Some cheap tickets to Vegas and childcare arrangements left us with a few days to explore a bit of the States. The Vegas spectacle waned quickly and it was time to leave the city.
Gold Strike Hot Springs
First off we hit up some local hot springs – hike in of course. These are the gold strike hot-springs. Very popular and not quite as enjoyable for a soak compared with the nearby river.
Angel’s Landing
We were able to secure some last minute permits for some iconic hikes in Zion National Park so it was off to Utah!
Zion is an extremely popular park and unless the winter snow keeps visitors away, all the best hikes are permitted and coveted. Angel’s Landing may be the most coveted of them all. The views and experience of this hike are a must do.
Zion Subway
We were also able to nab a last minute permit for the Zion Subway. We didn’t plan enough ahead to tackle the top-down approach into the subway which involves some serious canyoning so we opted for the hike up which is a bit of an adventure itself. The mix of scorching canyon heat during the day and freezing waters below makes for some tricky planning.
The round trip hike takes about 6 hours and caution should be made because the hike out of the canyon must be made at the end of the trip. We were advised to have at least insulated water boots to navigate up the freezing river near the subway. This was good advice but at the time of year we attempted the hike, we could have made do without.
