Zion National Park, UT

TUES., OCT 18, 2022 thru SAT., OCT 22, 2022

The pod arrived at Zion River Resort RV Park in Virgin, UT on Tuesday, Oct 18th. Yes, that’s a real town. We traveled 133 miles southwest from Bryce to Virgin and enjoyed another pretty drive. The speed limit was 80 in certain spots, perhaps because some of these roads are so empty. Not that we did 80! We have nice sites here, although the Hannafords are a little distance from us. We were all in dire need of restocking the pantry so hitting the liquor store and grocery store were top priority. Then after dinner we hit the hot tub and chatted with others about their Zion experiences so we could learn from them. The guys had to drop the Hannafords’ truck off for servicing on Wednesday morning so while they were gone, Cheryl & I did a walk around the campground, which borders the Virgin River. Pretty views from the river. 

Once the guys returned from dropping the Hannafords truck off for routine servicing on Wednesday, we visited the Grafton Ghost Town. Said to be the most photographed ghost town in the West, it was featured as a location in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. To get to it, you have to travel over a bumpy unpaved road. Naturally! It was once a small Mormon community, founded in 1862. We’ve come across the Mormons before in our travels. Since they were persecuted for their religious practices namely having multiple wives, they traveled trying to find a place they could call home. It was a beautiful setting for their community but an inhospitable environment with Indian attacks, illness, and severe weather caused many Mormon families to abandon Grafton. 

Afterwards we drove into Zion and toured Zion-Mount Carmel Highway stopping at the various view points. Beautiful drive! The other “Scenic Drive” can only be accessed riding the park’s shuttle so we’re saving that for tomorrow. We climbed almost 2,000 ft. in the truck and had to go thru a mile long tunnel cut into the side of the canyon. The tunnel was constructed in 1930. At the time, it was the longest tunnel of its type in the U.S. Signage says the width restriction is 7’10 or you have to pay a fee. Of course we didn’t realize this until we’re stopped in line to enter the tunnel…

Me asking any pod member that will answer: “Anybody know what our width is?” Crickets. Ok, then. We get a cranky park ranger (first one ever!) who says yes we’re oversized and practically does an eye roll and tells us we should have paid at the entrance. Sorry. Nobody said anything. She lets us go thru, with the admonishment that we have to pay the $15 fee on the other side. We paid the fee. In 1930 when the tunnel was being built, there were 4 large “windows or galleries” that served not only as a source of light and air for the tunnel, but were places that the workmen could expel rubble as they tunneled. Today the large “window” cutouts in the rock walls allow you to see the canyon on the other side as you drive through. Very cool. 

A favorite on the Zion-Mount Carmel Hwy was seeing Checkerboard Mesa, an iconic 6,520 ft elevation Navajo Sandstone summit. So pretty! As the name implies, it looks a bit like a checkerboard pattern… only prettier. 

That concluded our first day in Zion. 

On Thursday, October 20th, the pod had an early morning heading into Zion. It was recommended to us to get to the Visitors Center by 8am to be able to get parking. Otherwise, you’ll be parking outside the park in one of the neighboring towns and taking the shuttle from that location. Cheryl got Joe up early. No small feat on her part! And we were able to find parking at the Visitors Center, caught the shuttle from there, and enjoyed the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive with stops along the way. No cars allowed on the scenic drive as parking is limited. We hiked about 6 miles walking 3 different “easy” trails at 3 different stops… The Riverside Walk, The Grotto Trail and Lower Emerald Pool Trail. These trails actually were easy. A fun day even though temps in the morning were a very chilly 40 degrees! One of the hikes we could have done was The Narrows… walking 6 miles over slippery wet rocks in a river surrounded by canyon walls. Sounded good to me. What could possibly go wrong??? I was voted down by the three other pod members. The pod sticks together on these adventures. 

While Zion was very nice, it perhaps wasn’t as “wowie” to Gary & I as the other 4 National Parks we’ve seen in Utah… Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef & Bryce. A plethora of riches this state has to offer! The next two days we took care of laundry, grocery shopping, catching up with friends and family via phone and email and generally taking care of some admin things. This way we “cleanse our palate” of sightseeing, and we’ll be ready to go again when we land in Kanab, Utah next! 

A short 51 second video to share a bit of Zion with you. Compliments of Gary.