Thursday, April 30, 2009

ZION NATIONAL PARK


On this cold morning we off on a hour's drive to Zion in the Honda. Entering the park on the East side from Route 89 is a twisting & winding road that takes you through this tunnel. Buses & motor homes go by escort. So glad that we elected to leave the motor home outside the park. It's my understanding that coming into the park from the West side there is no problems for motor homes or buses.

Once through the man made tunnel the beauty of the park's landscape's unfold right before you. What a site it is.

The park receives more visitors than Bryce. So the trams are up & running. We parked at the visitor's center & were off for our Zion experience. The Tram is the best & easiest way to view the park. It takes 90 minutes to complete it's route. One can get on & off as many times as you wish at no charge...free.
At the end of the route we got off the tram & hiked 3.2 miles inside the canyon & along the Virgin River which has carved out the walls over time. The foliage was beautiful with many kinds of ferns growing in the shade.
The colors change as the day progresses.
By this time we were ready for lunch. A Tram stop at the lodge was a convenient lunch stop. The next stop was at the museum where we were able to see a film on the history of the park.
We had camped in the park in the mid sixties with our children. There have been many changes from that time.

There is a good size campground in the park that takes RVs & tent camping. Dry camping on a first come basis; no reservations.

A great park to visit, the tram is a relaxing way to get around. This time of year the weather was very comfortable. Gets real warm in the summer!!

On to Mesquite Nevada tomorrow.
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