We can say officially about ZION NATIONAL PARK, that we have started our route through the Wild West. Yes, I know in advance that I’ve been driving for many days in California and that I come from the state of Nevada. Passing through Death Valley and I left this morning of the amazing city of Las Vegas, but here the nuances are different. The parks become huge canyons with unlikely shapes and the towns proudly look like an American film of gunmen. It unmistakable for us who have seen so many kids. A small nostalgic slap, mark as always my best days of travel.
A last minute turn has made us visit the Zion National Park. The coincidences in the trips are so frequent, that the sporadic, it becomes daily. On our way to Bryce Canyon, there was just enough time to make a stop in this well-known national park.
The Zion National Park is the first in a long list that lies ahead. To begin with, I assure you it is wonderful. The hordes of tourists, evidently being August, are noticed and a lot. But the infrastructures, simple and well mounted strategically, make Zion, visit well, without falling into exaggerated massages that can embitter the day.
In this article, you know about the fact of visiting ZION NATIONAL PARK mentioned below
- But what does the Park offer us?
- What to see in a couple of days?
- Short excursions.
- Long excursions.
- How to go?
- How to move?
- Park prices and services.
- Where to sleep?
- Fundamental tips.
But what does the ZION NATIONAL PARK offer us?
Geologically it is a rarity and the great attraction is the exaggerated crack of 24 kilometers in length that made an arm of the Virgin River, reaching a depth of 800 meters. The earth stops being brown in these places, to become red, making it very advisable, visit it and photograph it at dawn or dusk. Take a camera in order to make your tour memorable. You can read the 3 best DSLR camera for travel.
What to see in a couple of days?
Let’s go to the typical traveler on his own to go by car. I doubt very much that you want to stay three days and know all their paths, because the journey continues and there are many places on the agenda, so I will be practical.
Choose the excursion to be done, it is important, since there are about ten and as much we can spend a day to do two short or along if we are early risers.
Short excursions
Upper Emerald Pools. A well-signposted road will put you inside the canyon and you will follow the river. The difficulty is almost nonexistent and it is advised to do it when the Sun is hidden in that face. Its duration of two roundtrip hours is perfect for further research. The bus stop is number five.
Riverside Walk. Simple and of great beauty. Suitable for everyone The river is on your left and the seemingly fragile seem to fall on your head. The time to complete it does not exceed an hour and a half. The stop is number 9.
Long excursions
The Narrows. It is an extension of Riverside Walk, but that requires spending almost an entire day. It is essential that you rent or wear shoes to walk through water. The river will cross continuously. It is the best tour of the ZION NATIONAL PARK and a classic. Eight hours are needed and the bus stop is 9.
How to go?
There are no buses that leave you at the park entrance. You have to come in your own car or rent the services of a travel agency in Las Vegas, which will double your budget. Use this 10 amazing travel apps to make your tour easier.
How to move?
It is very important that we go through the Visitor Center and ask for the necessary information about the conditions of the park, ask for the maps with the bus stops and inform us about the best routes depending on our time. The Rangers, are usually friendly and not only are dedicated to controlling that they are not staff, but are a good source of information and address all our doubts.
Inside the park are excluded private vehicles to a special route, having a free bus that leaves you in the essential points where you start hiking. Renting a bicycle is very viable since the slopes are not very steep.
The rest of the park is feasible to do it in your own car and stop at the viewpoints. You have to be careful in the corners and not let the night run over us as it has been in my case. The lighting is zero and the animals are a risk to take into account since we have seen five cases of abuse in a stretch of about 60 kilometers.
Park prices and services
At the entrance, you want to take the bus or go through your vehicle in the designated area, you pay $ 30 per vehicle or $ 15 per person if you want to walk from the beginning or go by bicycle.
Eating anything inside the park is a robbery. Take your food even if they are snacks bought at a gas station. A simple coffee can go to $ 5 easily.
Where to sleep?
We decided on a small Road Town ninety kilometers from Zion and 30 from Bryce. It can be a very good option if your route resembles ours. The prices inside the ZION NATIONAL PARK are exaggerated and the services offered do not match the high costs that will be in our pockets. Taking a place one month in advance will be an impossible task. Reservations at Zion as in the rest of the parks of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, are invisible to those who prepare the trip two months in advance.
Fundamental advice
Of course and it’s not that I want to heal in health, you have to take a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and a good bottle of water. The footwear must be resistant and if you decide to make the longer excursions like the one mentioned in this post, you will have to rent special footwear to walk along the riverbed.
Avoid, as I mentioned before, driving at night. It is a real danger that we must keep in mind.
We continue with our route, making an involuntary flight from Las Vegas towards what I think is the most interesting landscape. You only have to get up early, put on a good song in the car, drive without hurry, lower the windows and let in that aroma of freedom that gives you the road in the United States. And yes, it is not a topic, it is the best country to do a “Road trip”.
You may also read Planning the Best Family Vacations to Washington DC.