Zion National Park. River Walk and Canyon Overlook

Zion National Park - River Walk and Canyon Overlook
The bus is the only way to get into the valley. We parked at Canyon Junction and had to take the bus back into Springdale. The bus driver was grumpy today. Since it was early we did not have any lines to wait in, but we did have to exit the bus, walk around the chains and then re-board the same bus. I have seen videos where there are a hundred people waiting for the bus. GO EARLY. GO OFF SEASON. I have read that Zion is the busiest park in the country over the summer.
Angel’s Landing is the best known hike in Zion. There is a lottery to get ticket to summit the trail, although you can get to Scout Lookout without a permit.
We did not hike either, but instead did the River Walk and Canyon Overlook. I liked both “hikes”.
I would not do the River Walk again unless the Narrows were open. Even a short hike up the Narrows is worth it. I would definitely do the Canyon Overlook again.
The River Walk is more of a walk than a hike. It is a paved path to the end, although you can walk along the Virgin River on the sand in many areas. Water flow this time of year prohibits any further travel up the Narrows. I will be returning in October to make the Narrows hike as well as Scout Lookout.
It was 1 mile in and 1 mile back and was a nice walk. The Canyon walls were colorful and closed in as we approached the end. You could see the trail for the Narrows start across the river at the end of the paved path. There were quite a few people on the trail. I can only imagine what the summers are like.
It started raining as soon as we got back on the bus. Our luck was holding as usual.
We drove back through the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel. The Canyon Over look trail is just at the end of the tunnel and the east entrance of the park. There was easy parking right along the highway. We waited for 5 minutes for the rain to stop and heading to the trailhead.
This was a great trail. The views along the trail were great and the view at the end spectacular. Since it is only a half mile out and a half mile back I would recommend this for anyone. There is almost no elevation gain outside of the first step going up off the road. You walk along the short canyon and wind along it to the edge of the canyon. The view back down the canyon is at the road that winds up to the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel. The view point we hiked to is on the right side of the huge arch seen from in the canyon. From Pull off down in the canyon, you can see people over the right side of the arch if you look closely.
We spent 2 days in Zion and it wasn’t enough time. We are returning October so we can hike the Narrows and Scout Lookout or Angel’s Rest if we can get a permit. But don’t arrive for two days. There is so much to see and 4 days should be a minimum.

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That was a great hike! Lovely views. Thanks for posting.