Zion Went Dark, Sedona Turned Pink, and I Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Four days in the desert Southwest — hiking through a canyon on foot, watching a whole town lose power at lunchtime, and understanding why everyone won’t shut up about Sedona

There’s a point in The Narrows where the canyon walls close in so tight you stop thinking about anything else. You’re wading upstream through the Virgin River, water at your knees, sandstone rising a thousand feet on either side in bands of red and gold, and the only sound is the current and your own footsteps finding rock underwater. No cell signal, no trail markers, just the river deciding where you’re allowed to go next. It’s the kind of hike that ruins other hikes for you a little.

That was the high point of four days that took me from Zion National Park to Sedona to a last night in Las Vegas — and somewhere in the middle of it, an entire town lost power for eight hours and I learned that even “no lunch until 5pm” can become one of the better stories from a trip.

Zion: The Narrows, the Scenic Drive

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is the kind of road that makes you resent every other scenic drive you’ve done. I happened to catch it on the last day private cars were allowed before the park switched over to shuttle-only — so instead of hopping on and off a bus, I drove the whole thing myself, stopping wherever and for however long I wanted. Weeping Rock, the Emerald Pools, Big Bend Viewpoint — every one of them became a reason to just pull over and stay a while.

The Great White Throne alone is worth the trip: a sheer wall of Navajo sandstone that looks less like a rock formation and more like something that was placed there on purpose. The next day it was shuttles only for The Narrows, and even that had its own charm — but having the freedom of the car for the Scenic Drive made that first day feel unhurried in a way I didn’t expect.

But The Narrows is the reason to come to Zion at all. Starting from the Riverside Walk and continuing up through Temple of Sinawava, it’s less a trail than a slot canyon you hike through the river itself. I rented the full winter setup from Zion Guru — neoprene boots, waterproof dungarees, and a wooden pole — and it made all the difference; the water was cold enough that I wouldn’t have lasted long without it. The riverbed is mostly uneven rock underfoot, so every step takes real attention, and in places the water climbed past my waist.

Then there’s the moment you reach Narrows Alcove — the canyon narrows down to almost nothing, and you’re just standing in the current with sheer rock walls rising straight up on both sides. It’s disorienting in the best way. The scale of the place doesn’t register until you’re standing in the middle of it.

Right off the east side of the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel, a short trail leads out to Canyon Overlook — and it turned out to be the best sunset I had all trip. The trail itself is barely a mile round trip, but it dumps you out onto a ledge looking straight down over the switchbacks of the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway, with the canyon walls catching every last bit of orange and pink light as the sun drops. No crowds compared to the main canyon viewpoints, no shuttle required, just the road winding below you and the rock going through every shade of red on the way to dark. If you only have time for one sunset in Zion, make it this one.

Sunset time at Canyon Overlook

Somewhere in the middle of my stay near the park, the power went out — not for twenty minutes, not for an hour, but for roughly six hours straight. Every restaurant near the park had no choice but to close, which meant no lunch, full stop, until things came back online around 5pm. It’s the kind of thing you can’t plan around and can’t really complain about either — there’s something almost appropriate about a place as elemental as Zion humbling you with a reminder that you don’t control the schedule out here. I got myself some snacks from Sol Foods Supermarket, which was the go to place for all tourists on that day.

Once the lights came back, dinner at Oscar’s Cafe near the park entrance more than made up for it — reliably good, hearty, exactly what you want after a day of wading through a canyon.

Sedona: Red Rocks by Day, the Milky Way by Night

If Zion is about scale, Sedona is about vibe — and it delivers on both fronts. Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, the Chapel of the Holy Cross built directly into the red rock: it’s a landscape that looks slightly unreal even in person. But what actually sold me on Sedona was the town itself. Uptown Sedona is one of the best places to just walk — galleries, patios, good coffee, red rock views at the end of nearly every street — and it has a completely different energy from a typical mountain town.

The Pink Jeep Tour was the single best decision of the Sedona leg. Bouncing over backcountry terrain that a normal car has no business attempting, with a guide who actually knows the geology and history of what you’re looking at, turns the red rocks from “pretty” into genuinely fascinating. It’s touristy in name only — the terrain and the views are the real thing.

And then there’s the night sky. Sedona is a designated Dark Sky community, and the difference from a typical light-polluted sky is obvious even on a quick look up — though I didn’t get a clear enough night to spot the Milky Way myself. Combined with the day’s hiking and the town’s walkability, it’s easy to see why Sedona has a cult following — it’s rare to find a place that works equally well as a hiking base, an art town, and a stargazing destination.

Food-wise, Wildcraft Kitchen was the standout — Sedona actually has a solid vegetarian and vegan scene, and Wildcraft’s plant-forward menu was a genuine highlight rather than just an adequate option.

A Last Stop in Tlaquepaque, Then Vegas

On the way to Las Vegas, a stop at the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village turned into one of the best meals of the trip at El Rincon Restaurante Mexicano — the tacos were excellent, but the virgin prickly pear margarita is the thing I’d go back for. Bright, tart, and exactly what you want after a day on the road through the desert.

Would I Do It Again?

Without hesitation. Four days is tight for Zion and Sedona both, but it’s enough to hit the essentials — The Narrows, the Scenic Drive, the Pink Jeep Tour, a night under a genuinely dark sky — without feeling rushed. If I changed anything, it would be building in one more day for Sedona alone; the town has more restaurants and trailheads than four days can cover.

And if the power goes out for eight hours while you’re there — take it as part of the trip, not a disruption to it.

Been to Zion or Sedona? I’d love to hear about it — drop your favorite trail, viewpoint, or restaurant find in the comments below.