Zion NP
After all the shopping and wandering around the Las Vegas hotels and casinos, we look forward to Zion National Park. The campground (with no amenities) in Zion NP is full. We booked a campground 20 minutes from Zion National Park. It's still warm, so the pool and showers at the commercial campground are nice!
We have been to this park twice before. The first time in the high season of 2010 and the second time around a holiday weekend in 2015. That last time we could not reserve anything and just drive through the park. It was so crowded that you could hardly stop anywhere either. We are taking a different approach this time!
Taking the RV to Zion - parking at the Visitor center
We discover that at the Springdale entrance to the park there is a visitor center, with a parking lot for RVs. We hear from the campground host that this parking lot fills up quickly. It is late September and you would think the high season is over. This is just not the case. The months that are high season for us are far too hot according to several business owners. So it is busy, but September is much busier. We decide to start driving at 6 a.m.. There are no street lights and the sun is not yet visible. We are greatly startled when deer suddenly cross the road. We have heard from several truck drivers, that after a collision with a deer, your camper/car is totaled.
Having recovered from the shock, when we arrive at the parking lot, we see that quite a few RVers have spent the night there. It is not officially allowed, but it is apparently tolerated. In no time the parking lot fills up. Don't have a spot? Then you have to park the camper outside the park, but there is almost no space available there. We can enjoy the park all day without looking back at the RV.
Taking the RV to Zion - parking at the bike rental shop
We rented e-bikes and see that a small parking lot is available at the rental place. We leave again so early and have plenty of room for the camper. First we walk to a café where they finally sell good coffee. At 9 a.m. we pick up the bikes and after five minutes we are already in the park. Wonderful that again we can park the camper so well!
Zion is awesome!
This park is so crowded and rightly so! Steep cliffs hugely popular with rock climbers, hikes of all levels of difficulty of which Angels Landing and the Narrows are the favorites, wildlife and the scenic drive. It is difficult to describe the beauty of this park in words.
Scenic drive
Several years ago, this national park chose to open the Zion canyon tourist route (=Scenic Drive) from March tm October for shuttle buses only. Indeed, this winding road is only ten miles long and does not offer many parking spaces for RVs/cars. This decision has made it a delightful and especially quiet road through the park. The free shuttle buses drive from the visitor center to the end of the scenic drive (the stop is called: Temple of Sinawava) and back again. The drivers almost all talk passionately about "their park."
Biking through Zion
After riding the Shuttle bus through the park the first day, we feel even more like doing it by bike. We rent e-bikes online at Outta here. Pricey though, but worth every $! This company discounts 25% online, making them the most affordable provider.
Before you get to the scenic drive, you will ride on beautiful bike/hiking trails. We stop everywhere to enjoy waterfalls, mountains and views. Once on the scenic drive, we soon spot deer on and along the road. We also see mountaineers climbing the steep walls. They can't make it to the top in one day, so they stay overnight hanging from a rope along the rock. We sat for a long time, full of admiration, watching the climbers with our binoculars.
We bike to the Temple of Sinawava for the hike we are most looking forward to: The Narrows!
The Narrows
The Narrows is the narrowest gorge in Zion Canyon through which the Vigin River runs. There is no paved road, just a "hiking trail" of water and smooth stones. You walk between two mountain walls that are about six to nine feet apart. To get to the Narrows, you first walk the Riverside walk: a beautiful hike along the Virgin River. At the beginning of this trail, you'll see the weather forecast. This is important to know, though. In case of rain, the height of the water rises and once in the Narrows you can't go anywhere as you walk between the steep rock walls.
Carmen & Ingrid have rented sticks and special shoes in Springdale, Robert & Lorenzo are going out with water shoes and sticks. We did not rent special wetsuits; we wore T-shirts and shorts. After a wobbly start, we get a little used to the slippery rocks and enjoy what we see to the fullest. The sun falls right into the gorge, which only makes everything more beautiful. Suddenly we hear a lot of people laughing and we see that the the river is much deeper. We get wet up to our armpits and the water is freezing cold. Fortunately, it is only a short stretch and the "road" after that is even more beautiful.
It is striking that both young and old take this walk, while it is sometimes quite tough to keep your balance with the slippery stones and fast current. Usually it goes well, but we see a man fall rock hard and go out for a while. Fortunately, there are plenty of bystanders to help him. There is also someone who loses his cell phone, immediately lies down on his stomach and miraculously finds his cell phone again. Moments later, Robert loses the GoPro. We have a float, but it is still in the camper......but Robert also manages to fish his GoPro out of the water again.
This hike and biking are really the highlights of this special national park for us.
Hiking
Among other things, we hiked the hike to the Emerald pools. A steep trail at the hottest time of the day. The light is beautiful around this time of day, but the heat is sometimes too much. Fortunately, you encounter waterfalls along the way to cool off again. Continuous drinking is a must!
Angels landing is a favorite hike for many people that takes you to one of the park's most spectacular viewpoints after 8.7 km of steep climbing. On some sections, you walk along a steep rock face via a chain. You need a permit (and no fear of heights!) for this hike. We haven't done the hike yet: next time maybe when Mike & Sanne travel with us.
Wheeping rock
The hike to this "howling" rock is a little steep, but perfectly doable. The rock looks like a canopy where all the water then flows past. The view from this point is beautiful! In the distance we can all see mountain goats or bighorn sheep walking. The photo with Carmen was taken from a different angle and this produces very different colors!
Coffee and food
Good coffee (not black water), cappuccino, etc. can be found at Canyon Coffee in Springdale. The most delicious Thai food we ate at Thai Sapa in Springdale.
We leave this beautiful park towards Mount Carmel, the route is great. We drive past a mountain with all horizontal and vertical stripes: Called Chessboard Mesa. Zion is for us again a place that never bores and to which you can return many times. At the end of the trip with Carmen & Lorenzo, we make our final top 3 of favorite places, among others. After each visit, the list changes!
Next destination
In putting together this trip, Carmen & Lorenzo took into account the time to enjoy. Both of the destination itself, as well as the things you can encounter along the way. (The best things they found on: tiktok) The route to our next destination: The Antelope Canyon is a very long one, with many sights. They felt it was a waste to stay overnight at the Grand Canyon and this choice leaves more time at the destinations they are looking forward to. Therefore, the route is: From Zion - North Rim of the Grand Canyon - Marble Canyon - Antelope Canyon.
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