With our waterfalling passion in full swing, I had this idea to try to time a visit to Zion National Park (and its harsh desert environment) in the hopes of seeing waterfalls.

What transpired was this short weekend trip where we managed to see waterfalls under a rain storm.

The parents also came along on this trip as they started to participate more in our waterfalling excursions.

So at a time when most people might be shying away from hiking or just sightseeing, we actually embraced the wet weather and saw the park in somewhat unusual conditions which made the trip special in its own way…

Jump down to:  Trip Highlights ♦ Travel Itinerary

Hidden Canyon – This hike required us to traverse a narrow cliff-hugging ledge to access the mouth of the canyon. Then, once we were inside, we were blown away by the psychedelic patterns on the canyon walls. Some of them were reminiscent of something out of Jupiter. Anyways, we made it as far as the natural arch though I do wonder what else would be further up the canyon…

The catch here is that it’s not actually in the main part of the park. And many people usually drive past it on the way to Escalante or to the main part of the Bryce Canyon.

Zion Canyon Waterfalls – Our timing couldn’t have been done better when it came to bad weather because that was exactly what was needed to bring out the waterfalls fitting in the cracks and creases then plunging right into Zion Canyon. Indeed, we saw some pretty surreal displays of multiple waterfalls in one spot like at the Emerald Pools or in spots we never would have expected to see them like at the Temple of Sinawava.

Day 1: Drive from Los Angeles to Springdale

Overnight: Bumbleberry Inn (Springdale, Utah, USA)

This was just a driving day after getting off work. That way no one had to take a day off for this trip, but it also meant we wouldn’t arrive at our accommodation until pretty late at night.

Day 2: Kolob Canyons and Zion Canyon

Overnight: Bumbleberry Inn (Springdale, Utah, USA)

We began the day in Zion Canyon visiting Weeping Rock and hiking up to Hidden Canyon. Then, we drove out to the Kolob Finger Canyons, and that was when the weather started to turn foul. So there wasn’t much to see there under these conditions and we returned to Zion Canyon. When we got back there, Zion Canyon suddenly was full of waterfalls, which we really started to see on the Riverside Walk, then afterwards when we were on our way out of Zion Canyon towards Springdale.

Day 3: Drive Home

We spent the better part of the morning hiking up to the Emerald Pools to see how the waterfalls there were doing. Then, we left Zion Canyon and headed home.