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spenfolder · 03-04-2015, 12:58 PM

Both parks really are amazing. Here is a photo of my campsite last fall in Zion's Watchman campground.

Stan
Salt Lake City

youngpeck · 03-04-2015, 02:17 PM

The shuttle is the best thing to happen to Zion Canyon in recent memory. Easy to get on and off. No auto noise and fumes. The canyon is so quiet now. Makes one want to talk only in whispers!

FCloud9 · 03-17-2015, 05:26 PM

Heading to Zion NP tomorrow....weather looks great for our 6 day stay! Thanks everyone for all the suggestions....we've been "On the Road" since 1/2/15 being our first long adventure thus far and happy with our Airstream 20' Flying Cloud!

Markj55 · 03-17-2015, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FCloud9

Heading to Zion NP tomorrow....weather looks great for our 6 day stay! Thanks everyone for all the suggestions....we've been "On the Road" since 1/2/15 being our first long adventure thus far and happy with our Airstream 20' Flying Cloud!

I hope you'll post your experience in Zion. I used to frequent Zion in the early spring, usually April, and the campgrounds and park were empty.... That was the late 80's and 90's. Last year in mid March, no reservations.... absolute zoo! It was the last week for cars In the valley and they were everywhere.... Zion has become very popular due to it's relative close proximity to Las Vegas and the throngs of foreigners that are either bussed in or in rentals. Sites are reserved months in advance and at 20 some dollars a night many are unoccupied but you can't have them because they're paid for. And that is the beauty of the res. system..... I could go on but, it would become a rant.

Mark,
The path not taken is the one I take.

spenfolder · 03-17-2015, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FCloud9

Heading to Zion NP tomorrow....weather looks great for our 6 day stay! Thanks everyone for all the suggestions....we've been "On the Road" since 1/2/15 being our first long adventure thus far and happy with our Airstream 20' Flying Cloud!

Have a great time, and please post pictures!

Stan
Salt Lake City

FCloud9 · 03-21-2015, 10:41 PM

Hi Stan,
You are so fortunate to live in a beautiful place! We have enjoyed western Texas, Arizona, Southern California, Nevada but southern Utah is spectacular! This is our first visit to Utah and we have enjoyed the surrounding landscapes of Snow Canyon,St. George, Zion and headed to Bryce, Escalante, Coral Reefs next week!
Happy Spring,
FCloud9

RVDreamer · 03-21-2015, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

I might also mention that if you plan to drive your AS through the Zion tunnel, you will need to pay a small fee to purchase a permit. Then rangers are posted at each end, to let one-way traffic go through at alternating intervals.

I have an International Serenity 27FB pulled by a Ford F-250 Crewcab. How tight of a tunnel is it? Will it be big enough for my rig? I am coming from the East and wanted to take Hwy 9 into Zion but now I am concerned about the difficulty of negotiating the tunnels.

FCloud9 · 03-22-2015, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVDreamer

I have an International Serenity 27FB pulled by a Ford F-250 Crewcab. How tight of a tunnel is it? Will it be big enough for my rig? I am coming from the East and wanted to take Hwy 9 into Zion but now I am concerned about the difficulty of negotiating the tunnels.

We are currently in Zion and have driven through the tunnel with tow vehicle only but will use the tunnel again as we head towards Bryce next week. NP fee is $15.00 which allows two passes through the tunnel with your trailer....park rangers assist "single lane passage" through tunnel.
The tunnel is 1.1 miles long and the view for passengers is great through the carved viewing windows!

Oh....you will not have a problem with your rig....we watched 40' coach with Jeep hitched behind cone through...but we were only watching not driving.

spenfolder · 03-22-2015, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FCloud9

Hi Stan,
You are so fortunate to live in a beautiful place! We have enjoyed western Texas, Arizona, Southern California, Nevada but southern Utah is spectacular! This is our first visit to Utah and we have enjoyed the surrounding landscapes of Snow Canyon,St. George, Zion and headed to Bryce, Escalante, Coral Reefs next week!
Happy Spring,
FCloud9

If you are getting to Escalante, be sure to take the road to Boulder, Utah. Even if you drop the trailer and just drive, it is worth the trip. Takes about an hour, and it is an hour you won't soon forget. Stop at the Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder for lunch or dinner. Amazing! Say hi to Blake at the Grill. She owns/runs the place and you will not meet a nicer person. And you will love the food! Trust me on this.

It's all beautiful country, so take your time and enjoy.

Stan
Salt Lake City

RVDreamer · 03-22-2015, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FCloud9

Oh....you will not have a problem with your rig....we watched 40' coach with Jeep hitched behind cone through...but we were only watching not driving.

OK, thanks for the info. Sounds fantastic!

spenfolder · 03-22-2015, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVDreamer

I have an International Serenity 27FB pulled by a Ford F-250 Crewcab. How tight of a tunnel is it? Will it be big enough for my rig? I am coming from the East and wanted to take Hwy 9 into Zion but now I am concerned about the difficulty of negotiating the tunnels.

FCloud9 is right. You will not have any trouble with the tunnels, because they will close them to one way just for you! It's $15, and you can drive right down the middle. It's actually sort of fun.

Stan
Salt Lake City

spenfolder · 03-22-2015, 12:41 AM

Bryce, fall 2014.

Stan
Salt Lake City

FCloud9 · 03-22-2015, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spenfolder

Bryce, fall 2014.

Stan

Salt Lake City

Amazing scenery!!! We are so happy the southern Utah portion of our trip has arrived with excellent weather. We are scheduled to stay just outside of Bryce at Kodachrome SP.
It is about 10° cooler there which is not a problem but forecast next week the temps will drop down to near freezing and Kodachrome SP we will have electric site which will allow us to use tank warmers if necessary. I am sure we will return to Utah....just love this beautiful landscape!

Len n Jeanne · 03-24-2015, 04:48 PM

Currently in SoCal on our way to the Mohave Preserve, followed by ZNP at the end of March. Say hello if you see a 19' Bambi w/ BC plates!

spenfolder · 03-24-2015, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

Currently in SoCal on our way to the Mohave Preserve, followed by ZNP at the end of March. Say hello if you see a 19' Bambi w/ BC plates!

Hey Len n Jeanne, when are you in the park? I'm heading down from Salt Lake City this weekend and staying through Thurs or Friday. I will probably stay outside the park (don't have reservations). It should be a beautiful week in southern Utah!

Stan
Salt Lake City

KJRitchie · 03-25-2015, 08:26 AM

Is there any cell/data (3g or 4g) service in Watchman campground in Zion or North Campground in Bryce. Which carrier seems best; AT&T, Verizon etc.

Kelvin

mojo · 03-25-2015, 09:01 AM

If you are going to Zion Watchman CG in the Spring, call ahead to find out about the tent caterpillar hatch. We had to cancel our stay there once (refunds were given) because the campground was crawling with caterpillars which were dropping out of the trees like rain. It was disgusting! And unfortunately, the park service will not spray to prevent them.

mikebee · 03-31-2015, 09:13 PM

Mojo's story is similar to mine. Last time my wife and I tried to stay in Watchman CG, there were massive anthills that you wouldn't believe! Those ants would have eaten us alive. We tried moving sites, but it was the same for at least four different sites we checked. We didn't have an Airstream at the time, so we opted to stay at a hotel -- the Desert Pearl -- outside of the park. Highly recommended place.

Len n Jeanne · 04-01-2015, 02:34 PM

We just left Zion NP-- actually stayed at the Zion Canyon RV park in Springdale because we couldn't get a multi-night reservation at the Watchman CG, even trying to book months ahead. This RV park was OK, but I wouldn't describe it as top-of-the-line. It was full or nearly full the nights we stayed there. It is located very close to the park and walking distance to restaurants and a park shuttle bus stop.

The Zion River (RV) Resort in Virgin, UT, is further away from the main canyon, but looked a bit nicer, and is a good location for exploring the Kolob Terrace Road area.

The main Zion Canyon these days is unbelievably crowded. Drop-dead beautiful, but highly congested with people. A ranger told us that, anymore, their only off-season is December and January. We compensated by putting our dog in the Doggy Dude Ranch kennel in Rockville (highly recommended) and then taking some more remote hikes. The Kolob Terrace Road is currently under construction and closed for 4 hours a day, but you can get into the beautiful area of the park around Hop Valley and Lava Point early in the morning, from 12-1, or after 4:00. We did the Northgate Peaks trail up there (4.2 miles round trip and encountered only 2 other parties.) The advantage of toughing out the construction delays (which continue during the road's open hours) is that you have that section of the park almost to yourself. We also did the Eagle Crags hike (around 5 miles round trip) from Rockville, which has beautiful views into the park from adjacent BLM land, and saw nobody else on the entire trail. (The road in is a bit sketchy, however.)

Zion Canyon is still well worth seeing-- but it is a very busy place these days.

FCloud9 · 04-04-2015, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

Is there any cell/data (3g or 4g) service in Watchman campground in Zion or North Campground in Bryce. Which carrier seems best; AT&T, Verizon etc.

Kelvin

Hi Kelvin,
We just returned home following at three month trip to southwest which included over two weeks in southern Utah. We had reasonable service with Verizon in Zion area (stayed at Zion Camp). Then we stayed at Kodachrome State Park for our day trips to Bryce NP and Escalante....we had " no cell service" during our stay which was near Cannonville UT. We glad we had WiFi at Zion camp to prepare for the remaining portion of our stay. Be sure to stock up on any needed groceries while at Zion as there is little as you travel towards Bryce & Escalante.
We were very happy to have full hookups at Zion Camp and Kodachrome SP, as we did lots of hiking and enjoyed long hot showers without lugging fresh water and worrying about gray water.
We also wanted to be sure our nearly 19 yr. old pup was comfortable in the Airstream while we enjoyed hiking.
Have fun and post your trip,
FCloud9