Zion National Park - Another Spectacular Beauty Nestled In America
Written: Dec 13 '07
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Pros: Beautiful Scenery, Tons Of Trails
Cons: I don't care for the shuttle system
The Bottom Line: Whether your hiker, photographer or a family Zion makes a great place to vacation!
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| susieq112's Full Review: Zion National Park |
I love Yellowstone but when I got my first peek at Zion National Park in 2003 I found myself falling in love with Zion. Something about the bright red cliffs and sandstone found in southern Utah just tugs at my interest. During our first visit to Zion National Park is 2003 we didn’t get to see a lot of the park, just following the road through the park two times each way and stopping at most of the pull-outs.
The other part of the park that heads north called Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is shuttled by bus with no admittance to regular vehicles. At the time we had our little dog with us so we elected to skip that part of the park (since they don‘t allow pets on the shuttle). Looking back at the vacation we had also neglected to stop by Kolob Canyons which is in the northwest part of the park.
Just seeing the part of the park located on the main road (route 9) was thrilling for a first trip to Zion and it left me with the impressions that I would have to return in the future.
Returning this past summer (June 2007) I was elated to take the time to see parts of the park I had not in the previous visit and re-visit the scenes I had seen, now with my one year old son.
During this trip I made it a point to get on the shuttle bus. We caught our shuttle at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center just inside the South Entrance of the park.
During the summer months Zion National Park can become very busy and over-populated with visitors. Both trips landed us there at the beginning of June. It was noticeably busier in 2007 than it was in 2003 at this time of the year, but we luckily found a parking spot in the parking lot of the visitor center. You also have the option to ride a shuttle into the park from a parking lot far outside the South Entrance.
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
We sit down on our shuttle bus and began out on our venture into the canyon. The shuttle bus was okay, but to me it is in no way similar to experiencing a park on your own time in your own vehicle. I was allowed to hold my son on my lap and there didn’t appear to be anyway to strap in a car seat not that I was interested in carrying ours around. The shuttle ride was narrated by the driver of the bus. The first bus we were on the driver was very nice and if anything overly informative. It told jokes, pointed places of interest and gave you the low down on the trails that were available in that part of the park. The shuttle made numerous stops along the road where you could get out, all being trailheads. We stepped off the shuttle at the Weeping Rock Trailhead where I took the time to walk up to Weeping Rock. The climb to Weeping Rock was fairly short (maybe a ¼ of a mile) but had a very steep incline.
From here we returned to the shuttle. We did not get off at any other trailheads even though there were many available I was traveling with a one year old and my mother who was still having issues with her knee replacement.
Riding in the shuttle is somewhat of a bummer to me, but we were able to see The Great White Throne a large sandstone formation that stands tall over the canyon at 6,744 feet. You were also able to see other formations from the shuttle like Court Of The Patriarchs and The Sentinel which of course are sandstone formations with their own stories.
Visitors Center
Returning back to the Visitor Center we spent some time exploring the grounds. All around the Visitor Center are large display boards that give informative and educational material on the surrounding formations, rock layers, inhabitants and so on. Visiting and reading all of these boards can take quite a bit of time on their own. Inside the Visitor Center are rangers available to answer your questions and also a Bookstore/Gift Shop.
The Tunnel
One place I was excited to see again was the Tunnel on the main road of the park. Back in 2003 there wasn’t a lot of people in the park so even though there were numerous signs not to stop once going through the tunnel I did anyway. During our 2003 trip I snapped pictures out of each individual window in the tunnel. The windows in the tunnel are perfect and frame beautiful sandstone formations while you drive through. This year I wasn’t able to stop with rangers on both ends of the tunnel and people behind and in front of me (dang…)
Anyway the tunnel brings up another point. If your planning a trip that includes a large vehicle, motor home or the like you will want to check Zions official page out (http://www.nps.gov/zion/) because vehicles over a certain size must be escorted through the tunnel due to the tunnels size and this service does come at an additional cost.
Checkerboard Mesa
Checkerboard Mesa is easily my favorite formation found in Zion. I think the main reason I like this formation is the fact that its easily photographable and equally easy to squeeze heads into the picture with it. This formation is unique to some of the others in the park. Basically it’s a cone shaped sandstone hill but erosion has cause it to look like a checkerboard with lines cutting through it both vertically and horizontally.
Across from Checkerboard Mesa is a nice sandy area along with brush and rocky sandstone areas. I took my son out of the car hear where he played in the loose pinkish/orange sand for nearly an hour. We walked around and looked at the bushes and even spotted a few lizards making there way around on the rocks.
Pretty much anywhere you decide to stop on the main route or on the Scenic Drive is worthy of exploration. During our 2003 trip me and my then husband pulled off on one turnout that was next to a slopping area of sandstone. We walked around there for nearly an hour just looking at the rocks and noting the different ways the sandstone had been eroded, how the bushes and small trees grew between the rocks and looking at the canyon walls around us.
Kolob Canyons
After spending a day within the main park area we took a trip up to Kolob Canyons the next morning. This little nook of the park is located of off interstate 15. For non-hikers like myself this is basically an overlook or outlook onto the Kolob Canyons and its Mesas and Buttes. We arrived early in the morning and the was in just the wrong spot to see very well or take a decent picture. At that time in the morning the parking areas were full, but void of people. It was very obvious that the trails in this area of the park were very popular.
Looking Back Again…
Looking back on my map from this summers trip I managed to miss another part of Zion National Park. Kolob Terrace Road runs out of Virgin, UT off of route 9 and goes up into another area of the park. It seems I’ve found another good reason to return in the future.
Entrance Fees & Other Necessities…
Zion like other National Parks charges an entrance fee. This year they charged $25 per private vehicle which is a seven day pass. My best piece of advice is to buy a National Parks Pass if you intend to visit more than one national park in any given year.
The park includes camping facilites and a lodge. You can find additional information about this on their website. We stayed in nearby St. George during our visit, but many hotels line route 9 on the way to the south entrance of the park if you feel like staying closer to the park.
Overall Zion National Park offers a lot for everyone. It’s evident that Zion is a hikers dream with all of the trails available but even for me the beautiful scenery in it self is enough reason to return over and over again. I would easily say this about any National Park that I’ve visited, but anyway, if you haven’t been to Zion National Park its definitely worth a look!
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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susieq112
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Procrastination ~ At this rate, I'll never finish my mini-doumentary...
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