Backpacking Zion National Park in mid-October

[boulderrr]

My brother, best friend, girlfriend, and I are planning a trip to Utah for mid-October. We were originally going to do this trip in July (due to impatience), but I convinced everyone that the heat would be absolutely miserable then. My brother and friend live on the East Coast and have never really seen Utah so we are planning to travel around the state a bit.

One of our plans is to do a 1-2 night backpacking trip through Zion. I'm looking for suggestions as to what a good 1-2 nighter would be to get the most out of Zion. Like I said, my brother and friend are coming from the East Coast and aren't the most experienced backpackers (though not competely inexperienced), so I don't want to get them into anything too extreme. Ideally, we'd like to be able to hike a few miles with our packs, set up camp, and have plenty of time to explore the area near camp without all our gear. We'd even consider camping 2 nights in the same spot if there is enough to see in the area. We will likely have two vehicles so shuttling shouldn't be a problem.

Reservations for backcountry sites in October become available on August 1st so I'm trying to get this figured out so that we can ensure that we get a good spot before they're reserved. I see that there is a lottery system for the Left Fork North Creek (Subway) and Mystery Canyon so am assuming these must be pretty spectacular if they're so sought after. I've also heard the Narrows are awesome, but have never been to Zion so any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks so much for your help!

[mattandersao]

Left Fork (subway) is day permit only, Mystery day only and technical.

Zion has some pretty mild backpacking trips. West Rim Trail, East Rim Backcountry, and La Verkin Creek/Hop Valley.

[boulderrr]

Left Fork (subway) is day permit only, Mystery day only and technical.


Guess I should have read those descriptions a little bit more carefully. :roll:

If you had one choice of the three you mentioned to take someone who has never been to Zion before (in October), which would it be? Sorry for the grilling... you may not plead the 5th. :bandit:

[trackrunner]

If you had one choice of the three you mentioned to take someone who has never been to Zion before (in October), which would it be? Sorry for the grilling... you may not plead the 5th. :bandit:

depends on what you are looking for. If your want to see sandstone towers on either of the rim (east or west) you will only see that when you approach or in the main canyon of Zion. The rim hikes are higher in altitude and forested with large Ponderosa Pine trees. If you start close to the rim you will lose altitude. Starting from the canyon you will gain altitude.

Lee Pass to Hop valley will be below the sandstone cliffs. But the trail is sand, sand, sand. Trail provides access to Kolob Arch one of the largest/longest free standing arches in the world. With Hop Valley/Lee Pass drops almost 1000ft in altitude that you'll have to make up hiking out (even if done point to point). Some people I know hate Hop Valley but I like it but it is long and the same type of scenery for hours.

There is also the Narrows from the top down and can be backpacked. You will need dry sacks to keep gear that must be dry.

[boulderrr]

I assume the water in the Narrows would be pretty cold in October. I also imagine that the water level would be lower than in summer. Would you suggest wet/dry suits for mid-October? Also, would you suggest just getting rafting-type dry bags big enough to fit our packs in, but with straps so we can carry them on our backs? Is it safe to assume there are plenty of places to rent wet suits and dry bags nearby?

[boulderrr]

Bump! Trying to lock in backcountry reservations tomorrow... Thanks all!

[boulderrr]

I see lots of sites and guides saying that a 2-day through the Narrows is a good way to go. Would it be crazy to do a 3 day 2 nighter through there so that we have more time to explore? I was looking at the NPS map of the backcountry sites and it seems it would work out to stay in #2 for the first night, then #9 or #10 for the next night. By their timetable, that would be about a 4 hour hike the first day to site #2, then about a 3.5 hour hike to site #9 or #10, then about 5 hours out the next day. Any words of wisdom on this plan? Thanks again for the help. I really appreciate it.

http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/upload/Narrows%20campsite%20map.pdf

Edit: it looks like you can't make reservations in advance for site #1. We'll have more than 4 people so the closest site that allows 6 and allows reservations looks to be #4, and #9 looks to be a good one further down the canyon for the second night.

Edit again: Just talked to Zion. You're only allowed one night in the Narrows and a wetsuit likely isn't needed in October.