I love to travel and go to different places but I was not, until just recently, into canyoneering or hiking. I’m no hardcore hiker, definitely a novice when it comes to outdoor activities. But after completing couple of different hiking trails, I then understood why people find it fulfilling. Not only you get to see the beauty of world in a different angle (literally, from a high angle :P), but also honestly when you complete a fairly hard trail you feel like you’re a super human (or maybe, it’s just me AHAHAHA).

Last April 14, as part of our ‘4 States, 1 Weekend’ trip, we went to Zion in Utah. It was our first time to be in Utah State and it’s no question that we made a great decision to go to Zion National Park. Extending across the National Park are monoliths of sedimentary rocks of different heights and elevations ranging from 1000 to 8,700 feet . This makes it ideal for adventure seekers, hikers and rock-climbers. The playful beauty of different shades of reds and whites also attracts photographers and visitors from different parts of the world.

Our original plan was to spend only 5 hours in Zion to hike and then drive to Bryce Canyon after. However, some things just do not go as planned. We went there on a spring break and on a long weekend; I just can’t blame people wanting to spend the vacation there, because c’mon the place is perfect. We had a hard time looking for a parking slot and it took us forever to wait for the shuttle to take us to our stop for hiking. (There shuttles inside the park that take you to different stops and points. Private vehicles are not allowed.)

So, needless to say, 5 hours was not enough (Although, I honestly think that even if it’s not spring break or a long weekend, 5 hours will never be enough considering how many things you can do and explore in Zion. We’ll definitely be back!) and we had to ditch Bryce Canyon for this trip :( But even with all the waiting, hiking in Zion is still the highlight of our trip. Absolutely worth it!

Hiking the Hidden Canyon

There’s a lot of hiking options in the park; trails from family-friendly to medium to strenuous hikes. We were arrogant, so of course we chose a strenuous trail where we can also see the beauty of Zion: The Hidden Canyon trail. Just having the word ‘Hidden’ in its name makes you wanna discover it. Oh well, human :P

Fun Fact: Hidden Canyon was referred to as the “Great White Crack” that was discover by accident, literally by accident, when a climber who was attempting to climb the Zion’s most famous landmark, Great White Throne, fell to the ‘Crack’ which is now known as the Hidden Canyon. (By the way, the man William Evans, miraculously made it alive after the fall. WOW!)

Serenity...

The Hidden Canyon is not a very long hike compared to other trails. It extends roughly about 2.5 to 3 miles. But it is known to be very steep and strenuous. Though, it started with a well maintained trail, it extends to less maintained and more difficult and narrower pathways. Also, this is definitely not for people with acrophobia or fear of heights because the trail is literally carved from the side of the monolith walls that’s, well, JUST thousands of feet from the ground.

It took us about a little more than 2 hours going up and reaching the ‘end’ of the trail which is a 20-foot natural arch.

I just looked like that I wasn't scared, you have no ideaaaa! :))

Halfway through... go fight!

Met new friends along the hike

Made it to the end of the Hidden Canyon trail (alive)! :D

(Other experienced hikers opt to go beyond that point to further explore the Hidden Canyon) Yay! Celebration!!!… but well we still needed to go back down and that was another adventure. All hikers need to be careful much more when going down. Sandstones can be slippery especially considering the steepness of the slopes of the trail. Good hiking shoes is definitely a must! 

Besides having good hiking shoes, I would say bringing water and food is, if not more important, at least equally important.

(That should go even without saying, but not for us!!! here’s a side story HAHA)

So, again being so arrogant, i think we underestimated the hike a little bit. Just because it says that it can be completed within 2-3hours, and 2.5 miles doesn’t sound very long right? WRONG! We just brought a bottle of water each and no food at all, we planned to just eat after. But, here’s when you don’t want your metabolism to go as fast :P My friend, (Kristine) ”Doc”, got very hungry to the point of passing out (just kidding). But we don’t have any food and water supply was almost done. To make the long story short, I had to ask food from strangers hahaha. But that went well, we got a protein bar and a banana. It saved the day or at least Doc from dying of starvation :))

There are parts of the trail where chains are mounted on to the carved sandstone walls that keeps hikers from falling off the cliff if they happened to slip or misstep.

OMG!!! I can't believe this girl! look at her at the back! GRRRR :))

I’m not afraid of heights but I’m not that brave either. Those chains are helpful plus it makes you feel like you really are in an adventure. Paths are narrow at some point, oh and did I mention that it’s a two-way trail, there’s people going up and some going down, that makes it even narrower. 

We finished the hike roughly for a total of 3-4 hours round trip. We were very tired, hungry and exhausted but we still felt like champions for completing the course. 

I believed that this is the best part of our whole long weekend getaway and I surely would want to come back and hike other trails to see more of Zion.

’Til next time! :D 

Lloyd xoxo

Here are some more photos showing the beauty of the Hidden Canyon.

[Photo and Video: Kristine Doctor]