Zion

ZION NATIONAL PARK HAS SO MUCH BEAUTY.

Everywhere you look there is a unique canyon formation featuring stunning shades of orange, yellow and reds. This place quickly became something special. We loved it so much in fact that we thought about buying land here.

The first time we saw Zion was on a road trip we took. Billy and I took the scenic route to Texas. lol literally. We went up and around to see a few states we’ve never visited before making our way to his parents house. Only driving through it, we instantly knew we were bringing the kids here.

A few years and a baby later

We packed up the recently accumulated RV and finally did it. This trip was not planned very far in advance. We didn’t have reservations anywhere to stay along the way or even when we got there so, just figured it out along the way. Luckily most RV parks are pretty good about after hour check-ins.

When we made it to Utah, we found a KOA with open spots about 20 mins away from Zion. It was a little bit further away than we wanted but this being a pretty unplanned trip around a holiday, there were not a lot of places with open camp spots. Let alone, full hookup sites. Long stays with two kids and a baby, it’s a must for us to have sites with full hookup. There are so many campground options and vacation rentals available if you plan further in advance.

OUR FIRST ADVENTURE IN ZION

Was an impromptu stop heading into the park. We saw ton of boulders so we decided to stop and climb around. We easily spent two hours here climbing around. Little did I know that the boys were trying to find a perfect spot to propose!

When they finally found the perfect spot.

The boys ran back to the RV urgently saying they had to go to the bathroom. When they got back, Billy boy said let me take a picture of you guys. Jaxson not skipping a beat immediately saying “I guess that makes me the babysitter.” Which sounds really weird thinking about it now.

I SAID YES

Which is another factor on why this place will always hold a special place in my heart.

ENTERING THE PARK

As soon as you enter the park its the most stunning view. You’re surrounded by these huge canyons. There are different trails and great photo-ops here and it’s in walking distance of shops and places to eat. There is a lot of tourism in the park but it’s so worth it.

KANARA FALLS

This hike is not in Zion but about an hour away from the park itself. It was so much fun but we were not prepared for it. Especially with the kids. The first part is a pretty leisure walk. There is some water but enough rocks and logs to make it through without getting wet. It wasn’t until we were at the last little bit of it when we had to start treading water.

Let me remind you

We were here during Thanksgiving. It was brisk and got a lot colder the deeper we went into the canyon. The water was FREEZING. Parts of the creek were frozen.

When we read to wear waterproof shoes, they don’t mean cute waterproof shoes. They mean full on forging the river boots. We saw some people wearing chest high waders. During the warmer months you could get away with letting your shoes get wet or even taking your shoes off to cross but during the winter you will definitely need at the very least waterproof shoe covers.

Thanksgiving day we decided to have it in the park. We drove the RV into Zion and cooked right in the parking lot. It was actually so cool looking out the window and seeing all the canyons while we were eating. Not having the stress of driving everywhere to see family and the stress of cooking a ton of food.

THE LAST DAY IN ZION

We ended up taking the long way home through the park and tunnel. To go through the tunnel with such a large vehicle required us to get a tunnel pass. You can pick a tunnel pass up from the park rangers at the visiting center.

Throughout the park we stopped where we were able to pull off and climbed around. For the most part there wasn’t a lot of spots open for the RV. It’s much easier to stop in a smaller car.

Are very last stop

The last stop on our trip was right outside Zion. There are a ton of hiking trails surrounding the park. I’m not sure what the name of this one is. We saw it from the road and wanted to check it out.

We will absolutely be coming back to Utah to explore. There is so much to do and see that it will take longer than a week to see it all. What was your favorite national park to visit?