ZION (West).
Day 153 – We were up a little before 7:30 a.m. 32 degrees and cloudy. The campground was full when we woke up; everyone came in during the night. I awoke around midnight smelling smoke inside the RV. Panicked, I got up and discovered it was from the campfire next to us. (Tonight we’ll close all the windows completely. We usually like to leave a window or two open at night for fresh air.) Anyway, two cars had come in late and they were setting up camp. They ended up putting up two tents. for 6 people. Although the sites are reasonably spaced from each other, they set up one tent right next to us, so close that we could almost touch their tent from our dining room window.
We left at 10:30 a.m. in the car for some exploring of Zion National Park. This is exciting! We extended our stay here for another two nights at least. Alot of scenic roads to cover, and as long as the good weather holds out, we’ll keep checking out southern Utah. We’d decided to explore the roads to the west of us today, so we headed west on the 9 through the towns of Springdale & Rockville, to Kolob Terrace Road at the town of Virgin. We turned north on this windy, two-lane paved road and headed up into the hills. We drove for about 45 minutes until the road turned to a dirt road with mud and ice. As we climbed through the canyons & hills, we stopped for pictures. The scenery was pretty but there was no sun out this morning. The clouds were getting darker and more ominous-looking. We saw some snow at the top of distant mountains, then some off to the side of the road, then on the road with some ice. Towards the end of the road before it turned to dirt, there were two reservoirs, both of them solid ice. Very pretty. We drove slowly since the road was icy in places, and luckily there was very little traffic. There were several pull-outs at trail heads, but not many people were out because the weather wasn’t that good. It was 61 degrees when we started the road, but as we climbed & reached 7,000 feet in altitude, the temperature decreased to 44 degrees and the wind picked up.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
We turned around at the dirt road and drove back to Virgin, continuing west on the 9 until a dirt road called “La Verkin Overlook” beckoned us. We took that road to its end and stopped to eat the sandwiches we’d packed. It was quite windy by then and the car shook with the wind gusts. The view from the edge of the mesa over the city of La Verkin was awesome, but again, it would’ve been better with some sunlight and less dust from the blowing wind.
La Verkin, La Verkin Overlook Road, La Verkin
We drove back to the 9, and at La Verkin we turned onto Route 17 heading northwest. I had checked the weather and the forecast had changed from no precipitation to 60% chance of rain, and from 15 MPH sustained wind to 25 MPH winds with stronger gusts. The clouds were quite dark & in the distance visibility decreased. At first we just thought it was dust blowing, but then we realized it was snowing. Tumbleweeds were blowing by with the dust, like the set of a western movie. Where is Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral?
As we drove on the 17 we saw a fire on the right side a little ways up a small hill, that appeared to have been originally a small fire for burning brush, and now it was getting out of control. Sure enough, shortly thereafter a fire engine passed us heading in that direction. About that time, we noticed a snow flurry, then more flurries, then snow showers coming down. Never a dull moment!
Route 17 ended at Interstate 15 and we headed north, going back up in elevation. Yes, it was definitely snowing in the mountains in the distance. After about another 20 minutes on I-15, we reached our destination, the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park. We’d heard this area was really exceptionally beautiful. It was located in a much less-visited part of the Park, at the northwest corner of Zion. There was a 5 mile scenic drive with a couple of trailheads off of the drive. We were hoping it was indeed worth the trip to get there, just for a 5-mile drive, given the extremely high winds we’d had to drive through. Stopping at the Visitor’s Center for the entrance fee (free with the senior pass), we were almost blown over by the heavy wind. It was now 40 degrees and with the wind, very cold with some snow showers, but amazingly, the sun was peaking through finally. Rob double-checked the ropes that were holding the kayaks and bikes in place. Good to go.
We entered the five-mile drive and as we made the first turn, we were presented with possibly the most jaw-dropping scenery yet. We stopped the car at every turnout to take pictures. The clouds, mixed with the little bit of late afternoon sunlight, made it exceptional. If you ever go to Zion, you MUST come up to this section of Kolob Canyons for this short drive. It is totally worth it!
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
We drove back to the RV, stopping in La Verkin for gas, and saw that the fire was under control. The fire engine was still there, but it was just smoking rather than the dancing flames. When we got back to the campground, the girls were running around like maniacs, feeling very happy to see us. It was 47 degrees at the RV and not as windy as it had been elsewhere; the RV was nice & warm inside. The tents next to us were gone and replaced with one large tent and five men who were speaking French (I think). They had placed their tent further away from our RV. Two campsites down we had four young & loud children with their parents, grandpa, and a large dog. This is just the way it is in a popular National Park on the weekend, even off season. We will survive, LOL.
Later, Rob went out to get a few pictures around the campground. The sun was out & getting low in the sky; the rocks looked pretty. I looked out at one point and saw one of the five gentlemen camping next to us follow Rob and stand behind him, looking to see what he was photographing. Then he walked back to their campsite, said something to the other guys, and they all got out cameras and starting shooting. Cracked me up. Not used to traveling? Rob came back to the RV, I told him the story, and we got out the beer & wine. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll explore the Park to the north & east of us; this is the more-visited section of Zion, and will include the “Zion Canyon Scenic Drive”. Looking forward to it!
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
