Zion National Park

Williams, AZ - Kanab, UT
5/2/24 - 5/6/24

Miles Traveled    235
Trip Total           3033
Travel Time        4:25

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, Utah

Today's ride was an experience, we climb the steepest hill of our trip so far.  Antelope Canyon Pass on State Route 89, heading to Page AZ.  We climbed 1000 feet, in three miles, with an grades reaching
16%.  We did slow down to 28MPH, but it was a beautiful ride, coming into the pass you disappear into the mountain, and it looks like the road just ends.   Then approaching Page, Ken & Cheryl had engine problems and had to be towed to a garage.  One thing I learned in this section of the trip, tumble weeds are not a hollywood exaggeration.  They are everywhere and can range in size from a bowling ball to a small car.  They are also very stiff and prickly.  

Kanab is a great place to explore places like Zion National Park, and Grand Staircase -Escalante National Monument.  The locals refer to Kanab as  Little Hollywood, many western films and television series were filmed such as  Stagecoach, Gunsmoke, The Lone Ranger and Planet of The Apes.   Kanab is a cute town with an mix of an older main street, and newer construction.  Our campground (J&J RV PArk)  is on the outskirts of town, and one of the reviews said there are 28 restaurants within a mile of it.  I would be surprised if the whole town is bigger than 3 square miles.   The campground is a small no frills RV park.  The site were fair sized, but with the wide road and a great layout, they were very easy to get into.

On Friday we backtracked to meet Ken & Cheryl and explore Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument.  When we first looked into it, we thought it was one particular site, nope it is a 1.9 million acre United States national monument protecting the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante.   While we checked out the visitor center, they recommended two spots to check out.  The Toadstool Hoodoos, and The Cotton Canyon Trail.

We started with a mile and half hike to check out the Toadstool Hoodoos.  Hoodoos are rock 

formations  with larger rocks balanced on top of them.  The hike was a easy to moderate hike though washes then up into the hills.  There was one point where about 100 yards of the trail was a very narrow ledge along a cliff.  There was no way to pass anyone on the ledge, so you had to wait for anyone that was already on it.  It was obvious we reached the right place when we saw the giant red Toadstool. It was by far the biggest one, but as we continued on there were several more that we just as impressive.  

Leaving the Hoodoos, we headed for the Cottonwood Canyon Road.  The road is a semi improved road and according to the ranger at the visitor center, the road was recently graded and in the best shape as it ever gets.  Each morning the rangers in the visitors center list the condition of the roads in Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument.  On the list they have a recommended vehicle type, 2WD, 2WD, high clearance, 4WD etc.  They also list the condition of the road.  Depending on the weather even the "good" roads can become unpassable.  The dirt quickly turns to soft slippery mud.  As we enter the road there was a sign saying "Road Condition Change with Weather May Be Impassable When Wet"   The road is 54 miles long, with several sights to see along the way. and ends at a second visitors center.  It is roughly a 3 hour trip and the quickest way back to our campground would be back the way we came.  

We decided we were turning around at the Grosvenor Arch, 30 miles from our starting point.  The road conditions changed by the mile, it started out as a smooth gravel road, and quickly switch to a rough washboard road.  The washboard quickly gave way to a bumping ride, which gave way to soft sand.  It was funny to see speed limit signs dropping from 35mph to 25mph.  Most of the time we were under 20mph.  Add in several steep hills, and a couple of switchbacks made for a very fun drive.  One thing that was consistent through out the ride was the dust.  By the time we were done we could barely see the car under the dust.  Videos of us going up some of the hills would make a great commercial for Chevy and the "Off Road" capabilities of the Trail Blazer. The arches were spectacular but the views on the ride in and out were even better.  It is amazing how different each area is.  Each time I think it the views can't get more spectacular they do.

On Saturday Mark & Karen and Angel & I headed to "The Narrows" in Zion National Park.  On the way to Zion, there was a herd of bison that we just had to stop and see.  Mark & I  were brave (crazy?) enough to feed.  They really seemed to enjoy the green grass.    We entered the park from the south entrance, where it is a 12 mile drive to the visitor centers.  The 12 mile ride took us through 2 tunnels.  The first tunnel was only a couple hundred yards long, and you could see from one end to the other.  The second tunnel was 1.1 miles long winding through the mountain.  These tunnels were completed in 1930.  The skill that it took to make the tunnels in the 1920's was incredible.  The engineering needed to tunnel through the mountain and come out at the right place without the use of modern technology just blows my mind.  Leaving the tunnels we headed straight into switchbacks climbing down the side of the mountain. 

Except for the off season once you arrive at the visitors center you have to take the tour buses, hike or ride bikes.  We choose the tour bus to get us to our starting point, The Narrows River Walk Trail.  The highlight of The Narrows is hiking through the middle of the Virgin River up a slot canyon.   Because the water flow of the Virgin  River was so high, The Narrows hike was closed. I did take my shoes off and stepped into the water.  It was so cold, they went numb very quickly. Because the Narrows was closed for hiking we had to "settle"  for the 1.5 mile hike along the river to were The Narrows started. I wish I could adequately describe the scenery in the canyon, neither words or pictures can capture the true beauty.  Everytime we think we have seen the most beautiful sights, we are wrong.  It's not that one park is better than the other, just very different.

After spending the day in Zion, we headed back to Kanab where we meet back up with Ken & Cheryl for dinner.  

We all decided that Sunday was going to be a down day.  Most of our day trips start with an hour plus drive and none of us felt like spending all that time in the car.  After a lazy morning, then lunch we went to check out Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.  Best Friends is a non profit animal rescue in Kanab.  They are the largest animal sanctuary in the country.  It is home to up to 1600 animals ranging from bunnies to horses on 42 acres. They also have shelters in several other states.   Aside from the work they do rescuing animals the most amazing part of Best Friends is the Animal Cemetery.  They have a pet cemetery with thousands of graves, and it is surrounded by wind chimes.  It was very peaceful listening to the wind chimes.

Monday we head to a Harvest Host on our way to Las Vegas.