- Zion National Park
After taking it pretty easy yesterday, walking Vegas Strip, we decided to head out to Zion National Park with the possibility of going to Bryce Canyon afterwards. Needless to say, there is not enough time to go to both parks in one day, if traveling from Vegas. The drive out there was beautiful, as expected, and was around 2.5 hrs travel time. Parking is very limited at Zion and they recommend you to park in the town of Springdale and take the free shuttle to the park. We chose to drive and almost did not secure a parking spot. The entrance to the parking lot was blocked, but we “somehow” entered and found a spot. 🤪 I wouldn’t advise risking it, though, as there really is no need for a vehicle there. Everything must be accessed via the tram once you get there.
Junior Ranger
From the parking lot, we headed to the visitors center, which was only a short walk away. Here, the girls got started on the Junior Ranger program. Their motto is “Explore, Learn, and Protect!” and they are encouraged to protect the parks, learn about the parks, and share their experience with others. The kids, generally ages 5-13, perform various activities throughout the park and earn a badge and certificate once they complete required tasks, such as finding certain animals, picking up trash, participating in a ranger led activity, etc. It’s a good way to keep the kids entertained while taking them on hikes and such throughout the park.
From the Visitors Center, we chose to take a short hike on a stem of the Pa’rus Trail, that 
passes the South Campground and led to the Zion Nature Center. The views are beautiful any which way you look. The girls took part in a Junior Ranger activity at the nature center to complete the last required task to get their badges. After this, we completed the loop hike back to the Visitors Center. On the way, we passed several deer that were nonchalantly walking through the campground.
Tram to Hikes
Once back at the Visitors Center, we hopped aboard a tram and stayed on it until the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. We hiked a portion of the Riverside Walk Trail which started at Temple of Sinawava. Once we reached the river bed, the girls got out in the water and splashed around a bit. From there, we turned around and headed back to the tram.
Next, we stopped at Weeping Rock. This is a short hike, about 1/2
mile or so, but is an uphill climb the whole way. It’s definitely worth it for the view and there is a nice rock overhang that you walk underneath that is always dripping water. Thus, the name Weeping Rock. It’s a good short hike to take. If you are limited on time (or not) I would recommend considering this hike.
From Weeping Rock, we boarded the tram to Zion Lodge, where we got us a drink and chilled out on some rocking chairs while the girls played in the courtyard. We decided to hike back to the Visitors Center from there, which was about a 3-4 mile hike. The first part was about two miles and followed the river the majority of the path. The second part was on a paved trail and it was an absolutely beautiful hike, passing a small waterfall, crossing bridges, and open to the best views of the mountains. We got back to the visitors center right around 5:00, as everything was closing down. We took the top down in the Mustang and enjoyed the 2.5 hr drive back to Vegas.
Good Bye, Zion
Since we were just here on a day trip, we did not get to see as much of the park as we’d liked. We chose a few short trails to hike, but felt like it barely gave us a taste of what is offered. It’s a beautiful park and I’d like to revisit for a longer period of time, sometime in my future, to take on some of the longer trails.
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