Serina and I were able to enjoy a kids-free vacation this past week. We did some hiking at Zion National Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We flew into Las Vegas—with temperatures reaching as high as 120 degrees!—and headed to our campsite in Utah.

Our first day of hiking was at Zion National Park, where we tackled two trails. The trails at Zion are ranked according to easy, moderate, or strenuous, and of course Serina picked the only two listed as strenuous for us to tackle. These are Angel’s Landing and the Narrows. Strenuous hikes range from 2.5 to 10 miles, and can involve a elevation gain of over 2,000 feet. This is particularly true of Angel’s Landing, which is a 5.5 mile hike which involves “long drop-offs” and (the warning reads) is “not for young children.” This we tackled first, and were met with beautiful—if sweltering—weather, scenic views, and clear skies.

We finished with plenty of time to spare, although it was tough and my back was shot (Serina seemed to recover quickly). Nonetheless, we decided to give the Narrows a shot. This proved wise, for while the trek can reach some 10 miles, at least 60% of the hike is spent wading in water. Of course the crowds were large, but the cool calm water was a welcome reprieve from the heat. Needless to say, by the end of the day we were toast.

The next day we headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, some 80 miles south from our campsite. The journey took us through Kaibab National Forest, where we saw deer, buffalo, hawks, and other wildlife. It is also the site of Jacob Lake, a small town that was evacuated in 2020 as the Magnum Fire raged through the forest. There were signs of this everywhere; much of the drive was through acres and acres of scorched trees.

In any case, the journey was a pleasant and easy one, and we were soon at the North Rim. We decided to take on the Widforss trail, which is a 10 mile hike into woodlands hugging a cliff face, with many scenic views of the Canyon. This trail culminates in a majestic panoramic view at Widforss Point. One of the great benefits of this trail was that, unlike at Zion, there were very few hikers on the trail. The view was certainly worth the trek, but it was a very difficult and arduous return.

The pictures above include some of the views from the trail, as well as the stunning view at Widforss Point. Of course they do not do them justice, but note that the Canyon extends not to the “small” outcrop at the center of the last image, but all the way to the horizon. In short, the canyon is massive. I was particularly struck by the stillness of it all.

Following the Grand Canyon, we headed back to Vegas and prepared for our flight home the next day. We visited Dutch Brothers Coffee in the morning and grabbed some NY style pizza, as well as explored the Strip. It was a fun trip, and I recommend it to anyone looking for something fun to do this summer!