Zion National Park & Bryce Canyon National Park

For the past week we have been on vacation visiting as many National Parks as possible in the short amount of time possible.  When I finally retire, I plan on coming back and doing this again in a more leisurely manner.  For now, I will mainly provide a visual experience and a few personal comments about each park visited.  Next time I come here, guaranteed, I will go much slower and spend as much time as possible in both parks. 

       Zion National Park

       The park is located in the southwestern corner of Utah.  We entered Zion from the south, taking Interstate 15 exit 16 to Hurricane and then following the directional signs.  There is another entrance:  The Kolob Canyons Road at Exit 40 but due to the lack of time, we did not visit that particular part of the park.  Maybe we can go there the next time we visit.  Everyone we talked to about visiting Utah this late in June was not the time to visit Utah.  They said it would be too hot, but we found that the temperatures were in the mid 70’s the entire time we were in the area, so we lucked out.  The Rangers indicated that they had an abnormal amount of snow this past winter so the late thaw was keeping the temperatures milder than usual.

       There are two campgrounds at the south end of the park with partial hook-ups:  South and Watchman.  Both are adjacent to the Visitor’s Center.  There is also a primitive campground at Lava Point that overlooks the West Rim Trail head.   

       The park is a prime example of the effects water can have on stone.  Over millions of years, water has cut through the rock to make a protected canyon.  At the north end, the canyon is only about six feet wide.  At the southern end, it is several hundred feet wide.

       Because 84% of the park is protected wilderness only a small segment of the park is accessible by vehicle.  The National Park Service limits the number of vehicles that traverse the Canyon floor to minimize the pollution and impact that 100’s of vehicles per day can have.  Therefore, to experience Zion Canyon, visitors must park at one of the parking lots or campgrounds and either hike the park or take a park tram along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.   The canyon floor is at approximately 3,600 feet while the tops of the walls can be more than 8,700 feet high.  The tram moves slowly through the canyon, which allows riders to see the grandeur before them.

        We chose to take the approximately 40 minute tram ride.  The views are spectacular!  As we wound our way down the scenic drive, we noticed people walking along the tops of the canyon walls.  Our tram driver indicated that there were numerous trails that could be climbed and or accessed from the North entrance.  It is important that hikers are aware of the indigenous wildlife, such as mountain lions and rattle snakes, in the area.

          Bryce Canyon National Park

 The next park we visited was only about an hour and a half away from Zion.  The drive between the two parks is beautiful.  The road winds through the mountains on a two lane highway that is well maintained.  When leaving Zion, follow Utah highway 9 east.  The highway passes a partially formed arch, on the left, just before entering the longest tunnel in Utah.  The tunnel is so long that there are three “windows” cut through to the outside to allow the vehicle exhaust to escape.  It was carved through the solid rock nearly a hundred years ago.

 As you drive south from the visitor’s center, there is a gradual increase in elevation of over 1,200 feet.  This increased height allows one to have a rare view from the many overlooks.  From some, on a clear day, one can see over 100 miles.  At Sunset Point one actually looks into the Bryce “Amphitheater.”  The natural effects of water have created what Native Americans called the “Stone People.”  They actually do resemble hundreds of people turned to stone.