Stop #25: Zion Canyon Campground, Springdale, UT
- Denisse Storti
- Jan 5, 2024
- 5 min read
Zion was one that surprised us. After visiting Arches, Goblin Valley, and Bryce, we weren't expecting Zion to look like a lush forest. In our opinion, the juxtaposition of the greenery against the canyon walls are exactly what make this park so unique and beautiful.
We booked at Zion Canyon Campground & RV Park, which placed us at the heart of Zion. We were a few steps from good restaurants and a few minutes away from the Visitor Center. Sites were the tightest we've been at. We could barely park our car in front of our RV and our neighbors were cuddled up right up next to/behind us. But that was a compromise we were willing to make to be close to the park. The campground was beautiful, with lots of trees and a river running through the back, which had our kids quickly running over to build a dam and subsequently very wet. :) Amenities at this campground include a pool and hot tub (which were closed by the time we arrived in November), a small playground, a big gazebo, showers and laundry rooms.
On our first day out to the park, we did the Scenic Tunnel drive. The drive was impressive with lots of turns, switchbacks and sweeping canyon views. There are several spots along the 10mi drive that allow for you to pull over in order to take pictures or go on a hike. We weren't up for getting out that day so we just took everything in from the car. Some areas looked a lot like the White Pocket with it's brain-like formations etched onto the Navajo sandstone. The tunnels have windows that allow you to quickly peek outside... just make sure to remain aware of the cars behind you who might not notice you slightly slowing down. The tunnel was built in the 20's when vehicles were much smaller, so if planning to go through in your RV check the height to ensure you will fit and make sure you arrange for an escort which is required for larger vehicles.
On our second day at the park, we drove over to the Visitor Center where we got Junior Ranger booklets for the kids and then hopped onto the shuttle to do the Scenic Shuttle Drive. This part of the park, which is where all the famous trailheads are, was previously open to public vehicles throughout the year but in May 2000 the shuttle service was introduced to operate during the busy summer months. Nowadays, the shuttle operates regularly from March through November, as well as on weekends on February and December. Besides staff, guests of the Upper Lodge are still allowed to enter this area in their personal vehicles but are encouraged to use the shuttle once they've parked their vehicles.
We visited before the Thanksgiving rush, so there was no wait to get on the shuttle. However, wait times looked very different once everyone arrived for the holiday week. The bus was comfortable and the recording was informative. The windows are big allowing you to take pictures along the way. We intended to get off at Weeping Rock and Riverside Walk but the Weeping Rock trail was closed.... however, you can pretty much see it from the bus and the driver was nice enough to stop for everyone to see it. The turnaround point for the scenic drive is at the Riverside Walk trail head, which is also the entry point for The Narrows. We did the 2mi Riverside Walk which has beautiful hanging gardens along the way, moss covered boulders, canyon views, and lots of humidity! We also saw lots of deer roaming around and jumping over the trails which was fun to see.
Following Riverside Walk we decided to hike the Lower Emerald Pool trail. This one is a short 1.2 mi trail along a path that was very muddy on this particular day. The trail takes you to a very nice spot where you stand under the waterfall (which was very sparse trickle) and which overlooks the 'Emerald Pool' down below. Contrary to its name, the water was not very 'emerald' in color but still a cool little spot to hike to. This trail is among trees but has some nice open spots from which you can take some beautiful canyon pictures.
For the third visit, Paul went on his own to tackle Angel's Landing which he had gotten a permit for. We researched this hike and it seemed to be a bit too advanced for the kids and too 'cliffy' for me. lol So while it's an iconic hike and it would've been awesome for all of us to see the amazing views from the top, we opted to be cautious. Paul did report back that the drop offs on both sides of the trail (closer to the top) where a bit intimidating at first even for him, but he soon got over it and did it without a problem. There are chains for you to hold onto on those parts but he said he barely used them... I, on the other hand, would've probably had a death grip on those. lol He loved this hike. It was challenging despite it being only 4.3 mi in length, with lots of switchbacks and 1,827ft elevation gain. Note that you can hike part of this trail without a permit. The permitted section begins where the chains are located.
Once the crowds arrived for the Thanksgiving weekend, we took a break from visiting the park with the exception of taking a drive over to the museum which is outside of the closed off area dedicated to the shuttle. We had hopes of hiking The Narrows later on and had even visited two local outfitters (Zion Outfitter and Zion Adventures) to determine which one had the best options for us. Zion Adventures had the full body suits versus the overalls which we were leaning towards considering how cold the water was during that time of the year. We saw a few people wearing them and they shared they worked really well. However, the weather turned and we had quite a bit of rain and a hail storm which is not ideal when planning to hike The Narrows. We opted to play it safe and not risk possible flooding but would definitely like to return some other time to do that hike. Following the storm, we attempted to drive over to the Scenic Tunnel Drive to see if we saw any waterfalls. We saw some small ones leading up to the Scenic Drive entrance but found that the road up was closed due to the risk of land slides.
During our stay we checked out the following restaurants: Zion Canyon Brew Pub, Spotted Dog Cafe and Camp Outpost Co. Zion Canyon Brew Pub was great for a casual dinner. There was live music that day and they had a kids menu. Spotted Dog Cafe was much fancier and hence the most expensive of these. Service was good and everyone was happy with their food. We had lunch at Camp Outpost on the day we left while waiting for a package to arrive. The campground was nice enough to allow us to park at the front after checking out and we walked over to this spot for a quick lunch. Sandwiches were tasty.
We loved our time at Zion but this trip feels a bit incomplete without having checked off The Narrows. So Zion, we shall return!
Комментарии