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Post by hikerjer on Apr 21, 2016 19:36:26 GMT -8
On Monday, I returned from a week-long trip to southern Utah. The plan was to spend some time in Bryce Canyon and Zion, places where I hadn't been in some time - close to 20 years, I'd say. First, let me say that Utah, all of it that I saw, was just spectacular. I stayed off the Interstate and took back roads whenever I could and was amply rewarded with just gorgeous scenery everywhere I went all the way down. The first two days in Bryce Canyon I did a couple of easy but beautiful day hikes. - the Fairyland Trail and the Navaho Loop. Incredible scenery. The last morning in Bryce I woke up to four inches of snow so I made the short drive to Zion and after hanging out at the campground for half a day, the next morning I set out on the hike I've always wanted to do - Angel's Landing. Having heard so much about it and it being one of the country's most iconic hikes, it's been on my to-do list for a long time. The hike itself and view from the summit is drop dead gorgeous as is all of Zion and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the top which I reached in just under two hours. Not bad for an old guy I thought and I'm pretty sure I was the oldest guy on the trail. The downside, and it was a real downer, was the incredible number of people on the trail. I mean I just wasn't prepared for it. Now, I've been on a lot of crowded trails in a lot of national parks, but I'd never experienced anything like this. The hike up the paved path, which surprised me - Paved? Really? - was crowded enough but when I go to the landing just before the chained area which gives you security going up the last stage of the hike to the top, I was simply overwhelmed by the masses of people. There were hundreds and I assure you that's no exaggeration, of people ascending to the top. It was one long and constant line of people going both directions - up and down. Every time you came to a corner or bend, there was a bottleneck and sometimes you had to wait for ten minutes to let the people coming down pass before you could continue up. Ridiculous. Nothing but a huge conga line all the way up. I thought the line up Mt. Bierstdt on the Pickle Gulch climb was crowded when I attended the gathering there a few years ago but compared to this, it was relatively uncrowded on Bierstadt. Honestly, I've never experienced anything like the crowds I did here. Just incredible. And the type of crowds. Wow. People carrying their babies in backpacks where a single stumble or trip would haved had been diastorous. Short ones, tall ones, fat ones, small ones. Young kids like 5 and 6 years of age doing it with their parents - good, I think. Co-eds in tank tops, shorts sandals and a water bottle in their hand. Not nearly prepared for any kind of change in the weather which fortunately remained beautiful. Unfortunately, the crowded conditions applied to all of Zion. Absolutely stunning scenery but incredibly crowded. I just couldn't believe it. I mean this was April. The only way I managed to snag a campsite in the campground was to be in line at 700 a.m. and then I was still lucky to get one. I was going to hike the Narrows but due to heavy rains they were closed because of high water and possible flash floods. So, all in all, it was mixed results - great scenery but just far too many people for my liking. Of course, I realize, I was a part of the problem.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 21, 2016 19:59:33 GMT -8
That's too bad. I'm glad most people stick to famous places and leave thousands of Utah's beautiful canyons to the lucky few who choose to wander trails not publicized in the Sunday newspaper travel supplement.
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Post by hikerjer on Apr 21, 2016 20:01:34 GMT -8
I'm glad most people stick to famous places and leave thousands of Utah's beautiful canyons to the lucky few who choose to wander trails not publicized in the Sunday newspaper travel supplement. Still, you've got to do it, if only once. |
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 21, 2016 20:24:24 GMT -8
I'm glad most people stick to famous places and leave thousands of Utah's beautiful canyons to the lucky few who choose to wander trails not publicized in the Sunday newspaper travel supplement. Still, you've got to do it, if only once. Yes, I can't deny the temptation. I'll have to aim for early winter if the trail is clear of snow and ice. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2016 20:41:22 GMT -8
. . . great scenery but just far too many people for my liking. . . . I could have some deep inner conflicts about that fact, if I let it bother me. But in the last few years, I found something similar so often that I've been content to brush aside the awe-inspiring views for the solitude of wild places no one else seems to ever visit. I'm glad you got to see and experience those places, but I can sure understand how the experience isn't what we might hope for. |
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Apr 21, 2016 21:18:13 GMT -8
On Monday, I returned from a week-long trip to southern Utah. The plan was to spend some time in Bryce Canyon and Zion, places where I hadn't been in some time - close to 20 years, I'd say. First, let me say that Utah, all of it that I saw, was just spectacular. I stayed off the Interstate and took back roads whenever I could and was amply rewarded with just gorgeous scenery everywhere I went all the way down. The first two days in Bryce Canyon I did a couple of easy but beautiful day hikes. - the Fairyland Trail and the Navaho Loop. Incredible scenery. The last morning in Bryce I woke up to four inches of snow so I made the short drive to Zion and after hanging out at the campground for half a day, the next morning I set out on the hike I've always wanted to do - Angel's Landing. Having heard so much about it and it being one of the country's most iconic hikes, it's been on my to-do list for a long time. The hike itself and view from the summit is drop dead gorgeous as is all of Zion and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the top which I reached in just under two hours. Not bad for an old guy I thought and I'm pretty sure I was the oldest guy on the trail. The downside, and it was a real downer, was the incredible number of people on the trail. I mean I just wasn't prepared for it. Now, I've been on a lot of crowded trails in a lot of national parks, but I'd never experienced anything like this. The hike up the paved path, which surprised me - Paved? Really? - was crowded enough but when I go to the landing just before the chained area which gives you security going up the last stage of the hike to the top, I was simply overwhelmed by the masses of people. There were hundreds and I assure you that's no exaggeration, of people ascending to the top. It was one long and constant line of people going both directions - up and down. Every time you came to a corner or bend, there was a bottleneck and sometimes you had to wait for ten minutes to let the people coming down pass before you could continue up. Ridiculous. Nothing but a huge conga line all the way up. I thought the line up Mt. Bierstdt on the Pickle Gulch climb was crowded when I attended the gathering there a few years ago but compared to this, it was relatively uncrowded on Bierstadt. Honestly, I've never experienced anything like the crowds I did here. Just incredible. And the type of crowds. Wow. People carrying their babies in backpacks where a single stumble or trip would haved had been diastorous. Short ones, tall ones, fat ones, small ones. Young kids like 5 and 6 years of age doing it with their parents - good, I think. Co-eds in tank tops, shorts sandals and a water bottle in their hand. Not nearly prepared for any kind of change in the weather which fortunately remained beautiful. Unfortunately, the crowded conditions applied to all of Zion. Absolutely stunning scenery but incredibly crowded. I just couldn't believe it. I mean this was April. The only way I managed to snag a campsite in the campground was to be in line at 700 a.m. and then I was still lucky to get one. I was going to hike the Narrows but due to heavy rains they were closed because of high water and possible flash floods. So, all in all, it was mixed results - great scenery but just far too many people for my liking. Of course, I realize, I was a part of the problem. |
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Apr 21, 2016 21:20:34 GMT -8
There's a reason it's popular, but I can see where too many people grate on the experience. May try slightly off-season to avoid most of said crowds.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Apr 22, 2016 2:53:35 GMT -8
I was there 15 years ago, and it was a fine Sept day. There were about 12 people on top, and less than that on the chains. It was a wonderful experience. I am one of those who prefer my time anywhere to be with fewer others, so it is a good thing I wasn't along with you.
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Post by hikerjer on Apr 22, 2016 7:17:46 GMT -8
so it is a good thing I wasn't along with you. Nothing personal, I hope. |
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Apr 22, 2016 7:36:16 GMT -8
Nope, I just hate crowds, especially on narrow trails. 
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Post by hikerjer on Apr 22, 2016 8:38:20 GMT -8
Nope, I just hate crowds, especially on narrow trails. I'm totally with you on that. Still, all in all, I'm glad I took the hike. It could have been under different and better circumstances, though. I'm not sure if I'll ever do it again. Like others have said, there are lots of other spectacular and less crowded places to walk in. |
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Post by hikerchick395 on Apr 22, 2016 8:55:24 GMT -8
I think, once the shuttle buses start running, there are more crowds. I went up a couple of years ago just days before the buses started. No parking spots were available but my husband dropped me off. The hike was busy, but not enough to tie up the narrow sections of the trail. It was fun. And we'll have to go again, so he can go up. We, too, had not been for years...probably 25...when we visited in the winter, on a ski trip.
My big shocker was Moab. It had a few motels/lodges, one small grocery store, a few campgrounds and limited other small businesses when we saw it last in 1985. Wow, has it grown!
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Post by hikerjer on Apr 22, 2016 10:15:55 GMT -8
I suppose timing is everything. Next time it will be very early spring, like March, or late fall, like November.
I agree with you on Moab. It's turned into a real zoo.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Apr 22, 2016 12:10:17 GMT -8
I can feel the wonder of your experience just reading your words. The Colorado Plateau of Utah is a strange world that indeed has many special world class places. There are numbers of spectacular places that are still off the public's radar in part because they lack paved road access. And vast areas to hike off dirt roads much less trails that never see people. I've been trying to go back over the last half dozen years but at least the Capitol Reef, San Rafael desert, and Moab areas I am most excited about have been somewhat droughty. Last fall and early winter was rather wet but then it got moderately dry in late winter so pulled the plug on that notion which would have started in a couple weeks. A decade ago when I took the below image, absolutely no others had walked on these bentonite clay hills in years, maybe since the uranium prospecting days of the cold war as their ultra soft surface was a smooth as a baby's butt.  |
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Woodsie
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Post by Woodsie on Apr 22, 2016 12:35:52 GMT -8
Oh my, I'd have to take valium or something to deal with that many people. Even if you think you are mentally prepared for hordes of people, it can still have a negative impact on the hiking experience. As I get older I have less and less tolerance for large crowds.
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