2020 has been tragic with so many lives lost and turned upside down by Covid 19. The travel industry is just one many businesses basically shut down by the virus.

How to travel safely during this time? A road trip seemed to offer the best way to manage the risks. Living in California, the Pacific Coast has stunning beaches and a dramatic coastline perfect for driving, but wildfires were affecting air quality. We looked to the east and Utah. Zion National Park turned out to be the perfect getaway. We were able to arrange a Home Exchange in St. George, Utah, about an hour’s drive away.

It was about a seven-hour drive from Encinitas to St. George and the scenery was mind-numbingly dreary. Sadly, it did not get picturesque until we left Las Vegas. Once beyond Sin City, we entered into the Red Hills and Canyons, our introduction to Utah’s scenic majesty. Arriving in the early evening, we settled in our residential Home Exchange.

Zion for Beginners: Lessons Learned

Early the next morning, we were off to Zion. Slight hiccups.

Lesson #1 

Always check online for restrictions due to Covid or restrictions period. At the Visitor Center, we discovered that because of Covid, the visitors to the park were reduced. The shuttle tickets to The Narrows and Angels Landing (the two main draws to Zion) were sold out. There were a small number of tickets available, but we would have to call a phone number the next day at 9:00 AM to obtain tickets for the following day. Luckily, our day was not wasted.  We could park at the entrance and take the Pa’Rus trail on the outskirts of the park.

Lesson #2

The entrance parking is often full. You can park in Springdale at designated stops for the free shuttle which we did. The Pa’rus trail, lovely as was, merely whetted our appetite for the stunning, majestic views we knew awaited us inside the park. The paved flat trail follows the Virgin River and is around two hours roundtrip. The leisurely trail was punctuated with mule deer camoufluaging in the brush. Golden wildflowers decorated the path.

Lesson #3 

The 9:00 AM call to Recreation.gov for next day $1 tickets sell out in a matter of seconds. Our next ploy was to contact Zion Guru which has private shuttles for $40 a person. All tickets sold out until Sunday the day we were leaving. We eagerly scooped up the last two tickets. In the meantime, we got to know St. George and its environs.

Click here for St. George’s attractions.

Click here for more Lessons Learned at Zion.

St. George, Utah is primarily known for its proximity to Zion National Park, but being “stuck” there for two days, we discovered it flies modestly under the radar and has its own unique charms.

Snow Canyon State Park

Snow Canyon exceeded our expectations. Just outside of downtown St George, this state park is designed with several small pullouts for cars along the main roadmaking it easy to stop and explore each area.

Petrified Dunes at Snow Canyon

Our first stop was at the Petrified Dunes. What are petrified dunes? Rolling mounds of red stone seemingly designed by an artistic and creative heavenly hand. I’d been to the Petrified Forest in Arizona, but these were magnificent hillish mounds of decorated red rocks that were textured and not slippery to climb on. Petrified usually refers to wood that is slowly changing to stone. The dunes are simply sand that has been cemented into rock.

The swirling grooves and jagged stripes etched into the dunes created easy walkways to scamper on–virtually slip-proof. Like a sculptors’ installation, each dune visually mesmerized. Even though there are no established trails, it’s fun to forge your own and explore. We stopped at almost all the pullouts because most had a trailhead for a hike with different terrains leading to spectacular views.  After the Petrified Dunes, our favorite was Jenny’s Canyon a .5 mile hike to a slot canyon easy to navigate.

Pioneer Park

Smack dab in the center of St. George is Pioneer Park, an area of red sandstone perfect for hiking, climbing, and exploring. The red petrified rock again makes scampering easy and safe. With lots of trails, views and rocks for lizard yoga , this is a super user-friendly park. The Botanic Gardens are right next door with free admission.

Downtown St. George: Historic District

The term Downtown St. George might be a bit of an exaggeration since it is rather small. Most people flock to Ancestor Square, a tightly packed block of restaurants and shops including our favorite restaurant in St. George–Benja Thai and Sushi. It had the best mango curry I’ve ever tasted and I’ve been to Thailand. The Painted Pony, a bit more upscale, was perfect for our splurge dinner.

A cute outdoor sculpture gallery focused in and around Main St. made it fun to explore the nearby streets. Thomas Judd’s Store Co built in the late 1800s and converted to a general store in 1911, still features an old-fashioned gas pump in front. The Historic part of downtown refers to the LSD temple and the winter home of Brigham Young, but both were closed because of coronavirus restrictions.

For more Lessons and Insights at Zion National Park, click here

Glorious Zion: Lesson #4 The Narrows

The Narrows: It took a private shuttle, but we finally entered the glorious Zion National Park. Clearly soul searchingly magnificent, the shuttle wound its picturesque way to the final stop: The Temple of Sinawava, the departure point for The Narrows.

What is The Narrows you may ask? It turns out to be not only the most popular hike in Zion, but it is listed as the quintessential slot canyon hike in the world. Also, it’s on the nutty side. You actually hike in the freezing Virgin River water.

First things first. The walk up to The Narrows is luscious in every sense of the word. Named Riverside Walk, it reveals one scenic postcard after another. Multi-colored towering cliffs, turquoise Virgin River, and the autumn yellow-leaved trees basically claimed a space in my heart of nature palpitations.

Lesson #5: Hiking The Narrows

Not just Narrows, but THE Narrows! The THE adds a monumentalness to it. This slot canyon (a passageway with steep rock walls) is actually 16 miles long. One can turn around at any point. Full disclosure: I did not hike 16 miles.

So many iconic moments. Okay, did I mention you walk on water and not in the Jesus sense? You wade through the 55-degree river water with the rocky bottom crisscrossing to dry land. The jolt of coldness is mitigated by the beauty of the poetic scenery around each bend. More poetry lay ahead, but my feet were grumbling which leads me to Lesson #6.

Lesson # 6: The Boy Scout Motto–Be Prepared

Equipment is important.  I did not have the equipment. There are rentals at Zion Guru from where we departed. I interrogated many hikers about ensembles and at the minimum river boots and neoprene socks are mandatory. There are also walking sticks available that will make the rocky bottom less treacherous. All my interview subjects said their feet weren’t cold with the boots and socks, only a bit numb. I would have gone at least a mile or more further if my feet weren’t screaming. So rent the damn equipment.

Insights

• There are two main entrances to Zion. We exited on the east entrance along the Mount Carmel Highway, a shockingly beautiful, curvaceous road, passing through the 1.1-mile Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, an engineering feat completed in 1930. The East entrance led us south to Arizona and The Grand Canyon.
• Angels Landing, a world-renowned hike, is not far from The Narrows. Utah.com called it, “An unforgettable short adventure hike worthy of all bucket lists.” Travelwaits.com called it “the scariest hike with “double drop” — areas where a chasm opens up on both sides of the trail, and you have a brief feeling of being on a tightrope. Usually, you’ll have a chain to help you out in those areas, but sometimes you’re on your own for a short distance.” Clearly, I won’t be making it to the Landing, but I’d like to see how far I could get.
• Springdale, the closest town to the South entrance, is charming and upscale albeit with upscale prices. It might be worth the splurge to be so close to the park.
• Travel during shoulder seasons, spring or fall, to avoid summer temperatures in the 100s.
• Always do what we didn’t do. Check for current restrictions and conditions.