My dear wife passed away a couple of years after we visited all 5 parks in Utah and ended in Choco Canyon in the way home to MO. Utah is by far one of the most spectacular places in our wonderful country. Definitely a favorite memory of mine. Always remember to savor every day that you obviously enjoy together. They swiftly pass. 👍🏻❤️🙏🇺🇸
Condolences on your wife’s passing. My wife and I and siblings, toured the National Parks in Utah in 2019. It was glorious! I like you am glad I got to create those memories with my beautiful wife. ❤️
Travel 33 miles north of St. George on I-15 to Kolob Canyon. This is the northern end on Zion National Park. Less traveled as Zion (the major portion) , but equally impressive and well worth the drive. It is about halfway between St. George and Cedar City, but gives you a wondeful perspective of great red-rock mountains and deep green canyons. Not to be missed - well worth the time investment!
Wonderful camping spot NNW of St. George is Snow Canyon State Park. Wonderful hiking trails, lots of red rocks [& canyons], sand dunes, and some lava fields. Wonderful staff! Not too difficult to book a campsite within the park (go online): water/electric hookups to dry camping. Lots to keep you busy/entertained - 30 inutes to Zion. VERY reasonably priced.
Zion NP is definitely a favorite of ours. We go every year in March. It's already getting hot during the day by then. Usually by March 15th you can't drive through the park. Shuttles only. (Covid has changed things. Check before you go.) More hidden gems in Utah are Canyonlands, Deadhorse Point, (near Arches) Goblin Valley, (near Capitol Reef NP) Dinosaur National Monument, and Flaming Gorge, (near Vernal.) There are also some beautiful State Parks if you've seen all the National Parks. 😊 (From Utah)
Observation Point hike. You have the perfect view down the canyon, and look down on Angels Landing. Even though the original trail is no longer passable due to a rock slide you can access it via the East Mesa Trail. A 6.7 mile out and back is a must do.
Yep. Zion like Lion, and actually Hur-cun. Like it's two syllables. And southern Utah really is the best! One of my favorite hikes in Zion is Canyon Overlook Trail. It's a easy to moderate 1 mile round trip. Starts right near the east entrance to the Zion-Carmel tunnel. There is very little parking. I have the best luck in the late afternoon evening after the day-trippers have left the park, and it's a great place to watch the sunset.
We love love Zion National Park. The last time we were there, we were with a class C RV rental. We hope to go back there after we pick up our own RV around April 2021. You are inspiring us to travel. Thank you for all your videos.
I am a transplant to Utah from the Washington, DC area. Zion is one of the most spectacular parks I’ve been to, and it’s only 4.5 hours away. You’re right about Utah, it’s beautiful here!
I spent all day in Zion on Thursday, Jan 14th on my motorcycle! Perfect day, bout 60 degrees in Zion Canyon and 10 to 15 degrees cooler at the East Entrance later in the day. Mid week and out of season is the BEST and Zion Canyon is open to traffic! Very little traffic and lots of parking spaces were available. ZION is maybe the most Epic 25 miles on a Motorcycle in America!
We were just there a couple of weeks ago, boondocking just south of St George. I have to say I've never seen anything as stunning and awesome - a word I rarely use - as Zion. We went twice in the 3 weeks we were in the area and I would absolutely go again - yay old people's National Park pass! - cause I've never seen anything like it. It's also so worth it to go off season - not busy at all. Our truck was too large to go through the tunnel regularly - it's a dually - so, they stopped traffic for us a couple - uh, 6 times total LOL - but, the people working there are very nice to chat with while waiting. No shuttles in the winter, though - was still snow higher up in elevation.
The entire state of Utah is mind-blowing! We spent the month of October 2019 checking out their NPs and forests, the state parks, the BLM lands, the sweet little towns, etc. Man, I hope we make it back there this year!
We stayed at Willow Wind Rv Park in Hurricane it is beautiful full hookups very clean well kept lots of shade. It is about 23 miles from the west entrance to Zion.
Zevon was part of our late September 2020 loop through northern Arizona/southern Utah..... great trip. We stayed at the same RV park and it was nice having a pool. The morning of our hiking we drove to Zevon around 5 am, waited for the sunrise while enjoying our morning coffee in the main parking lot. No staff at the gates at that time if you don’t have a National Parks pass.
Did 22,000 miles on a motorcycle in 2019, going through 34 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Bucket list destinations checked off that summer included Alaska, Denali, Glacier National Park and Waterton, far northern UP, Ontario, upstate NY, Acadia NP in Maine, Skyline Drive and the entire Blue Ridge Parkway, the Dragon’s Tail(again), all the parks in southern Utah, except Zion, which was insanely busy, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, and probably some I forgot. Tent camping all the way.
Zion NP may be the most crowded NP I have ever experienced. I am fortunate to live close to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, never had that type of crowd experience here. Probably due to the size of the park. Beautiful place. Not get me wrong... worth braving the crowd.
Sean & Kristy: We visited Zion in Oct and stayed at the same RV park too. Probably crossed paths and didn’t even know it. Your comments are spot-on! I did freak-out in the tunnel towing my Jeep behind my Class B+. But had a good laugh because our Cocker Spaniel, “Archie” didn’t know what to make of the mountain goat ambling along the narrow roadway. Thanks for bringing back our memories of our first (big) extended trip in our RV.
To really enjoy Utah, any part of Utah, get a good geology book. With that you can understand how the landscape around you was formed and why it is so unique. Do more than just enjoy the sights and create memories, seek to understand what you are seeing.
I've been to Zion twice on my motorcycle. My secret camping spot is the Super 8 in Cedar City. 😁 Family run, and decent weekly rates. From there, it's under an hour's drive to either Zion or Bryce Canyon. I did the Angel's Landing hike in 2015, but will probably never do it again. Spectacular, but at 67 I no longer have what it takes for strenuous trails.
Heh yeah I have a long list of boondocking sites near Zion and most other major parks, but not wanting them to be overrun I'm not saying where they are. Last time we passed Zion, passed by not going in, the line was Two and a half miles long. We were on our way to the other Zion unit, which is not worth the trip. Zion and Arches are both ruined for summer visits. They are both hotter then Hades then anyway.
We stayed at Watchman and it was so beautiful we looked forward to getting up in the morning and seeing those views out our big window in the back and having our coffee in the wonderful fresh air! Our ebikes were awesome on the trails they were allowed, we just wish they had more trails they would allow you to ride them! You can put them on the front of the shuttle and go to the end of the route and ride them back and that way you get the best of both (shuttle & ebikes)!! The air born tree sap was a bit messy but it came off the truck and camper with a quick wash! We also boon docked right off of hiway 89 just before you get to Mt. Carmel and it was also beautiful!!
We have been to Zion 2 times, once in 2008 and again in 2016. It was not nearly so crowded the first time and we were strong enough to do the Angles Landing hike. The second time we had booked ahead and got to stay in the Watchman campground. It was amazing to sit outside and watch nether sunlight move over the sides of the valley. However the trails were packed with people in November..
Hurricane was settled by English immigrants in the 1800's. If you watch a BBC nature show, they pronounce it like a native Southern Utahn. Gooseberry mesa has great camping with awesome views of Zion, just don't go there after a rain storm.
We came up from the North Rim and stayed at a commercial campground just outside the East entrance. Very fast WiFi at the bathhouse. The nice thing about staying on the East side of the park is that it's not at all a bad drive over to Bryce if you don't have to go through the park. Oh, and if you need to go grocery shopping in Springdale do NOT take your tow rig into the underground parking for the Sol foods Supermarket, one of the hardest spots to get out of we've ever found ourselves in! Also, surprised that you didn't recommend Zion Canyon Brew Pub for places to eat, good food and above average beer.
If you want to leave the crowds behind there are three trails that can be accessed by way of a county road after traveling through the tunnel and going out of the park on the east side. You will go through the Zion Ponderosa Ranch to either the east rim trail head or the east mesa rim trailhead which leads to Deer trap, Cable Mountain and Observation Point. Everytime I have hiked these trails in the fall there has been less than a half dozen individuals on the trail and at the overlook with exception of Observation Point. The views are incredible and surpass anything you will see from the valley floor and I have hiked Zion for over 10 years. I would also suggest taking the Kolob Terrace Road and checking out several hikes from the west rim trail. If you are adventurous try to get a permit for the Subway and you will not be disappointed. Go very very early for any of the hikes from the valley floor unless you want to endure thousands of others.
Don't forget about the Farks: Spanish Fark and American Fark. Maria mentioned Tooele already. Most outsiders pronounce it "too lee", but it is "too will uh".
My family have started National park trips years ago. My mom being an immigrant has always been told she needs to go see Grand Canyon. So that started it all for us. We then saw Mt Rushmore, Sequoia National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Redwoods, and Yosemite. My wife and I just got back from Shawnee National Forest. But Utah, Utah is absolutely on my list! And I keep telling my family this. Hopefully 2021 is the year we go. Just don’t know which one of the 5 we are going to go to!
@@kristymichael that’s what we usually do. We don’t just visit one park. However my wife and I are getting more into hiking however my mother is not much of a long walker. So time will tell what will happen when we do go. Past adventures we would visit more than one park.
We love staying at Watchman Campground simply because getting into the park can be a pain. Snow Canyon has a lot camping options with close hiking (lava tubes!) and is a short drive. Leeds has a great little RV park as well. There are also BLM options around Hurricane and other areas. With a little homework you'll find a lot of options but Zion itself is so hard to beat. Welcome to Utah!
My favorite camping near Zion is Sand Hollow Park. It’s a Utah State Park near a reservoir. There is pretty deep sand near the water, so be careful and don’t get your car stuck in it.
Another great place to check out in Zion is Kolob Canyons. It's part of Zion but has a separate entrance about 40 miles north of the main park off I-15.
Zion is an amazing park! We were there a couple of years ago in early March and could not believe how crowed it was. Lots of tour buses from Vegas. If you haven't done so, you should check out Big Bend NP and Bid Bend Ranch State Park. We were there for 2 weeks in Jan.2018 and cant wait to go back.
The wife and I did Ziunnnnnnn several years ago and loved it. Also did Angel’s Landing but it was very crowded. My wife loved it so much she left a couple of toenails. ( Lost due to many miles of hiking). Thanks for the video. It was great.
Hi guys - we stayed on the East side in Mt Carmel. I think its called: Best Western East Zion Riverside RV Park Mount Carmel Utah. It is across the street from the Best Western and there are 12 or so sites. We stayed there in 2019. The east fork of the Virgin river was right behind us. The reservations are thru the hotel. The WIFI didn't work for me so I sat in the lobby to work. There's another small park not far from there where we've stayed: Mt. Carmel Motel and RV Park
Do not go to Zion during high season. I found it one of the worst NPs I've had the displeasure to visit. Due to every single parking spot being occupied all it turned out to be was a miserable drive through park. Couldn't even see much since I had to keep my eyes on the winding road the entire time. So I thought once I made it to the town I would just park it and take a scenic hike. Nope! The town was a tourist trap par excellence. Packed with people and no parking except far from town. I turned around and went back through leaving the miserable park behind. A huge waste of time. Having said all that I will return when the mobs of people go home and hike the park. Zion, I've heard, has to be hiked if you really want to see and appreciate the park.
I can't imagine how busy and hot it is in high season. Definitely try to come back during the shoulder seasons. Comfortable hiking weather and much fewer people!
If anyone gets upset when we say Zion is one of God's most magnificent creations, that's their problem, not ours. I'm a Christian and I am not going to be bullied or shamed out of my beliefs and I couldn't care less about "political correctness."
Have you visited Kolob Canyon section (Taylor Creek Trail) or taken the Chinle Trail to the petrified forest section? Beautiful areas. Much of the park gets very little traffic.
It's just us and a Prius V. So when I did our route to Colorado Springs from California, I noticed it took us right next to Zion. So miracle of miracles, we got a reservation at the Lodge. It was just 2 nights and expensive but worth it. My husband doesn't hike, so we took a bunch of shuttles to see things, then I enjoyed a few short hikes near the Lodge. Waking up and staying until sunset into the night, watching all the light changes. It was magical. What I noticed is it was very much like staying at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, without that long hike. Did I mention we aren't big hikers? And I have friends who live near St George. They love their part of Utah. And there is BLM land near Zion. Usual rules apply.
Several people have mentioned Snow Canyon State Park in St. George. I used to live in St. George not far from the park and I highly recommend it The campground is very nice - not too large. Beautiful hiking trails. I particularly recommend a hike into the box canyon at the western edge of the park (west of the maintenance road).
Everyone that enjoys hikes should check out Zions NORTH entrance into Kolob Canyon. Kolob Canyon is not as well known therefor there are fewer people visiting this section of ZION.
Only Dr. Seuss could rhyme herraacunn. Oh wait, herricunn rhymes with Merricunn, meaning a citizen of the United States of Merrica, and anything manufactured in that country is Merricunn made. Anyway, thanks for all your usual fun and valuable information.
The one thing that worries me I probably looked at a thousand RV upgrades and I have never seen anyone upgrade their SMOKE DETECTOR. That is very disturbing and the crazy thing about that is it isn't an expensive upgrade. I have a 2017 34 footer and it came with one smoke detector that is unacceptable. I recently changed the batteries in that one smoke detector and pushed the test button nothing happened. So I took it out to the range and used it as a clay pigeon and I promptly replaced my RV smoke detector I installed one at the bunk room one in the kitchen and on at the door of the master bedroom now i'm happy because all other upgrade's can wait my FAMILY COME'S FIRST.
We spent several days at Zion three years ago. We certainly would not list the park in our top ten. The place itself is beautiful and we found some out-of-the-way hikes we enjoyed but we won’t be returning. I think it is a case of being loved to death or instagrammed to death. We hated the crowds, especially because so many were so disrespectful of everything and everyone. We found Capital Reef much more to our liking and felt a week there was really too short.
We were there in Oct 2020 had a great time and parked our RV right outside the entrance at that private rv park and ride like e bikes in every day.....awesome ! Yes buy groceries elsewhere super expensive in Springdale.
Yes, your right.... Ziuuun is beautiful but I have to hand it to one of the ticket sellers when we were there @8 years ago. She asked (very politely) if we were over 55? Well, Yes...by a long shot! Well you can buy a 'seniors pass' and get in for $10.' Me being the skeptical type I ask 'how long is it good for?' LIFE and you get FREE NATIONAL PARK ENTRANCE! Now my opinion..... if you want to see sheer beauty that's right around the corner..... Arches National Park is UNBELIEVABLE!
Hi, guys! Thanks so much for your videos. Next time you visit Zion, if you haven't already gone, go to THE PIZZA FACTORY in St. George. The bread sticks alone are worth the trip and the scenery around the restaurant is nice.
Wildlife we saw there included mountain goats, deer, torantulas in various locations, and a black widow spider in one of the bathrooms (which they said they didn’t have until we showed them). 🙂
Last time we went we camped out at the Golden Nugget in Vegas and drove our 50 MPG Prius to Zion and then rode the shuttle. Luckily we fit under all the tunnels quite easily! LOL
@@shouldibehere, we haven't had a chance to stay at either of those yet, but we have driven Highway 24 and 12 and the views were incredible. Can't wait to go back!
@@kristymichael If memory serves, there's no campground at Goblin Valley, just TONS of hoodoos to wander around...for hours. It's like a different world.
Great stuff, as always. We'll be staying at Zion River in late May. I tried to get a site at Watchman the second I could book but no luck. I'd prefer to go a little earlier in the year but we're hitting the North Rim of GNCP as soon as it opens. Keep on rolling.
Been going to Zion since I was a kid, stayed in the grotto campground which is now the grotto picnic area. The bridge across the river there was a swinging bridge. Swam in the pool and that was in front of the lodge, now filled in. You can see that pool in the movie The Eiger sanctions starring Clint Eastwood. One of my favorite hikes are the lower, middle and upper emerald pools. Slam in the upper emerald pool with the frogs. Then signs went up, no swimming. The first time I did Angel's landing I was six or seven, my brother was three years older. My dad had no clue. Did it again in my 40s with one of my sons and his friend, scared the crap out of me. Another favorite trail is weeping rock, short, kind of steep. It was a favorite to go to at night in the moonlight if possible. It was closed a while back due to landslide, not sure if it's reopened yet. Haven't done the East Rim, or West Rim between lookout point and Angels landing, still looking forward to that. Nearby, don't forget Bryce Canyon, Kolob fingers off interstate 15, Cedar Breaks up Cedar Canyon from Cedar City Utah, Don't miss the Alpine pond trail at Cedar breaks (summer). Never camped at Sand hollow but I hear it's great for water sports and ATVs.
Helpful! I have a couple of nights booked upcoming in Watchman campground and they were not easy to get! Thank you for the video. You guys had me LMAO more than once. New Subscriber here!
Yes you are right my cousin lives in hurricane and she told me to make sure I pronunce it the right way or everyone there will let me know how to say it... LOL.
We got the same treatment when we were in Hurricuuun several years ago. Left there and wen to Mancos Co. to see Mesa Verde and stayed at a dude ranch. Found out when we went to the grocery store that it was not Mancos like it reads, you have to say it like it is spelled this way Maankus.
Well, this is actually the same video. Yesterday's upload had a bad audio glitch that we missed before we uploaded. So, we pulled it down and SeN fixed it. Bonus is that he uploaded it in 4K today, so quality should be top notch!
Nice video on Zion! When we camped there years ago, there was always plenty of space at the Watchman campground. The park has become very crowded the last few years, so we go to Kolob Canyons near Cedar City. It has a fraction of the people and great hiking. You do need a permit for the amazing, but tough Subway hike, but it's worth it.
Love love Zi-un LOL! It’s also good to note how large Zion is. While the valley is the crowd draw we spent a day up on the plateau and it was just amazing and 1/100th the crowds. Wildcat canyon trailhead has some pretty flat easy hikes out to Northgate Peaks with amazing views.
You are going to love this! Check out Steve Lehtos new episode. A court has struck down the requirements for permits and fees for filming in National parks and BLM lands. Put on the party hats! The permits were a violation of the first amendment because people talk during filming and it is illegal to restrict free speech.
Love Zi-Yun, but how do you pronounce "Tooele"?. Great boondocking off of Sheeps Bridge Road in Virgin. Next time get away from the tourist and go into the backcountry....perhaps Orderville Gulch. Canyoneering is huge here. Did you go to Kolob Canyon? Check with this Utahn for your next trip. 😀😉🖖
I have been thru a couple hurricanes, maybe we are pronouncing that wrong? Zion is one of our treasures I have not made it to as of yet. Thanks for sharing! Steve
You are limited to RV length through the park due to the tunnels. If you are over a certain length they won’t let you through period. I found out with a 38’ 5th wheel and Chevy crew cab
Do you have a high rez of that mountain side? It seems to have some kinda petroglyphs carved. Maybe I'm just seeing things but they may be something there.
20 years ago my wife and I came up with a saying that Utah is a four letter word. We love the environment but have had the worst mechanical experiences ever oh well. Thomyt
