Zion National Park, Utah

We waited for the Memorial Day crowds to clear out, and left on Tues. May 27 for Zion NP. We traveled south on Hwy 89 and then west on scenic Hwy 9 for 100 or so miles. Luckily John had researched the drive (would we expect anything else?) because there was a tunnel on Hwy 9 going into Zion NP. The tunnel was built in the 20’s and was not wide enough for today’s RVs. They have rangers posted at each entrance to the tunnel and they stop the traffic in the mile long tunnel so that RVs can go down the center of the road. It costs $15 for the service. We had a short wait in the morning but we understand that it can be a longer wait in the summer. There is a size limit and large RVs are not allowed in the tunnel

It was a steep descent with hairpin switchbacks down into the canyon, but we took it slow and easy and it wasn’t a problem.

There are two CGs in the park. South CG is first come first served and there were plenty of sites available when we arrived in the morning. The CG did fill up, however, by the evening. There were a variety of sites with most of them under the trees and some of them close to the babbling Virgin River. We spent the first night close to the river.

The next day we moved over to Watchman CG because the sites were a little larger and electrical hookups were available (in case we needed the AC). We were lucky to get a site because they were on a reservation system and many people were trying to get into the CG. We happened to just hit it just right. Any RV friends planning to head to Zion, we would highly recommend making reservations and request the river loop. There are dumps located at each CG but no showers in the park. There are pay showers available in Springdale, a short distance outside the park.

This has been our favorite park yet. The red sandstone rocks and cliffs that arise from the canyon floor are spectacular, and there are views from everywhere in the canyon. We liked it so much that we extended our stay.

The shuttle system (no private cars are allowed up the canyon) works very efficiently. We never had to wait over a few minutes for a shuttle, and they stopped at all the main spots and trails. It sure beats traffic jams.

We took the shuttle each day to a different trail and got in lots of hiking. There are a variety of trails; some flat and paved and others more strenuous. Our favorite hike was on the Riverwalk that went up to the end of the canyon. The trail followed the river at the bottom of a narrow canyon with spectacular rocks on each side.

We had a change in the weather from cold and snowy at Bryce to warm and sunny in Zion. We had temperatures in the 80’s. It made for nice hiking and sitting in the shade and reading and visiting. (Our new found Gator friends are also here.) Half the fun of camping is meeting new people from around the country.

The town of Springdale ( right outside the park) does have some motels, shops, and nice restaurants, but it has only one small grocery store. The selection is very limited (stock up before you get here).