April 7, 2010 – Zion National Park

We woke to a chilly, but gorgeous sunrise over Lake Powell.  While we hated to leave such a beautiful spot, we had a two hour drive to Glendale, UT where we left our rig at a campground and headed out for Zion National Park.  

The white, orange, red, gray and other color rock formations begin well before entering Zion, itself.

Once past the park entrance, there are two tunnels, one only a couple of hundred yards long while the other is over a mile in length, after which there is a steep series of switchbacks taking you down to the canyon floor.  

Along the way, the scenery continues to get better.

Once in the canyon, we had to exit the park to find a parking place as all the lots were full.  We then boarded a shuttle bus (cars, other than those belonging to guests and the Zion Lodge, were prohibited from the 6.2 road into the heart of the accessible section of the park).  There are eight stops along the route where you can get off and pick up another shuttle, as they run about every 8-10 minutes.  We made three stops and took hiking side trips, one a mile or so further up into the canyon than the end of the road. 

I could describe in detail the sights, but I think it makes more sense to simply let you enjoy some of the most SPECTACULAR scenery either Debbie and I have ever seen.  I also apologize as the photos still don’t do justice to this scenery.

Cliff climbers are amazing and far braver than us!

For the record, the blue sky, although it almost looks manipulated, is just as it was today.  And, the squirrels are almost friendly.

Anyone who travels to northern Arizona or southern Utah should take the time to see Zion!

Enroute back to our campground, we found a nice restaurant and then passed a number of local businesses whose signs advertised such things as “Custom Caskets and Cabinet Remodeling” and at the 

their street-side marquis read, 


Interestingly, throughout most of the valleys we’ve traveled through there have been numerous horse farms.

Adjacent to our campground, the neighbor raises alpacas and 

 

Miss you all … but having an absolutely fantastic time!

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2 Responses to April 7, 2010 – Zion National Park

  1. Tracy Guichard (Maynard) says:

    Since we are in lock down.. I was spending some time researching my next USA National Park to visit with my son. We try and plan one travel trip a year. We were going to do bike riding in Italy. But 🙁 Corona.. so now thinking late summer hit a park. Any recommendations? We like hiking and great sites.. We did Yosemite last year and that was perfect. I am going to browse your travels see if anything peaks my interest.

    • Dick says:

      So sorry for the lengthy delay in responding; as yours and many others just appeared.

      We have been fortunate to have been able to travel to all 50 States (visiting the state capitol in each)and 10 Canadian Provinces/Territories. People always ask about the “best” “prettiest’ “most interesting”, etc. There are interesting and unique places to visit in every state … natural parks, historical places, oddities, and so much more. Crater Lake is magnificant as is the Oregon Coast. The road trip from Glacier through Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and finally Alaska holds magnificant scenery. Much depends on what types of places are of personal interest.

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