Zion National Park/Hurricane Utah

 We left the Sedona area (May 3rd) and headed towards Utah. The weather here is warming up, and there’s much to do to stay busy.

Our first night was at Adobe RV Park in Golden Valley, Arizona, as we went north. This park was nothing to write home about, but it served its purpose on our journey to the St. George area. The following day we woke up and headed into Hurricane, Utah, staying at the Willow Wind RV Park. This was such a wonderful place to stay. Not as close to Zion as we would have liked, but it worked.

Our Campsite 

The sites are paved and very spacious!

While in Hurricane, we did some hiking:

LaVerkin Overlook: It was a leisurely hike overlooking the town and the Virgin River.

Overlooking the town of La Verkin

La Verkin

Red Cliff’s Conservation area: We started late in the day for this hike, there was very little shade, but it was enough to get the blood flowing and work those hamstrings and glutes as we walked uphill in the sand.

We hiked to the Arch

Here we are!

We spent one day inside Zion National Park and did two hikes the same day. Things have changed a bit since our last visit. Unlike last time when we could drive your own vehicle--if you want to travel the Zion Canyon scenic drive in the park, you must use the shuttle service from March through November. As we arrived early in the morning, we found plenty of parking at the visitor center and were on the shuttle bus quickly (no lines yet at 7:30 am).

Zion National Park

Zion with the Virgin River

The views are breathtaking!

Emerald Pools: We hiked to all three levels. This 2.7-mile hike is straightforward -we took the shuttle to the grotto stop and followed the Kayenta trail to the pools, and the lower emerald pools trail to the Zion Lodge to catch the shuttle to our next hike. There is some maneuvering up stone stairs and hills, but overall, it was beautiful.

Emerald Pools Hike

Lower Pool

Angels Landing: We hiked to Scout’s Lookout as we didn’t have a permit for the last section of Angels Landing. I’m not sure I could have done it; with my fear of heights, I would have fainted before getting to the top. As you walk along a ridge, clinging to a chain handrail for the entire hike to the top. All I can say, even if you can make it to Scout’s lookout, you will not be disappointed. The views were excellent, and the workout was even better – many switchback sections throughout the 2.2 -mile hike up. The final section of Scout's Lookout is a tight twenty-one switchback section called Walter's Wiggles.

Hiking up to Scouts Lookout

Many switchbacks, as you can see!

Also, while in the St. George area, we took the motorhome in for basic oil & fuel filter change, and I got my hair done at a salon downtown. The girl that did my hair was Kayla Henry, and the salon was Ethereal, located downtown. Kayla did such a fantastic job that we will hit her up on returning to Yuma in the winter. 

Good things must come to an end, and our time in the Zion/St. George area did. So far, Zion is my favorite National Park to visit, hike and explore. If you love great photo opportunities, hiking, and exploring, you would love Zion, also.