We planned to just drive through Zion National park and maybe stay a day before moving on-but this dramatically beautiful place drew us in and we just had to stay for a whole week!
Boondocking Spots
Very rarely do we pay for a camping spot anymore, so we are always looking for good boondocking spots at our next location. We mainly use the FreeRoam app for this task. Our biggest challenge is finding a a spot with good service so Jon has good internet speeds for working. There are several options near Zion but it seems the most popular area is the BLM land off of “Sheep Bridge” road. This road has several miles of public land, with rigs of all different types coming and going to stay for a night or several. There were many people using this area for boondocking during our time there, but everyone still had plenty of space in between. The road from the highway is dirt with lots of washboards and then there are several turn outs onto smaller dirt roads, very bumpy but doable in most any rig. We saw everything from sedan tent campers to busses to fifth wheels and Class As. There are spots of all different sizes, many with fire rings. There are several trailheads off of this road, at least one of which has a restroom. There is great signal for several cell providers right in this area, so it’s no wonder it is such a popular place. This is a popular spot for mountain biking with its many trails! We found the location to be very convenient, about 25 minutes from Springdale and the entrance to Zion and only about 10 minutes to two larger towns, La Verkin & Hurricane, Utah. We used these towns to do laundry, took showers at the Anytime Fitness, grocery shopped and brought the kids to Heritage Park to play at the playground and splash pad. There is several quaint options for a meal out as well. I enjoyed a coffee one morning at the River Rock Brewing Company in La Verkin which I highly recommend due to the great selection and especially because of it’s lovely outdoor seating on the edge of a beautiful canyon overlook. My husband and I also enjoyed a dinner one night at Stage Coach Grill in La Verkin which is a fun, western environment with very good food and drink options! There is also a Maverick close by which offers a free dump as well as potable water.
Zion Parking & Shuttle Tips
We were here in mid-May and it was hopping! I imagine its even busier in the summers when school lets out all over the country. The Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles during the shuttle season, March through November. The Scenic Drive begins at Canyon Junction and goes to the Zion Lodge and Temple of Sinawava. So the only ways to access these areas the rest of the year is by the shuttle service, by foot or by bicycle. Without a shuttle ticket, you can still drive through the tunnel on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (State Route 9, there are restrictions on vehicle size.) You can drive the scenic Kolob Terrace Road to access additional hikes, and park and hike trails near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. The drive through the park is absolutely beautiful and well worth the time it takes even if that is all the time you have. Most of the park’s attractions are only accessed by riding a shuttle from the Visitor’s Center. The trouble with this park is how limited of parking there is and how difficult it is to acquire a shuttle ticket. There is parking in the town of Springdale with a free shuttle to the entrance of this park but even in Springdale it is difficult to find parking! Springdale is a busy little town with many dining options and lovely gift shops. We went into the park on several days and parking was always difficult, with many cars (like us) circling around and around waiting for someone to leave a spot. We parked in oversize parking one afternoon and came back to a “tow” sticker on our window. (Us and at least 2 dozen others that apparently were not supposed to park there). The shuttle process was probably an easier situation before CoVid….and hopefully will improve “after” Co-Vid. However, for now, the system can be quite frustrating. Here are your options right now (May 2021). You cannot purchase a same day ticket, you have to either purchase a ticket in advance which can be done on the 16th and the last day of every month ($2 each person) OR you can get online (recreation.gov) the day before you want to ride the shuttle and at 5pm they release tickets for the following day. Beware: I tried this for 4 days straight and only was able top obtain tickets one time! They sell out by 5:02 near as I can tell. Your last option is to show up at the Visitors Center in person and they hand out shuttle tickets for free every day from 3-5pm. You have to be using the shuttle ticket right away. This is how we got up 2 of the 3 times we went. At first I thought I wanted to go early in the day, but knowing what I know now, I recommend trying the day before at 5pm for whatever time you want but if you don’t get it, just plan your hike for the afternoon/evening and head to the Visitors Center for your shuttle ticket. From 2:30-4:00 the line is crazy long. If you don’t want to stand in line forever, show up at 4ish. By then the line is much shorter or not there at all. They still had plenty of tickets all the way until 5 during the weekdays when we were there. Just make sure you pay attention to what time the last shuttle back down is! You won’t want to have to hike the 8 miles back down to your vehicle after your hike if you miss the shuttles back. We did not do our research before we showed up so we learned all of this by trial and error. In the end, we were able to make 3 trips up on the shuttle while we were there.
Hiking Angel’s Landing
There are so many cool hiking possibilities in this park! I will just tell you about the ones we did. After doing some research and learning about the Angel’s Landing hike, I just had to do it! Angel’s Landing is 1,488 rock formation with a trail leading to the very top. It has epic views basically the whole way! Usually we don’t shy away from bringing the kids to rough places but this one we decided to do by ourselves. This was one of our first days at the park so I was still unfamiliar with the shuttle ticket process. I tried the day before to get tickets for earlier in the day but they sold out before I was able to get them. I was so bummed because I thought for sure it would be better to do the hike earlier but we decided to try our chances with the day-of shuttle tickets at 3pm. We were able to get on the shuttle surprisingly quickly and we got to the bottom of the trail just after 4pm. It is 2.5 miles up to the top making for 5 miles total. As it turned out we were so thankful to be hiking this one later in the day because there were a lot more people going down then up at this time and also you are in the shade the majority of the way this time of day. It is a tough hike up with steep switchbacks much of the way. When you get close it is a challenging narrow trail with a thick chain to hold on to as you navigate up the final stretch to the top. You have to maneuver around the people coming down as many sections are not wide enough for passing. It was not near as scary for me as I expected it to be but there are definitely some intimidating parts! I was thankful I didn’t have to watch my kids do it. The views at the top are absolutely spectacular and well worth the reward for the strenuous climb up. The way down goes pretty quickly in comparison and we were back to the shuttle in no time. It took us 3 hours to complete the whole thing there and back and we spent quite a bit of time sitting around at the top and stopping for pictures along the way. We actually ended up coming back to this trail with the kids a few days later. Our teenage girls really wanted to do this hike so we decided to let them have a shot at it. I came up earlier in the day this time (the one time I was successful getting tickets the day before at 5pm) I brought all the kids with me (18 month old in my backpack). My 4 year old was on foot so it was a slow go with lots of breaks but we went over half way up and stopped in the canyon where there are caves to play in. My husband came up quickly when he got off of work and took the girls up the final stretch while I navigated back down to the the parking lot with the 3 boys. The boys really enjoyed all the lizards, rock climbing opportunities and caves on the first part of this hike. The girls were successful at making it all the way to the top and really enjoyed the experience. Victoria said this was her favorite and Loriann said she couldn’t decide between this hike and The Narrows which one she liked best.
Hiking The Narrows
This hike is one of the most popular ones in the park. After a mile on a beautiful path along the river you enter the water and hike through the water in a narrow canyon as long as you want. We only had a couple hours to spare since it was evening and we didn’t want to risk missing the last shuttles back down to the parking lot. We got on the trail at 5pm and walked for a little more than an hour. I carried our 18 month old on my back and when we got to the water, Jon carried our 4 year old in his backpack. It is reccomended to have a hiking stick or trekking poles on this hike to help you keep your balance. You are walking on rocks and often can’t see your next step. You are mostly in the water, sometimes up to your waist. Some of us chose to carry a stick and some did not. I found a stick on the way in and for me it was very helpful, I think it kept me from falling on several occasions. The water is cold and it was a bit windy when we were there but I still felt warm enough because it is hard work walking through the water! We saw the Zion Search and Rescue team rescue an injured man using an inflatable boat which was interesting for the kids to see. I bet it happens often as it would be an easy place to get hurt! I was surprised how many people were on this difficult hike. On our way in, the shuttle line to get out was super, super long so we were concerned it would still be that way when we got back. But when we got back to the shuttle just after 7, there was no line at all. The scenery and pictures the whole way are absolutely stunning. The whole family really enjoyed this unique experience.
Kolob Canyons
Kolob Canyons area of Zion is located in the Northwestern part of the park and you have to drive around via highway 15 to get to it. Is it a beautiful 5 miles scenic drive well worth the detour if you are passing through. I took the kids over to this area one afternoon and did the short 1 mile hike on Timber Creek Overlook trail. It was an easy hike for the kids with beautiful views and big rocks to play on at the end. There are a few more hikes in this area but they were too long for me to want to attempt with the kids and no other adults.
Junior Ranger programs
Like all parks, (I think?) Zion has a fun Junior Ranger book for ages 4+ that when completed, you can bring back to a ranger to be sworn in and given a badge as an official “Junior Ranger” My teenage girls aren’t as interested in this as they once were, but my boys really enjoy it. The books are filled with great educational activities one of which is to attend a Ranger Led Program. These programs go on several times throughout the day and are educational for the whole family! We attended one on animals at Zion. I definitely recommend doing Junior Ranger programs at every park you visit if you have kids between the ages of 4-12.
Conclusion
That pretty much sums up the things we experienced and learned during our week at Zion National Park. It is so uniquely beautiful and such an easy place to boondock. This place definitely made it in the list of top 10 must see places in the US.
