Retreat
to Zion offers great escape
By Sonya Smith
On-line Forty-Niner
 After
a stressful semester students deserve a
relaxing summer, and what better a place
than Zion National Park to help ease the
fact-filled mind.
This
awe-inducing canyon of 146,592 gross area
acres nestled in southern Utah boasts numerous
trails for the avid hiker, an open bike
path through the mountains for bicyclists
and geological treasures waiting to be discovered.
Not
only is this park beautiful, but it offers
many ways to enjoy the scenery. Hikes are
offered throughout the park, each with its
own level of difficulty, and each offering
a new view of the park.
For
the beginning hiker, there is a steep climb
for a quarter of a mile leading to Weeping
Rock, “a cliff overhang with cascades of
spring water dropping in front of you,”
said Craig Cooper, an avid visitor of Zion
National Park.
For
a strenuous workout, the hike up to Observation
Point is eight miles and gains 2,400 feet
in elevation, but the view from the top
is well worth it, Cooper said.
The
hike up Angel’s Landing is a challenging
and strenuous five miles gaining a total
of 1,700 feet, but is “not for those afraid
of heights,” Cooper said. “The last half
mile is with hand holds, chains and 1,500-foot
drops on either side of the trail, and sometimes
your feet are in carved out footholds of
the sandstone and you’re dangling from the
chains.”
Another
activity to do in Zion is a bike ride along
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which winds through
the entire canyon for 14 miles round trip,
Cooper suggested. Not only can you see the
park better without a roof over your head,
but riders have free reign of the road with
only occasional shuttle buses and licensed
vehicles allowed to drive in the park.
Since
the park is located in southern Utah, there
are two basic ways to get there, by car
or plane. The nearest airport is 46 miles
from the park in St. George, Utah, or you
can choose to fly into the Las Vegas International
airport and drive the other 150 miles into
the park.
However,
for the road trip enthusiast, it is roughly
500 miles, or eight hours, to the park.
The car trip uses the I-15 for most of the
journey, making an overnight stop in Las
Vegas easily accessible.
Once
there, you have the choice between camping
or staying in a hotel, as well as staying
inside the park or in nearby Springdale.
If
choosing to stay inside the park at a hotel,
the Zion Lodge offers motel rooms, suites
or historic cabins with the prices varying
among the types of rooms. The lodge also
features an adjoining dining hall for guests,
and is the only hotel inside the park’s
boundaries.
If
choosing to stay outside the park, Springdale
is next to the park on the Southwest entrance
to the park. One hotel in Springdale is
the Zion Canyon Bed and Breakfast, where
rooms vary from $95 to $110 and are named
after features of the park, such as “The
Narrows” and “Angel’s Landing,” the national
park service said. This hotel is also alongside
the beautiful Virgin River that flows through
Zion.
Another
great way to enjoy the natural beauty of
the park is by camping in one of the many
campgrounds either in the park or in Springdale.
Camping allows one to “sleep under the stars
or out in the wild, which is a unique experience,”
Cooper said. Camping also allows you to
save money, as most campsites are at most
$20 a night. The various campsites all offer
various levels of natural camping, from
hook-up spots with electricity for a camper
and hot showers, to camp sites with no hook-ups
or showers.
Apart
from the campsite or hotel fees and food,
the only other main cost is a national park
pass. An automobile pass for seven days
is $20, while a fee for pedestrians and
bicyclists for seven days is $10 a person,
the national park service said. However,
the avid park enthusiast may want the annual
Zion park pass at $40.
If
going to Zion in the summer months, one
fun activity to do while there is to rent
an inner tube and float down the Virgin
River through the park, Cooper said. Also,
the Narrows hike is another fun activity
to do while the weather is warm, because
at times during the hike you are waist high
in water.
An
interesting fact about this national park,
the name “Zion” itself means “a place of
peace and refuge,” the national park service
said. Also, many of the sandstone mountains
are named in a religious theme, such as
“Angel’s Landing, The Great White Throne
and the Three Patriarchs,” as named by the
early Mormon settlers.
Another
thing to do if you have about half a day,
nearby Bryce Canyon has “views that are
equally stunning [to Zion].” This park features
sandstone gardens that have been molded
by nature to create beautiful sandstone
sculptures.
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