I read that the shuttle in the canyon had been extended into November, so it adds 1-2 hours to any sightseeing. But there are other things to do in Zion besides the canyon scenic drive which I had done several times on my previous outings to this park. I got to the Visitors Center around 11 am (I'm still on Pacific time), and I was there barely in time to get a parking spot. Had I arrived much later, I would have been redirected to Springdale to park on the streets (the locals must love it... NOT). I opted to do one of the trails I had never done: climbing to the Watchman viewpoint: it is a little bit off the floor of the valley. Once your are on top of it, you realize how it got its name as it a a good place to spy what goes on in the valley.
The trail starts at the Visitors Center following the river before veering off and climbing.
It climbs into the red rocks, the trail changing from really easy to rocky, until you reach the loop overlooking the Visitors Center and all its visible paraphernalia: campground, parking lots with spare buses all in rows. Actually the view was much better when you sat down, as you blocked all those extraneous elements, and just saw the beautiful rock formations forming Zion.
I finished the loop, climbed back down, and went back to the car planning what I was going to do the next day (which was the weekend) fearing that the crowd would be worse.