Zion, Bryce, Page, The Grand Canyon, and Sedona

Walking through deep water in the Narrows of Zion National Park.

My wife and I took a trip to the national parks of Utah and Arizona in May 2025. We started in Zion National Park, where we hiked the Narrows - a slot canyon that is carved by the Virgin River. The hike is about 10 miles long, and you spend most of the time walking through the river. The water was cold but refreshing. The canyon walls are towering above you, and the views are breathtaking. It had rained the day before and there was a small flood warning - we spoke the rangers and it seemed like it wouldn’t cause any issues, but we were careful to keep an eye on the water levels. Due to the rain and flood warning, most people decided the skip the narrows that morning, so at times we felt like we had the entire canyon to ourselves. I was anticipating a fairly packed trail but we spent the majority of it alone.

My brave wife. National Geographic model???

Next up was a 7 mile hike through Bryce Canyon. The views were stunning, and the rock formations were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The colors of the rocks were vibrant and the contrast between the red rocks and the blue sky was beautiful. We hiked down into the canyon and then back up again, which was a bit of a workout but worth it for the views. I think I signed us up for a bit more than we could chew after the previous days hike, but we powered through.

Peekaboo loop in Bryce Canyon National Park.

The famous Wallstreet section of the Navajo trail in Bryce Canyon National Park.

We then packed up once again and headed to Page, Arizona. Our first stop was at Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon on Navajo land. The canyon is famous for its light beams that shine down into the canyon at certain times of the day. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but it was an incredible experience.

Light beams shining down into the slot canyon.

The darkest part of the canyon. The light beams are only visible at certain times of the day.

The blue light is only visible through a camera lense, maybe someone can explain this to me.

Before leaving Page we stopped at Horseshoe Bend, which is a famous viewpoint of the Colorado River. We hiked a bit to get to a more secluded lookout point. This reminded me of a guided raft trip I took in 2013 where we rafted down the Snake River. In the evenings we would play horseshoes along the river. I wonder if anyone has played horseshoes at Horseshoe Bend? Probably.

Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona.

After Page we headed to the Grand Canyon. We woke up early to catch the first bus to the South Kaibab trailhead. We hiked down to the Cedar Ridge Lookout, then back up and along the rim for a few more miles. The Grand Canyon is absolutely massive, and pictures do not do it justice. I was really hoping we would see some Condors, but we didn’t see any. I think they are more common in the North Rim, which is a bit harder to get to.

Me at Cedar Ridge Lookout in the Grand Canyon National Park.

Walking down the South Kaibab trail in the Grand Canyon National Park.

Boot

Two elk hanging in the shade at the top of the South Kaibab trailhead.

We rounded out the trip with a relaxing day in Sedona. We scored a beautiful vase from Swirl in Sedona, and hit up the artist co-op for gifts for friends and family.

The center of the Tlaquepaque arts and crafts village in Sedona, Arizona.