Utah Roadtrip: Zion National Park

Zion. A land devoted to God. Utopia.

To be honest, I hadn’t thought much about Zion. It was the last park at the end of a whirlwind roadtrip. And now the final morning was here.

Our day didn’t start as we planned. We partnered with Zion RV & Campground for this journey and we were excited to stay less than a mile from the east entrance of the park. Unfortunately, days before our arrival, a rockslide occured on the Zion-Mount Carmel Road. This road, the only thoroughfare in the park, was now closed – along with the east entrance. We were steps from the park, but couldn’t enter it.

Our host, Jo, graciously explained the situation to us. We were scheduled to spend two nights at Zion RV & Campground, but after learning that we were headed back to Las Vegas, Jo helped us find some campgrounds on the west side of the park that may have room for us on our last night. At this point, it was too late for a reservation. Any place that accepted reservations was fully booked. There was nothing left to do but sleep on it then make the two hour drive down and around the park, to the west side, in the morning.We spent the evening browsing the store at Zion RV & Campground before having dinner under the tree in our campsite. The campground had a large laundry room and lounge area – something we could have taken advantage of on a longer stay. We greatly appreciated the indoor bathrooms and showers.

Early the next morning, we were racing to the west side of the park. At one point I made a wrong turn and plunged us deeper into Arizona than we needed to be…sigh…everything is an adventure. Jo told us about a couple State Parks in the area so we drove directly to Sand Hollow State Park. They had sites available in the “Sand Pit” campground – a campground for off-highway vehicles. Exploring the sand dunes is a popular activity at Sand Hollow State Park. With dune buggies, ATVs, and other OHVs coming and going we knew it wasn’t going be a quiet night, but at least we had a campsite! Campsite secured, we finally headed for the park.

Unlike Bryce Canyon, in Zion there isn’t an option to take the shuttle or drive through the park. Aside from driving the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, everyone must take the shuttle. Since we’d already established that Zion-Mount Carmel Highway wouldn’t be happening this trip, we parked at the visitor center and hopped on a shuttle.

We got off four stops later at the Zion Lodge for the Emerald Pools Trail. This three mile hike would take us beneath waterfalls and to three separate pools, but before any of that we met a friend right beside the trail.The hike was crowded, but beautiful.We enjoyed a long and relaxing snack break amongst the beauty of the Upper Pool.On the way down we stopped at the Middle Pool for views of the valley below.While there, we were mesmerized by the shadow of little water-walker bugs that appeared as much larger underwater monsters.We hiked out via the Kayenta Trail which provided the best view of Zion we would find all day.

The Kayenta Trail led us to the Grotto Shuttle Bus stop. The Grotto is also home to the Angels Landing Trailhead. Angels Landing is one of the most beautiful and famous hikes in Zion. It was on my wish list for this journey, but I had not been feeling well for days with spells of dizziness and light headedness so I decided that a trail with dozens of switchbacks and dangerous dropoffs would best be saved for another trip. Saving something for next time makes the perfect excuse to go back…

We shuttled to the end of the line, The Temple of Sinawava. Though crowded, the Riverside Walk was a tranquil and calming hike. It’s a paved one mile path along the North Fork of the Virgin River with cliff walls and some hanging gardens on the other side of the path. The end of the trail is the entrance to The Narrows – a popular walk through the river into slot canyons. I wasn’t in the proper health condition or outfitted with the right gear (like waterproof shoes) for a Narrows journey this trip. Next time!While bussing back out, our shuttle slowed and the driver asked us to look up and to the left. Thousands of feet above the canyon floor were rock climbers who appeared as small colored dots to us.

We disembarked at the Zion Human History Museum where we learned more about the people who settled and inhabited this space. We also saw views of The Altar of Sacrifice and Crawford Arch.

Then it was back to the Visitor Center and the end of our National Park Utah Road Trip. 8 Days, 6 National Parks, 2 State Parks, thousands of photos, and countless memories. Shout out to my mom for coming with me on this journey. Thanks Mom! I hope you had as much fun as I did!