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BaxTheDestroyer t1_j76j9mq wrote

Zion is a super underrated National Park. The Angel's Landing hike is legendary and The Narrows look like another planet.

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videoman2 t1_j76jz5u wrote

Have you been in recent years? Before covid is was like Disney land of rocks. So. Many. People. I’m all for getting folks out to nature so we can all enjoy it, but the NPS feels like they are going to destroy a lot of these amazing places.

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BaxTheDestroyer t1_j76lerr wrote

I went before and since covid and yeah it was getting crowded. They recently started limiting hikers on Angel's Landing so that is probably good.

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AttentionSpanZero t1_j76uwi1 wrote

Yes, not underrated at all. Soooo many people. I was there around Thanksgiving and it was jam packed. Meanwhile Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon were absolutely empty. Even the Grand Canyon had far fewer people. Zion is beautiful, but its main road is a bottleneck in both directions.

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Murfdigidy t1_j76lk6g wrote

Yea the one drawback to this park is the crowds. Need to find off season to enjoy the true beauty of this park without the craziness. Being near Vegas and within striking distance from California make it crowded.

Also when doing any of the popular hikes go at the crack of dawn before all the amateurs head out at 10am. It will still be busy but you'll atleast be with people that put in the effort and preparation to do zion hikes. Once 10am hit it was filled with every Joe moron doing the narrows in flip flops for example.

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drudruisme t1_j77k8cf wrote

Don't want too many people? Do like my nefew and go in winter! Picture from a few days ago: https://imgur.com/7gWVI5x

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GenericReditAccount t1_j77w05f wrote

Off season/shoulder season travel is my advice regardless of where you’re going. We went to Zion in early May pre-covid, and though there were people, it was nothing like going during the high season. No lines for trails, easy to get lost, plenty of room on the buses.

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Mrrealitypants OP t1_j76mace wrote

I had never been before this year. I went in August when it was a bit cold and it seemed like there were few people. Absolutely beautiful. Didn't get to do angels landing though as we weren't able to get a pass in time but I'm not even a little bit sad.

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mistere213 t1_j788kia wrote

I just hiked it on November 1st. Not peak season, for sure, but it wasn't super busy. I applied for, and got, a permit in their lottery. Though if you got to the Angel's trailhead before 10am, there wasn't a ranger to check, anyway. Highly recommend the hike. Unless you hate heights like the two women I met. Another guy and I carefully guided them back to the trailhead after they got to a point where they froze from being freaked out.

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Kerensky97 t1_j77c52v wrote

Recently it's made it into the 3rd mostly visited park in the NPS system. Beating Yellowstone and Yosemite. I think it's quite well rated.

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BTYOR t1_j76nma9 wrote

Having worked for the nps there, I would say it's super overrated. It's in the top 5 of most visited, super overcrowded, and there are much cooler parks out there. It's still incredible, but it's definitely a known thing.

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FerretZealousideal38 t1_j76shxz wrote

I was lucky and went to all the great parks in the late 90's before everything was so popular. We went to Toroweep, and were the only people there. I think there were less than 5 cars at Zion. We did Angel's Landing and were the only people on the trail in late April. Bryce Canyon too, one camper ahead of us, and no one else. I'm glad I got to see all these places before they got crowded, because I wouldn't go now.

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pikagrrl t1_j77zztj wrote

Highly recommend the top down hike of the narrows. The first day it’s just you and nature and it’s truly amazing.

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trev_hawk t1_j79ieba wrote

Went to all five NPs in Utah last September… and Zion’s was by far the busiest park. Went there the Friday after Labor Day and the trails/shuttles were just jammed packed. Way busier than Arches was on Labor Day weekend (but it seems like their timed entry system is working well).

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