June 21-23, 2026
Zion is one of the most famous parks in Utah, known for soaring cliffs, a thrillingly treacherous climb called “Angel’s Landing” (named because only an angel could stand on the peak), and a shallow stretch of the Virgin River called the Narrows. We secured rooms at the Zion Lodge and quickly learned that private vehicles are prohibited in the park. Lodge guests can park at the lodge, but other than that, the park shuttle is the only option for getting around besides e-bike rentals. I am not a fan of park shuttles in general because finding room for 8 people gets tricky at the more popular parks!
Greg spent hours enthusiastically researching the Narrows and Angel’s Landing. The Narrows is challenging because it’s extremely crowded, the water is cold and also deep at some points, and it’s a mile just to get to the water’s edge, which adds up when you’re hiking with toddlers. We agreed to get an early start, order neoprene socks for the kids, and do a few 4-5 mile practice hikes around our neighborhood. The more excited Greg was, the more nervous I became. Aside from the initial mile, it’s a completely water-based hike, wading between tall rock walls in a narrow canyon. As our trip through Utah progressed, I was secretly dreading the Narrows, but (spoiler) it’s one of our favorite memories!
Greg was also determined to attempt Angel’s Landing, which is a strenuous hike at over 5 miles long and 1400+ feet of elevation gain. This was our first experience with a lottery system hike, which means you choose a date and time you want to hike and see if your name is chosen. Greg confidently entered the spring lottery only to find out he didn’t win a spot. He tried again the day we arrived, and lost again. Miraculously, he ended up winning a spot for the morning we were leaving the park, and ended up watching the sunrise from the top of Angel’s Landing, marveling at the splendor of God’s creation! The timing truly couldn’t have been better.
My brother-in-law Kendall drove all the way from Phoenix on his motorcycle (!) to meet up with us and explore the park together – starting with some great Mexican food at the Whiptail Grill in Springdale. We split our rooms at the lodge into a guys room and a girls room, with the three littlest berries sleeping sideways on a queen bed, a tip I learned from my NP friend Sarah.
While Kendall unpacked at the lodge, we took a scenic drive through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, a long winding tunnel with stunning windows looking out into the canyon along the way. We hiked the Canyon Overlook trail to a sweeping viewpoint over a steep drop-off. As we made our way back, hundreds of people were snaking up the trail – a good taste of the crowds at Zion.
We started for the Narrows bright and early the next morning. The first shuttle bus that passed was full, but we squeezed into the second one and arrived at Stop 9, the Temple of Sinawava. It was a quick walk to the river because everyone was skipping along with anticipation. We put on our neoprene socks under our Keens and splashed right into the water. I thought it was freezing. A minute later, I slipped on a slimy river rock and got soaked… not the best start. We splashed our way along until the water was too deep for the little ones and they were given piggyback rides. Pretty soon everything was wet. It was a very wet hike. Tall rock walls blocked the sun completely and kept the river in chilly shadow for most of the way. Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, the berries loved it.
We stopped for a break on a large rock just as the sun peeked over the canyon rim. Claire had a chance to get out of the carrier and splash around while Greg ran on ahead to get a glimpse of the “Subway,” a stretch of the Narrows where the rock walls are rounded just like a true New York subway. After that, we made our way back up the river. By the end we had warmed up and found our footing on the slippery rocks and started to wonder about coming back the next day to do it all over again. It was so fun to have Kendall with us – the water was barely past his ankles! He cheerfully carried backpacks, children, and wet clothes as a very good uncle would.
After a hearty sandwich lunch squeezed onto the tiny balcony of our lodge room (notable because Claire stepped on someone’s plate by accident), we spent the afternoon exploring a few more shuttle stops – a closer look at the Court of the Patriarchs and a hike up to the Weeping Rock – before coming back for a shady stretch under the giant tree in front of Zion Lodge. Kendall treated all the kids to creamsicles, and they found new friends to play a game of concentration.
We attended a ranger talk after dinner about the history of Zion National Park, where Claire fell asleep and had to be carried back to our room. Once the little ones were asleep, Sophia babysat while Greg and I took Kendall out to a secret speakeasy in Springdale, called Cowboys & Angels, hidden in an unassuming coffee shop. It was a great time even though we didn’t bring our cowboy hats.
Greg slipped out in the wee hours of the morning to ascend Angel’s Landing – so early that the checkpoints were empty. The rest of us said goodbye to Kendall as he started the long drive south to Phoenix. When Greg returned, we hiked around the Emerald Pools and packed up to head north into Nevada for our very last park of the trip, Great Basin.
We loved how family friendly Zion is (there were actually several other families with six children!), and we really enjoyed staying at the Zion Lodge. We have visited parks that were quiet and isolated, where we were the only car on the road and the only hikers on a trail, but it’s a fun change of pace to be at a park humming with activity, almost like a small town of Patagonia-clad national park enthusiasts. The coffee was terrible – I have yet to find good coffee *inside* a national park – but the atmosphere was filled with a familiar sense of adventure.
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