Like a diorama, the entire canyon is laid out before us. And that’s when the magic begins. It starts with a soft red glow, then a tiny spark, then before our eyes the canyon walls unfurl a curtain of golden sunlight.

August 25–27, 2023

In August, Zion National Park is hot. So hot in fact, Park Service warn visitors by demonstrating the ability to bake cookies on your car’s dashboard. That’s hot. And yet perhaps that’s why campsites for Watchman Campground were still open for a last-minute, spur of the moment trip. So we pack our bags and head out on a 3-night excursion to southern Utah. Arriving late afternoon at the South Entrance, the portal to Zion Canyon, we enter the park and immediately turn right to check in at the campground, set up camp and hit the trails for sunset. As we unload the car, a family of deer scrounges around the campground looking for a bit of relief from the sun and roadrunners dart across the paths.

From the campground, we are able to take the Watchman Trail up to a viewpoint over the park entrance area. Even this moderate 3-mile hike feels grueling in the near 100ºF heat. But the sun is lowering and views of the sunset on The Watchman, a prominent peak in the area, come highly recommended so we press on. A small loop on a small plateau signals the end of the trail. From here, we take in the views of the setting sun on The Watchman, the opposing temples of rock and the small town of Springdale just outside the park.

The hike down is cooler, though still warm. Having drained our waterbottles on the way up, we look forward to a refreshing refill back at camp. On the way down, we strategize an early-morning sunrise hike to Angels Landing the next day. As one of the most iconic and daring hikes in the park system, Angels Landing rises 1,488 feet in the center of the valley floor offering dramatic 360º views of Zion Canyon. As legend has it, early explorers thought the pinnacle was so steep only an angel could land on its summit. Even though that theory was proven false shortly after, the ascent up Angels Landing is still dangerous even by modern standards. Because of its precarious thousand-foot drop offs, the park regulates the number of hikers per day on Angels Landing for safety. So, stopping by the visitor center after Watchman Trail, we use the wifi to secure a permit for our hike the next day. We then make a quick dinner and turn in for the night.

Because Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only open to private vehicles in the winter, we cannot drive to Angels Landing. But we came prepared. We may not be able to drive back to the trailhead, but we can bike. So with sunrise projected for 6:57 a.m., we wake up at 5 a.m. and pedal the 5-mile road uphill in the dark to West Rim Trailhead, the start of Angels Landing. Locking our bikes, we begin the ascent. From what it seems, we are the first hikers on the trail. Huffing and puffing, we race the rising sun to the top. An early morning ranger waits at Scouts Lookout to check our permit before we turn onto the final pitch. The last leg is exhilarating with a tight twisting pathway of stairs and chain handrails, perched high over the canyon below.

At last, out of breath we reach the top. The sky is pregnant with a sunrise on the eastern horizon. With the summit to ourselves, the scene is even more unbelievable than we imagined. Immediately below us and all around, the Virgin River winds through the very cliffs and trees we just spent an hour switchbacking up. Like a diorama, the entire canyon is laid out before us. And that’s when the magic begins. It starts with a soft red glow, then a tiny spark, then before our eyes the canyon walls unfurl a curtain of golden sunlight. The canyon bursts to life in the new day.

The return hike is much different than the ascent. For one thing, we can see where the trail leads without the tunnel-vision of a headlamp. For another, we can set a leisurely pace without racing the clock. And of course, the entire route is downhill, an added cherry on top. We pass countless other people on their own way up to Angels Landing, making us grateful for our early, but quiet morning trek.

Though we’ve been awake for hours at this point, the morning is still young and cool, so back at the trailhead we mount our bikes and continue up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive stopping at Weeping Rock Trail and Big Bend Viewpoint along the way. Looping around at the Temple of Sinawava, we enjoy dipping our feet in the river. The ride back to camp is downhill and relaxing after the morning’s nonstop activities.

The afternoon consists of puttering up and down the lower sections of the river near the campground, spotting frogs, lizards and a great blue heron along the shoreline. With sunset approaching we position ourselves at the Canyon Junction Bridge for an iconic view of the Watchman presiding over the Virgin River. The last light of day kisses rock face and the canyon fades into evening. Stars pop out overhead on the way back to camp for our last night in the park.

We need to pack up camp and head out early the next morning, but not before we attempt a bucket list photograph. Rising before dawn, we drive up Zion-Mount Carmel Highway to Canyon Overlook Trail at 6:15 a.m. Just half a mile from the trailhead is a drop off giving way to views of the highway’s 6 switchbacks below the mighty West Temple rock formation. With a tripod and camera in hand, we spend the next 45 minutes capturing cars winding up the road below, illuminating the roadway in the blue hour light. Jazzed at the success of the shot, we wait just a little while longer until the sun crests the ridge behind us igniting The West Temple. The already red rock glows like hot iron in the new sunlight, a perfect scene to cap off the hike.

We make our way back to the car and return to Watchman Campground to pack up and head out. Saying goodby to Zion, we drive up and out on Highway 9 towards Bryce Canyon National Park, in awe of our stay—thankful for exceptional hikes, cooperative weather and unimaginable beauty. And little do we know our mind is about to be equally blown at our next destination just a few hours away.