Hey fammm. Coming at you today from this beautiful office. It’s messy, it’s green, and it’s perfect. If you’re wanting to learn about these cute little beauties on the ground, check out some future posts where I’ll dive more into our gardening system this year. Although we haven’t touched on it as much as I’d like, Habitual Balance will focus as well on homesteading, gardening and growing beautiful foods to fuel your family at home or on the trail. Stay tuned for the future friends, I’ve got you. 😌❤️🥬 Until then, let’s talk about the fabulously awesome Narrows trail in Zion National Park, and where we stayed during our time in Utah. (My SECOND favorite state!) 😍
(As mentioned in the previous post, apologies again for the poorer photo quality in advance! These were taken in October of 2022 when we had less awesome phones! I still wanted to include them however to give perspective of how beautiful the time we spent there was. We have way more Angels Landing pics than Narrows photos since it was a last-minute decision, so I’ll be including some of those in the post today instead).
Our Favorite Zion Stay (and the Secret to Booking It Cheaper)
Utah was on our bucket list as soon as we got back from Arizona the first time around. We fell in love with the desert immediately and knew we’d be back stat, but noticed that Zion National Park had so much to offer as well, and therefore decided to check that out when we headed west for the second go around. ✈️
While we were sorting through places to stay, we came across this seriously amazing resort by the name of Coral Springs. Since this was before our days of checking into Airbnbs, I was flabbergasted to learn that this resort was not only exactly where we needed it to be, but also EXTREMELY affordable compared to other options nearby.
Even up until now, (about 2.5 years later), we still rave about how wonderful this stay was and how much we saved on the financial side of things because of booking Coral Springs through privatevacations.com. I have no idea how I even found it, but we were overly thrilled with our entire stay and have zero complaints. If you’re looking for something near Zion, this resort in Saint George is the absolute best that I’d recommend.
(Use code PVSUMMER at checkout for an extra 20% off your next getaway.)
Since we arrived here before the park, let me preface this post with a little more detail about our stay there…
As we were planning this trip, we decided to focus on being more budget-friendly, removing takeout and dining options (with the exception of one beautiful dinner spot which I’ll mention later), and sought out a place where we could cook 90% of the time that was comfy and allowed us to do our laundry as well. (Loved this option since that allowed us to pack way less, too!) 🧳
I loved that it was a keyless entry, with a digital pad and no “go to this desk and see this person for 30 minutes” kind of deal. We strive for efficiency and comfort on our trips, so being able to do this without having to interact with additional personnel really made it more home-y. We pulled our rental into the covered garage (bougie, right?!), and carried our luggage up the outdoor stairs to our room.
Affordable Luxury Near Zion: Coral Springs Resort in St. George
At the front door we were already blown away. It had a fantastic patio with a view of the land, aesthetic decor for desert-vibe peeps like myself, and instructions on everything and anything you could think of as soon as we walked in. It was super clean, perfectly laid out, (so much so that we talked about modeling our future home as such!), and included more than we could imagine.
(Which were luxuries such as!)
- A full (GIANT) kitchen that was so freaking gorgeous I wasn’t even a bit inclined to leave for meals
- Two (2!) bathrooms including one that had a jet tub and his & her sinks (jet tubs are ESSENTIAL for us especially after hiking or backpacking, and are increasingly harder to come by as hotels slowly do away with them…sad face.)
- A full laundry room with all supplies necessary 🧺
- A comfy king bed and spacious couch in a huge living room where we streamed our YouTube onto so we could watch one last Angels Landing vlog before heading to hike it! (Want to hear about our experience there? Check out this post to read more)
- An indoor AND outdoor fireplace (it wasn’t needed yet as it was early October, but when we go back someday (which we definitely will be), we will be hopefully able to indulge in using both! I turned them on really quick for a photo-op, of course!) The outdoor patio had a perfect view of the moon that week, and a grill as well were we to want to step away from the amazing kitchen space. (Which your girl was completely content in.)
As you can tell, this place was a dream. We would usually stay in hotels up until this point, being kind of cramped unless we wanted to pay up, and without an option to do laundry or cook meals (without a hefty price tag).
Coral Spring Resorts paved the way for us to begin booking with Airbnb and local more affordable options, and now I couldn’t imagine life without it.
I’d never heard of privatevacations.com before, but I’m so grateful to have stumbled upon it since it was nearly the same price for an entire week that we would have paid at a hotel chain for one or two nights! This allowed us to save almost half of what we usually spend (on hotel rooms and eating at restaurants) and gave us more available funds to spend on kayaking the nearby Quail Creek Reservoir or dining at The Cliffside Restaurant that overlooks the St. George Valley.
Check it out if you’re looking for an affordable option to stay near Zion, I would highly recommend! ✨
Now, let’s get into the Narrows in Zion National Park! (or through them, rather) 🤷♀️
I wanted to cover this second, since Angels Landing was first on the day we did this one. It was on our “not really sure but maybe try if we have time” list, but after accomplishing what was at that time the hardest mentally challenging hike of my life, I was totally game.
When we got to the trailhead, it was PACKED. Sort of like how Angels Landing looked on our way back out. We strive for hikes that offer solitude and limited people, so hiking in Zion really threw us for a loop. We read that it would be a busy park, but guys, it was BUSYYYY. 😳
I wasn’t 100% certain about hiking for miles in the semi-chilly water, (approx. 50 degrees), but as I was still pumped with adrenaline, we gave it a go. Once we got through the first 2 or so miles, we noticed a lot of people turning around. We decided to hike on, but threw in the towel around the 4 mile in mark. (This made our total “straight through the water hike” around 8 miles round trip)…which is still the most up until this point!
We would very much love to go back again and trek through the entire thing, but there’s just so much more to see in the park including nearby parks in Arizona as well. Our first to-do list when we revisit Zion, is to backpack the West Rim trail and spend some time away from the crowds. Maybe we’ll even summit Angels Landing on the way back through again?! 🙊
Here’s what I learned while hiking the Narrows in the meantime: (since we did a super short version!)
- First and foremost, please always use your best judgement and check the weather before entering any grand canyon, 😉 or a slot canyon! (Like what the Narrows in Zion National Park is). If you’re in for rainy weather, please choose another day to do this hike to keep yourself and your loved ones as safe as possible. The water can rise EXTREMELY fast in a storm or flash flood, and can be detrimental to your hike and/or yourself.
- Don’t go further than you’re comfortable with. If you or your partner needs a break from the cooler water temp or wants to turn back, give them (or yourself) some grace and try to go further next time. Always know your (and your party’s) limits of when to nudge them forward and when to turn around.
- The water is not only chilly but can be uneven since you’re literally walking on a riverbed. The water can be waist high or ankle high depending on the current time of the year or the weather patterns, so bring necessary waterproof essentials to keep yourself and your gear dry and comfy. (Since this was on a whim, we weren’t as prepared as we would have liked, which also contributed to us turning around before going the entire way).
- Speaking of essential gear, be sure to bring good water shoes, waterproof bags for your phone/wallet/etc, and enough snacks and drinkable (potable) water to get you through your desired mileage.
- The Virgin River, which flows through The Narrows in Zion National Park, is known to have toxic cyanobacteria that can cause illness if ingested. Please do not drink it!!
Potable water: water that is safe to drink
Peaceful Escape Near Zion: Saint George Adventures & Lessons Learned
If you’re into weird hikes like trudging through water the entire way or wondering how good your waterproof gear is, check this trail out for yourself. It has some really unique views and beautiful landscapes that you won’t see many other places, but tests your skills on focusing so that you don’t slip or trip through the water and twist an ankle.
Be aware and be prepared as always, and make sure you read up on any trails or areas you’d like to explore before you go. This site will inform you of everything you need to know before hiking through the Narrows, and this site will show you how to hike it backwards (where only permit-holders are allowed).
Saint George, Utah is definitely a place we’d stay again when we to travel to Zion, as it’s a beautiful and close-by town that provides whatever we need between there and the park. We stocked up at Natural Grocers (still our favorite grocery store of all-time), with healthy options for snacks and plenty of fresh fruit, veggies and meat options.
We chose Dig Paddlesports LLC for our kayaking adventures, where they were super helpful with the booking and on site assistance. It wasn’t very busy when we went there, so we had basically the entire area to ourselves. We even got to admire the view of Signal Peak behind the lake, where we vowed we’d someday summit.
It was an incredible, chill, relaxing and unplanned trip. One of the both of our favorites up until this point, actually. It provided the peace and tranquility that we were looking for (with the exception of the introduction to the busy trails of Zion), and showed us what we’d like to do and not do when we go back.
Don’t underestimate this area! It has so many beautiful opportunities just waiting for you, including a short 45 minute drive to the park. Check it out next time you’re headed to the area, I promise it won’t disappoint. 🫶
Thank You for Joining Us on Our Journey Through the Narrows in Zion National Park
We just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for following along on our adventure through the Narrows in Zion National Park. Whether you’ve hiked it yourself or are still adding it to your bucket list, we hope our experience gave you a glimpse of just how incredible (and challenging!) this trail can be
