Zion - The Promised Playland

Did I just land on Mars?  Nay - it's ZION!!!

Zion National Park - out of all the places I have been in this world, this is one place I KNOW I will see again, because it's one of those places that you MUST visit again and again.

The terrain is out of this world, and a mover's ultimate playground.  From the moment you set eyes on this place it will take all the willpower you can muster to stop yourself from stopping in the middle of the road and abandoning your car, so you can run and frolick on the hills.  Only these hills are not some prairie land. These hills look as if you just landed on another planet.  From tones of red and orange, to the deepest and richest shades of brown, adorned with the evergreens, you find yourself on the faces of smooth sandstone, enriched with caves, rock climbing holds galore, bouldering, rock scrambling and hopping, tree climbing, and canyoneering.  What's more is the lovely Virgin River that flows through the canyons, offering a cool place to swim and wade.  You can hike up the river for the famed and scenic "Narrows" hike, or give yourself a thrill of a lifetime on the "Angels Landing" hike.

A view of the trees being highlighted by the sun among the lovely rockscape (Riverside Walk).

The point of this blog post however, is to give you some insight on what you can do with the family - in particularly small children, anyone needing a stroller, or in a wheelchair.  As and adventurer and explorer there is much more to tell, and much more to do and see, but for this post, we did that which was fun for the whole family, and focused on the fun and safety of our smallest explorers.

Check us out!  2 couples and 9 kids to our names.  Teaching our kids about exploration, sustaining and protecting our beautiful lands, and having some family oriented fun.  Our youngest explorer was my niece Contessa who is 2 years old, and is quite possibly the cutest thing on the planet.

Cute kids right here.

Camping is always a great option - and is very affordable in Zion, however because of our Family Reunion and wanting to make sure our 90 year old Grandma and Grandpa felt comfortable, we stayed at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.  This place was beautiful, and they had tent sites, RV, cabins, and vacations homes all available.  They are actually outside of the park, if you exit via the East entrance/exit of the park.  We stayed in a 5 bedroom vacation home that could house up to 24 people.  We were very comfortable in this beautiful custom made log home, and enjoyed the scenery and comfort of this lovely handcrafted sanctuary.  Prices started at around $770/night, included towels, laundry facilities, full kitchen (furnished with dishes and glasses), bedrooms downstairs (important for folks with canes and/or in a wheelchair), cable television, game room, large patio, balcony, fire pit, and access to the property open use amenities - a two tiered swimming pool with 2 water slides, basketball, volleyball, tennis, recreation barn with billiards and ping pong tables, and then plenty more activities that you could add on/pay for at a reasonable $11 per activity such as zip lining, ATV, horseback riding, jeep tours, and much more.

Our lovely custom log vacation home - fits up to 26 people very comfortably.

The boys knew what to do.

The two tiered pool and water slides were a great way to relax and get away from the summer heat.  There is also two hot tubs, picnic tables, and hot showers.  The amenities were clean, well kept, and the customer service was excellent.  Water was served pool side regularly, a refreshing addition, and kept the whole family happy and hydrated.

But OH THE PARK!!!  We enjoyed a full day on the Riverside Walk and ventured on the first part of the "Narrows".  It was an easy 1 mile stroll (2 miles roundtrip), paved and level most of the way, stroller and wheel chair accessible, and only takes a 1-2 hours to complete.  However, taking the free shuttle bus from the Visitor's Center to the drop off point (Temple of Sinawava) took nearly 40 minutes.  So take into account that you'll need an extra 2 hours for shuttle bus time.  My tip is to go as early as you can to avoid the parking hassle at the Visitor's Center (which is packed by about 9am).  If you end up going later/mid morning, you'll likely need to park in town (Springdale) which is only 5 minutes outside the park and you can shuttle back into the park.  Side Note - Springdale is adorable and has lots of great eateries, and shops.  So plan on 4 hours to be safe, plus you'll want plenty of time to enjoy the River and all the rock climbing/hopping, and bring some water and snacks.  Pack out all your garbage, as there are no cans and don't feed the animals (even though they are super cute and friendly).

Here I am with one of my boys - Adriel age 7.  We conquered this large boulder.  And the rest of the kids did too.  And husband Lon as well.  We just couldn't resist.

The glory of the Virgin River - We swam, we climbed, we rock hopped, we basked in the sunlight.

 

I was inspired to do a straddle headstand.  Can you spot me?

The kids learned team work as we crossed the River.

This place is a MUST stop if you are looking for handcrafted items made from local Navajo tribes.  We ended up buying 4 large arrowheads at $6/each for our 4 boys.  The craftsmanship in Southern Utah is world class, from jewelry, to knives, to blacksmith/metal art - it's all pretty amazing work, and affordable.

I hope I gave you some insight as to the many possibilities that await you in this wondrous canyon paradise called Zion National Park.  I was amazed at all the incredible views, fun things to do, and versatility of this place.  It's a true gem, and I found it to have a great energy about it.  I felt a great sense of awe and excitement everywhere I turned.  One last bit of info (and I apologize in advance to all my Vegan friends and clients who may not find this helpful) but I know my Paleo peers would love this bit of insight - just outside of the East entrance, there is a FANTASTIC restaurant (farm to table) operation that serves the most delicious buffalo steaks and burgers EVER.

Ooookkkaaayyyy!!!  Now go to ZION people!!  And as usual - don't forget to invite me along :)

- Elle Beyer

Some fun videos for your enjoyment