One of the most attractive hikes in Zion National Park is the Subway, where you need to reserve a slot to go on the hike to the iconic hollowed out tunnel.  There are two routes here, the canyoneering route and the hikers route.  A permit can be reserved beforehand, which is reserved months in advanced, or day of through the first come first serve, and cancelled reservations.  We ended up heading to Zion, and the park was really packed, no camping inside.  We opted for a 6 person tent outside on the lawn at WillowWind Rv Park.  The lawn was super cushy, and really something I’m not used to.  I’d recommend BLM land unless you are camping with the girls.

We woke up bright and early the next day to head out for our day hike to the Subway. This hike was the “bottom-up” direction, a strenuous 9-mile round-trip hike following the Left Fork of North Creek which begins and ends at the Left Fork Trailhead on the Kolob Terrace Road.

Some of the terrain that you hike across includes crossing creeks.

And walking up and down boulders, here is Melody taking a break.

The trail can be slippery at times due to the wet conditions.

Melody, with the Kolob Canyon in the background.

My entourage for this trip.

If you look around, there are signs of weathering on the rocks.  It shows the different layers and erosion in the area.  This area could easily be caught in a flash flood and be covered from floor to canyon top.

Marisa, slouch-master.

This beautiful waterfall section right before the entrance of the canyon.  This slippery section should be taken carefully, or your butt may be sore for the next few days.

Marisa walking up, the ultimate slip-master of this trip.

And Melody.

As we walk toward the bend leading to the subway, you see this interesting slot carved out by the running waters.  Seems like a natural plumbing system.

And also the interesting part of this hike are all the flora growing around.  They find ways to attach and get nutrients, even if it means clinging onto some rock.

And Sarah,entering into the subway.  As you can tell by this photo, it resembles the underground subway systems you would see engineering in a city.  Maybe this is actually where we got the idea?

Leading into the subway are different pools, which I called the clover ponds.

Mel and Kel

And Melody heading into the main view.

At the end of the subway is this section, the entrance from the canyoneering route.  There are smooth walls and crystal clear waters, a route that I plan on doing in the future.

And our view of the subway, the iconic postcard moment in Zion.

And another view, it was weird due to the sediment on the ground, but I plan to go here again during autumn when the leaves have fallen.

The group.

And we then headed back, and was greeted a view of Kolob Canyon before we went back to our campsite to rest, and get ready for the Narrows the next day.