The drive to Zion National Park, located in southwest Utah, took us over the Colorado River at the east end of the Grand Canyon while skirting the many miles of the Vermillion Cliffs formations along scenic Hwy 89A. We can imagine John Wayne chasing Indians through the desert with the cliffs, mesas and buttes as the back drop.
ZION NATIONAL PARK
The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway winds 27 miles downward through the Park connecting the east and south entrances. We arrived at the east entrance and were told to pull over and unhook the Jeep as the length of the RV and Jeep together were over the vehicle length restrictions for the switchback highway. Jim led the way in the RV as I followed driving the Jeep. At the 2nd tunnel we stopped and waited while the Park Rangers shut down the opposite land of traffic so Jim could drive through the center of the tunnel where the height is 13.1 feet; our RV is 12.6 feet high.
 |
| First Tunnel. Yikes, and this isn't the scary one. |
 |
| Second Tunnel...waiting for the oncoming traffic to be shut down. |
Unable to get a campsite within the Park, we got the next best thing 1/2 mile from the south entrance at a private RV park in Springdale, just across the Virgin River from one of Zion's campgrounds.
 |
| Across the Virgin River from our campground is Zion's Watchman Campground. |
The geologic diversity of Zion creates a magnificent array of mountains, mesas, buttes, as well as animal and plant habitat. The elevations in the Park range from 3,600 to 8,700 feet. We explored Zion by driving, and hiking the terrain. This is truly an exceptional place of beauty.
 |
| Court of the Patriarchs |
 |
| Hiking the Emerald Pools Trail |
 |
| Great day for a hike in the Park |
 |
| View of Checkerboard Mesa |
 |
| Close up look at Checkerboard Mesa |
Camping should always be fun for the kids. You need to ensure that they would not regard it as a bore or as a chore. The thought of sleeping outdoors in camping tents would surely make them enthusiastic about this activity, and you need to sustain that excitement all throughout the camping trip.
ReplyDeleteZion National Park Camping