Zion National Park Review

Overall 4.50 of 5 view all 2 reviews

Kyle
Chicago, IL

Spectacular Views in the Middle of Nowhere

curious traveler

Pros

spectacular views, cool rock formations, unique scenery

Cons

slightly expensive

APR

2007

Zion National Park —

On a recent trip to the Nevada/Arizona/Utah area of the country, I stumbled upon a pretty cool national park in Springdale, Utah. About a three hour drive from Las Vegas, Zion National Park is quite literally in the middle of nowhere.

Not as expansive as its nearby big brother (Grand Canyon National Park), Zion offers similar rock formations, canyons, and vistas - usually with a tint of red. Just outside the park are several restaurants and shops, all with a similar rustic theme (yet not overly "touristy"). Once inside the park, an incredibly scenic and windy two-lane road even includes a mile-long tunnel. Although I didn't try it, there is a park-operated bus that travels to a supposedly even more scenic area of the park. For those interested in some exercise, there are several lots to park the car and trek with your own two legs. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with just about everything Zion had to offer.

The only negative comment I have is the somewhat hefty price of a $25 per vehicle admission fee. To me, a park such as Glacier National Park is arguably more scenic and more diverse; however, its admission fee is slightly lower. Really, I think I was just jealous that the van behind me loaded with 27 people paid the same vehicle admission fee. In the grand scheme of things, I was more than happy to give money to such a good cause.

So, the next time you are in Vegas, take a day trip over to southern Utah, and check out Zion National Park.

Last edited on Apr 09, 2007

Zion National Park is recommended by Kyle

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Comments about Kyle’s Review

In response to pstoffels's comment from Jan 16, 2008 at 1:51PM:

Sorry I had lost this site some time ago so I couldn.t respond then.. Yes , our pass is permanent and we paid $5.00 for it about 8 years ago. As a matter of fact I went ahead and bought my own permanent pass because the National Parks were financial broke, so I thought that I wanted to make a small contribution. Ours are called lifetime passes now, but back in the 60,s we also bought annual passes, but now we are in our mid 70,s so we are set for life. Maybe they will bring back the lifetime again.

In response to janepoffenberger's comment from Nov 21, 2007 at 8:16PM:

Do they still have the lifetime park pass? We bought the annual pass a few years ago when we went to a number of parks in a one-year time period and it was worth the price but I thought they told me they didn't have an annual pass any longer. I do think they have a pass for those 62 and older that only costs about $10.

In response to janepoffenberger's comment from Nov 21, 2007 at 8:16PM:

When we were in Zion National it was in early June and the water was flowing through the Narrows and the cactus was in full bloom so you can imagine how beautiful it was. Our family was camping and we stayed for 7 days which allowed us to follow many trails and detect many various wildlife tracks in the wet areas on the higher trails. What surprises me that travelers don't buy the National Park card that allows you to enter every NP and it is good for a lifetime. We have used ours so very many times and we even live on the east coast. As we got older I purchased my own pass which was really not necessary because my husband already had one and it covered the whole family. I felt that my bit of added support was for a good cause because our children grew up in the National Park system.

We were here years ago and spectacular it was! This summer we are heading to the Northwest to do many NPs we've never been to - Glacier being one of them. jo