Oct 29 & 30 Zion National Park ! Part 1.

Oct 29
We're so excited to be here in Zion National Park ! We have talked about this for a few years since I saw Steve & Dianne's blog about their trip to Zion. We copied some ideas from them and we are staying in the same RV Park, Zion River Resort, which is a short drive from the park entrance. We are using today to get settled in and do some looking around and then get hiking tomorrow. The plan today is to drive to Zion and look around the visitor center and plan our week of hikes from the info we get. We got some good advice from Dan at the Resort about hikes and some scenic drives to do both in and outside the park. First thing is to drive to Zion Park.

The grand entrance.

There is a property along the way to Zion that is called Field of Dreams. We snapped a pic, it is really something to see along the way.

We think it's a B&B ?

You drive through a community called Springdale before the gates to the park. Lots of motels and restaurants, rock and gem shops and another RV Park really close to the gates but we're happy where we are. We did spy a local brewery/ restaurant in Springdale so we will have a look at that later. We inquired at the gate about a park pass and for us it made sense to buy the annual "America the Beautiful" pass for $80 US that works at all the national parks and monuments. We plan on visiting several so the payback on this should be quick.

It's almost always busy.

The really nice woman at the gate told us that we should park at the Nature Centre because of the size of our truck. I turned too soon and we went into the parking areas at the visitor centre. There are not many good spots for a dually but we found a spot on the very back row. As far away from the visitor centre as you can park.... we're here to hike anyway lol. 

We have Margaret with us right now and she's only allowed on the paved Par'us Trail so we'll check that out today. We went straight to the visitor centre and talked to a ranger about some trail closures and temporary closures for paving work they are doing. Back outside we had a look at some of the displays and then headed to the Par'us Trail. It's roughly 3 miles/ 5k out and back which will be plenty with Margaret. The trail is right beside the Virgin River and is a great introduction to the awesome views in Zion.

We start snapping pics across the road.

Not much water right now.

We kept walking and taking in the beauty of the mountains. It's so incredible in Zion, I can't describe it properly. Just go see for yourself. We came across a diversion dam that was installed on the Virgin River many years ago.

Even at low water levels it's nice.

Not long after the dam I had to carry Margaret. It was pretty hot out and I think the cement was hot on her feet and she doesn't walk as far anymore anyway. We turned back and ran across some park residents.

Very used to people walking by.

More amazing views of course.

We easily walked back to the truck and headed out of the park. Remember that brew pub we noticed ? It's time to have a better look. We found out they have a patio that Margaret can come to. Bonus! Pretty hot to leave her in the truck today. There was 2 other dogs on the patio and we had a fantastic server that chatted about her own dog and of course she treated Margaret like a little princess. Les and I had a great lunch and a nice nut brown beer. Great place to stop.

The patio at Zion Brewery, perfect!

A walk, some lunch and it's nap time.

We decided to try a scenic drive road that Dan at the Resort had mentioned. It was an overlook of the valley that would give us great views of the valley and mountains. Dan warned me that the road is narrow but he has taken his dually Ford up there so we will fit. Yeah we fit BUT..... if I met another full size vehicle I would need to put the passenger side of the truck by a no guard rail section of road that was really steep. Leslie is not having any part of this action so we found a place to turn around before the top. Good tip but a little sketchy.

Really nice views even part way up.

We got back to the resort and decided to head over to the pool and hot tub. They said the pool is heated but man, we're Canadian and we know cold water when we feel it. That pool was cold!! Fortunately the hot tub was nice and warm and we met some other campers from Canada and the US. Was good to have a good hot soak and a beverage. Nice people too, great bunch of mountain bike racers from California having a fun day. That's pretty much our day. We went back to the rig for showers, supper and a good nights sleep. Some good hikes start tomorrow!

Oct 30

We set an alarm and headed out by 9 to get into the Park and find good parking. We made the proper turns this time into the Nature Centre parking area. Tons of parking spaces and a heated washroom before the trailhead. Perfect. We walked to the Human History Museum where we caught the shuttle as far as we could take it. 

Screen shot this, sorry.

They were paving at the very last stop so the shuttle dropped us at Big Bend and we walked to Temple of Sinawava. It was a little over a mile, a good warmup. That hooked us up with the Riverside Walk and at the end of that is The Narrows. You can continue in the river and walk the Narrows but we stopped at the edge of the river. It's cold in the water and I didn't want soaked shoes. The water gets to over the knees so didn't take much to turn us around.

The colors and shapes are incredible.

On the shuttle ride up to Big Bend.

Walking the new pavement to the Temple.

We took tons of pics, could have included so many!

Some prickly pear cactus along the way.

Weeping rocks.

We thought the walk along the new pavement was amazing. Nice cool morning and not that many other people yet. We got on the Riverwalk Trail and followed that to The Narrows.

You can keep going up river.

You can walk upriver or turn here. We stopped.

We sat and took in the area at The Narrows. There are benches to sit on and it's a great place for us to have a snack and some water. I'm not a good enough writer to describe it but it's mind boggling and amazing here in Southern Utah. We will be back again I'm sure. 

We turned back and took the same path back. There are more workers and paving trucks at the Temple turnaround. As we were walking we noticed a group of people stopped on the road pointing to the mountain across the road from us. Of course we had to look right? 

Look close in the center, climbers! Crazy in my mind.

They're in this one too, hard to see.

We continued back to the shuttle stop and rode back down to the Human History Museum. A short walk to the truck and back to Zion River Resort to pick up Margaret. She's been in the rig about 4 hours and we think that's long enough for now. I called a Ram dealership in St George about an oil change for my truck. Stephen Wade pretty much has every dealership in St George. We're getting that oil change done today. The dealership is close to a Camping World so we can try to get the light globe that we need for the rig. It's a long story. Broke one a long time ago, bought 2 through Camping World online, they don't fit and they don't seem to be able to help. Nope they still can't help in person either. Alrighty then..... back to the dealership. The truck is ready and only cost $70 US for an oil change! I think it's more expensive in Alberta? What's with that?

We drove back to the Resort and made supper and called Jaiden, a young girl who will watch your pets while in Zion River RV Park. It's a great service and she is saving for a trip to Italy. Nice! She works for donations but told us that she usually gets about $30 to watch your dog all day. We only asked her to check on Margaret twice and let her out. Super nice girl and she's great with dogs. Her Dad is Dan that works at the Resort so she's easy to find if anyone ever needs her to help out. We are planning a long day in the park tomorrow with an attempt at Angel's Landing to start the day. It's crazy! https://www.zionnationalpark.com/hikes/angels-landing/  Check out our next post!