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ebbi93 t1_j771aqy wrote

Tbh much better than Grand Canyon

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sik_dik t1_j791jpw wrote

completely agree. I've been 8 times to Zion, twice to GC

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evanc3 t1_j793ukh wrote

How do you feel about bryce canyon?

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sik_dik t1_j7967fe wrote

bryce is gorgeous for a couple hours. the colors and shapes are very loud. so after a couple hours, to me, it just gets to be too much.

I've been twice. it's very otherworldly, and I'd highly recommend seeing it for yourself in person. but wait until you have access to the whole park(post-snow season). if you want to hike down into it, do a quick route with a lot of formations

or if you just want to drive through for a couple hours, doing it during the snow season can be especially scenic, because having the white to contrast the browns and reds makes it more palatable.

TLDR: it's like Mars. awesome, rare, unlike anything else on earth. but it's not a place I'd want to spend a lot of time

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evanc3 t1_j796sfr wrote

Thanks for the reply! I've actually been to Bryce and Zion (not grand canyon though), and I thought Bryce was prettier. I really just wanted to see your opinion as someone very familiar with the area. Your advice is great though! We did a moderate hike down and back up a different way and hit all of the major formations easily within half a day.

I agree with you. Though, I'm more eager to go back to Zion. I'm way too claustrophobic to do the narrows, and angels landing was already booked (it was a last minute trip for me), so i havent even seen a lot of the "good stuff". Really looking forward to getting back there.

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sik_dik t1_j79a53o wrote

yeah. unfortunately angel's landing has gotten to the point they have to do permits and reservations during the peak seasons. I've seen pics of the line of people waiting hundreds of feet behind even where it gets narrow enough for only one person to pass.

the alternate beauty spot is observation point. but unfortunately the hike up from the canyon is closed because of a huge rockslide a few years ago, which probably exacerbated the angel's landing demand. it's still accessible from the east perimeter of the park, but my close-second favorite part of the hike(echo canyon) is on the route up from the main canyon. it's still worth doing, though I've only ever done it up from the canyon myself

the view from up there is unmatched. it just doesn't have the adventure of angel's landing

and you might be surprised how far you can get into the narrows before claustrophobia would kick in. wall street is a ways up into it. you have to hike for a couple hours to get that far up. if you make another trip, I highly recommend it. although the timing on it is important, as well. I did it in mid August, and the water/air temp balance was perfect, and it was also at a relatively low level

the thing I would say between bryce and zion is that zion seems to me to be more grand, even though it's very intimate. bryce is gorgeous also from a distance, but when you're up close and personal with the hoodoos and such, it just gets old. I can't really explain it, but it's almost like a really amazing taste you get at first, but after you've been eating it for a couple hours, the taste is just too overbearing and no longer enjoyable. the panoramic of bryce is gorgeous, but zion is gorgeous both up close AND at a distance

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KameSama93 t1_j77p1tb wrote

[Loads .45 with religious intent]

This here is whiteleg country

[Gets killed by a Cazadore]

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BaxTheDestroyer t1_j76j9mq wrote

Zion is a super underrated National Park. The Angel's Landing hike is legendary and The Narrows look like another planet.

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videoman2 t1_j76jz5u wrote

Have you been in recent years? Before covid is was like Disney land of rocks. So. Many. People. I’m all for getting folks out to nature so we can all enjoy it, but the NPS feels like they are going to destroy a lot of these amazing places.

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BaxTheDestroyer t1_j76lerr wrote

I went before and since covid and yeah it was getting crowded. They recently started limiting hikers on Angel's Landing so that is probably good.

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AttentionSpanZero t1_j76uwi1 wrote

Yes, not underrated at all. Soooo many people. I was there around Thanksgiving and it was jam packed. Meanwhile Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon were absolutely empty. Even the Grand Canyon had far fewer people. Zion is beautiful, but its main road is a bottleneck in both directions.

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Murfdigidy t1_j76lk6g wrote

Yea the one drawback to this park is the crowds. Need to find off season to enjoy the true beauty of this park without the craziness. Being near Vegas and within striking distance from California make it crowded.

Also when doing any of the popular hikes go at the crack of dawn before all the amateurs head out at 10am. It will still be busy but you'll atleast be with people that put in the effort and preparation to do zion hikes. Once 10am hit it was filled with every Joe moron doing the narrows in flip flops for example.

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drudruisme t1_j77k8cf wrote

Don't want too many people? Do like my nefew and go in winter! Picture from a few days ago: https://imgur.com/7gWVI5x

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GenericReditAccount t1_j77w05f wrote

Off season/shoulder season travel is my advice regardless of where you’re going. We went to Zion in early May pre-covid, and though there were people, it was nothing like going during the high season. No lines for trails, easy to get lost, plenty of room on the buses.

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Mrrealitypants OP t1_j76mace wrote

I had never been before this year. I went in August when it was a bit cold and it seemed like there were few people. Absolutely beautiful. Didn't get to do angels landing though as we weren't able to get a pass in time but I'm not even a little bit sad.

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mistere213 t1_j788kia wrote

I just hiked it on November 1st. Not peak season, for sure, but it wasn't super busy. I applied for, and got, a permit in their lottery. Though if you got to the Angel's trailhead before 10am, there wasn't a ranger to check, anyway. Highly recommend the hike. Unless you hate heights like the two women I met. Another guy and I carefully guided them back to the trailhead after they got to a point where they froze from being freaked out.

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Kerensky97 t1_j77c52v wrote

Recently it's made it into the 3rd mostly visited park in the NPS system. Beating Yellowstone and Yosemite. I think it's quite well rated.

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BTYOR t1_j76nma9 wrote

Having worked for the nps there, I would say it's super overrated. It's in the top 5 of most visited, super overcrowded, and there are much cooler parks out there. It's still incredible, but it's definitely a known thing.

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FerretZealousideal38 t1_j76shxz wrote

I was lucky and went to all the great parks in the late 90's before everything was so popular. We went to Toroweep, and were the only people there. I think there were less than 5 cars at Zion. We did Angel's Landing and were the only people on the trail in late April. Bryce Canyon too, one camper ahead of us, and no one else. I'm glad I got to see all these places before they got crowded, because I wouldn't go now.

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pikagrrl t1_j77zztj wrote

Highly recommend the top down hike of the narrows. The first day it’s just you and nature and it’s truly amazing.

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trev_hawk t1_j79ieba wrote

Went to all five NPs in Utah last September… and Zion’s was by far the busiest park. Went there the Friday after Labor Day and the trails/shuttles were just jammed packed. Way busier than Arches was on Labor Day weekend (but it seems like their timed entry system is working well).

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terdfergesson t1_j76vdk5 wrote

The whole of southern Utah is spectacular

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No_Appointment1 t1_j77erl3 wrote

SW Utah is one of the most dramatically geographically adorned places on earth.

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StannisLivesOn t1_j77hbin wrote

Oh, THAT'S why he was talking about Zion. I see.

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Left-Inevitable1009 t1_j78tvhi wrote

Agreed! Also, if/when y’all visit I know the narrows get all the hype (especially in summer) but they are indeed very much worth the time and battling the tourists.

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musicmostly t1_j78urjs wrote

My goodness this is a fabulous photo. Hope the trip was just as good.

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Lickford t1_j76jtfd wrote

The west side of the park is amazing also.

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checkksout t1_j77jjuz wrote

That sliver of sky is a sweet touch. Great capture.

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hoffmanmclaunsky t1_j78ynz7 wrote

My favorite place on Earth (so far). It's just magical.

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sik_dik t1_j791nti wrote

trail to canyon overlook?

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granitejon t1_j79gacg wrote

I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion

I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion

Iron Lion Zion, Iron Lion Zion, Iron Lion Zion

Iron like a Lion in Zion, Iron like a lion in Zion

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