a river to a place called the Subway.
Angel’s Landing: Bryce Canyon:
The Subway hike was quite the endeavor, hiking down into a canyon, and then spending all day hiking in a river. We had many obstacles to overcome, including purifying water and carrying food. There were some unexpected ones too like going to the wrong starting spot (my mom was freaking out), and even broken shoes (my fate unfortunately). Through this long, hard hike however, we made some of the best memories of the trip.
Subway:
Being stuck down in a canyon for 10 hours straight with your family is actually one of the best ways to make unforgettable memories. We may have had some issues, but we went through them together, and came out of it with an amazing experience. Any time we may have felt tired or overwhelmed on the hike, we could just look up and see the beauty surrounding us, and it was all 100% worth it.
This trip to Zion truly locked in my love of hiking and nature, and I am so glad I got to experience it with my family.
My most recent National Park-like trip I went on was to Sedona Arizona. This was yet another beautiful destination and an amazing adventure. While we didn’t get to experience all of the events we had planned due to some wild fire complications, it was a great opportunity for us to come up with alternate plans as a family and compromise to make the best of the trip.
If you ever have the chance to go to Sedona or the surrounding areas, I highly recommend. It is a beautiful town surrounded by stunning red rock mountains. It is a stunning dessert destination with so many hiking and sight seeing places to explore.
Thank you so much for reading about my adventures! I am so excited to transition to destinations I have not had the chance to visit yet and can’t wait to share all of these amazing National Parks with you!
Wow, you have been to some incredible places! I am really impressed with all of your hikes so far. I am not sure if I could do a 9 mile hike or survive that long trapped with my family. Your pictures are stunning! I also wanted to say that I have been to Sedona! I went there summer of 2017 (I think), and it was one of the prettiest places I have ever been to. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before. I really enjoyed reading this post!
I will be adding the parks you write about to my bucket list as we go along through these weeks! You have done some amazing things — I definitely couldn’t hike with my family for that long without altercations… Zion and Sedona sound like pretty inspirational places to have secured your love for hiking (one that will probably last a lifetime). I know exactly what you mean when you say problems feel smaller when you’re out in nature; I experience the same thing whenever I’m out caving or hiking. It’s what makes me love to be outside! Thanks for sharing!