Zion National Park Warnings and Dangers

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This warning is for any long steep hike, exposed to the sun all day. Bring water! I have attached some photos of people attempting Angel's Landing with little more than a 12 ounce bottle of water! One thing to keep in mind, the day I took these photo's it was 80 degrees out!

I don't know what these people are thinking but not only are they putting themselves in jeopardy, they risk the lives of rescuers and/or pulling rescuers away from possibly a more serious situation.

The women in the first picture have no daypack, and each holding just a 12 ounce bottle of water. The man and women again, one bottle of water each, no daypack and on top of that no shirt.

Last and the biggest offender, a man and woman with twin girls about 9-10 years old. Father is carrying only one 12 ounce bottle of water! For his family. Unbelievable!

While the East entrance road is gorgeous, delays may be experienced due to a tunnel (built in 1920's) too narrow for more than one large vehicle at a time.

RVs or vehicles larger than 7"10" wide and/or 11" 4" high must pay an addtional $15 entry fee (good for a return trip) for traffic control needed to allow passage. Rangers on either side of the tunnel will stop traffic while the vehicle passes through the tunnel. A lot of RVs in one day can result in long traffic delays during the busy season.

Contact the park for more info on tunnel restrictions if driving RVs, and reference the link below.

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This is a great trail until you get to the final leg of the Angel's Landing trail. My son and I went past Scout Lookout and encountered the cables for a bit. The cables are not placed correctly to ensure your safety. The rock is littered with sand, making it very slippery. Nothing but sheer drop offs. We saw people trying to go up the final accent to Angel's Landing wearing sandals, thongs and no shoes at all.

My son was 22 years old and I was 50 at the time. Both in decent shape and aware of of suroundings and the danger. My son didn't want to go any further. I too felt it was unsafe. We spoke to two Rangers afterward and they told us about how many people have fallen to their deaths climbing Angel's Landing. It is a National Park and you are responsible for your safety they said.

I would recommend hiking up as far as you are comfortable. If you have kids with you pay extra attention to them and their safety. I feel there are great views all the way up to Scout Lookout. Enjoy Refrigerator Canyon and get a great workout going up the 21 switchbacks at Walter's Wiggles.

I just felt I should warn people about the danger at the end of this trail for visitors.

As memorable as the cables on Half Dome, the final 'chokepoint' on the trail up Angel's Landing is along the summit crest. Anchored cable chains provide more stability on the steep vertical ground in this section. Forego this area when conditions are wet. Forego this area if you have a fear of heights.

If you are afraid of heights, Angel's Landing might not be for you. The final section of the hike is a chained section over the very spine of the peak. There are 1500 foot steep drop-offs on each side but worse are the people coming down who are getting an even hairier view than you. Them clutching the chains, white-knuckled does little for your own self-confidence. Don't look down and forge straight up. It's worth it!

Hiking in Zion Canyon in the Virgin River can be a unique and very rewarding experience. However, hiking in such a canyon can be very treacherous. Please always talk to rangers about the water levels and other dangers before heading to either the short or long versions of the Narrows hike.

Water levels/floods: The river is fed from streams and creeks hundreds of miles away. Even if the weather is clear the day you want to hike, a rain storm a day before a hundred miles upstream could trigger a flash flood that scrapes the canyon walls, with lots of debris inside. There are portions of the canyon, especially the Narrows section, where there is no high ground and no where to escape a flood. Watch the weather carefully and heed the ranger's recommendations on water levels.

Rocks: The river is filled with rocks of varying sizes. They are also slippery with mosses and worn smooth with water. Be careful while walking. My hiking partner turned an ankle partway through our trek and limped the whole rest of the way. A staff is a good bet to help keep your balance.

Do not take these warnings lightly... nearly every year people are injured or killed in the canyon which is very preventable. The year I did the whole hike 3 Californians had been killed just 2 weeks before I arrived. It is not meant to scare you away, but as with anything in Mother Nature, take heed and precautions.

Some of you that don't have a fear of heights may think I am being a bit too cautious. However, I must tell you to please be careful when hiking in Zion. There are some steep drop offs, and a fall from one of these would definitely be harmful, if not fatal. Just use common sense, and you will be fine.

Get into the park as soon as possible it gets really crowded by about 10-11am. If you are driving through it you will get ffrustrated if you don't leave early. There are many slow driving lookie loos who won't pull over for other traffic.