This post was written in August of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I took a risk in flying out to San Diego to visit my boyfriend so that we could take a road trip together, thinking that hiking the National Parks would be a safer way to get some traveling in. This is the second part in the series about our National Parks road trip- driving from Vegas to Zion. This post will also focus on the scenic drive through Zion, using the shuttle, and vising the park during COVID.
This road trip started in San Diego, and from there we drove to Joshua Tree National Park. At Joshua Tree we spent the day hiking and doing some rock climbing. Or maybe I should call it rock scrambling, to not confuse it with what the real rock climbers do. Read about our day in Joshua Tree NP here. Our next National Park destination was Zion, but first we had to get there.
Book Recommendation!
Before I get to information about the park, I just want to plug the book I bought before my travels. I actually bought several books about National Parks, so I could peruse them and see which one I liked the best. Out of the books I bought, the Moon USA National Parks, complete guide to all 59 parks, was the absolute best! With maps to the parks, advice about the best hikes, where to camp or visit nearby…it was so helpful. Now that my trips to over 6 parks has finished, I only wish I had bought this book earlier. I also loved that it had a place to get stamps from the National Parks, and beautiful pictures. Click here for my affiliate link to purchase the book.
Vegas & Hoover Dam
After our day in Joshua Tree National Park, and exploring the town a bit, we headed to Las Vegas to spend the night. In the morning we drove down the strip to see all the casinos. It was fun to see the strip, with definitely fewer people because of COVID. Even some of the famous sites were donning masks, can you spot it?
We also made a stop at the famous Las Vegas sign. Viva Las Vegas!
After driving the strip we decided to head to Hoover Dam. Unfortunately the Dam was closed due to COVID, so we had to settle for a picture of Lake Mead.
We left Vegas behind, and headed towards Kanab, Utah, the location of our Airbnb for the next few nights. We chose Kanab because of it’s proximity: not only was it close to Zion National Park, but also Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
Vegas to Zion
The drive from Las Vegas to Kanab, Utah was supposed to be about 3 hours, though it was a bit longer for us because of the stops we made. This drive had us starting in Nevada, driving into Arizona and then passing into Utah. It was great hitting three states in the span of about three hours.
I’m definitely a big road trip fan, and the drive was gorgeous! The mountains and scenery kept changing. At one point in Utah we decided to pull onto a dirt road we saw off the highway. It was so picturesque- the mountains on either side of the road, the fluffy clouds, the blue sky…
BUT, after we stopped, we had some car problems- it wasn’t starting back up! We had a minor freak-out of being stranding in the middle of nowhere. And did I mention that it was over 100 degrees??? But luckily we were able to continue on. Brandon had read that there was a scenic drive along the Virgin River that we could take to get to Kanab. We just had to get off the 15 and instead of taking the 59, take the 9. It was going to add some time to our drive, but we were excited for more beautiful scenery.
Surprise- Zion!
The next town we stopped in was Springdale, where we checked on the car (we just needed to add some fuel injector fluid). I was noticing that the mountains were looking even more magnificent, and very Zion-esque, so I knew we were getting close to the park.
Next thing I knew, we were pulling up to the Zion National Park entrance! We were both so surprised (though if you look at the map I posted above, it should seem a little bit obvious). I was shocked that we were able to pull right in- so many things I had read before the trip indicated that it can be difficult to enter the park, and to expect long lines. And thanks to the National Parks pass that we had bought at Joshua Tree NP, we were able to get in for free! Well, the pass cost $80, but I had already paid that, so didn’t have to fork over the $30 per car that it costs to enter Zion.
Zion National Park- scenic drive
I don’t know if it was because I was so surprised to be in Zion National Park, or it really was just the beauty of it, but during that drive I am not ashamed to admit that I got teary eyed- it’s just that beautiful! Now, the road that most people take to go on hikes leads north, and only shuttles can drive on them. The scenic drive, Zion-Mount Carmel highway, leads east, and curves around the mountains, leading up to a tunnel. You can see the twists and turns from the map below.
We were taking pictures from the car, or I guess I was since Brandon was driving, and it was just incredible.
The sky was so blue, and the mountains looked orange, red, and white. There were splashes of green everywhere from the plants. It was just breath-taking.
We had to wait a few minutes to pass through the tunnel, and when we got through the terrain had changed ever so slightly, and was just as beautiful.
Continuing the drive through Zion
On the other side of the tunnel the mountains were less tall. But they were incredible looking- like they had been carved, or chipped away at- grooves marking their sides.
There are plenty of places to pull over and snap pics, or start on a hike. So we found a spot to take the opportunity to take some pictures outside of the car.
One of the pullout spots was to view Checkerboard Mesa. This is named because the side of it resembles- you guessed it- a checkerboard!
Soon we were passing out of Zion National Park, and continuing on to Kanab to spend the night.
Kabab, Utah
The drive to Kanab was also gorgeous, definitely lots of great spots in that area to explore. Kabab itself is a very cute little town, with some great restaurants to eat at. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains of it’s own. It is also the location where many of the outdoor scenes for Gunsmoke were filmed. They even have a little film museum about that and the other westerns that were shot here.
Zion National Park during COVID
The next morning we woke up early to head back to Zion to do some hiking. During the time of COVID, which is when we were visiting, there were many changes to the park. Neither Brandon nor I are big trip planners, but this is one aspect of our big road trip we were prepared for. Immediately after the National Parks opened back up (from the COVID shut down), the shuttles for Zion weren’t running. This made people flock to the park early, or camp out in their cars overnight to be the first in the park and get one of the few parking spots.
Once the shuttles started running again, they were doing limited capacity (to social distance). Additionally, tickets had to be reserved a month in advance. If you didn’t get a ticket a month ahead of time, you could reserve a shuttle pass on the day before your trip (when they gave out the available spots for the day). As I mentioned earlier in this blog, if you want to go anywhere in the northern part of the park, you had to either ride the shuttle, walk or ride a bike- cars do NOT have access on that road.
Getting tickets for the Zion NP shuttle
So we were needing some shuttle tickets, and we didn’t get them a month in advance. We needed to be able to get tickets the day before. Brandon had done some investigating before our trip about shuttle tickets. He found out that if you were on the site the minute it opened there were a few hundred tickets available. But these tickets went fast!! Within an hour they were gone. So when we were in Vegas we set our alarms, and woke up at 8 to get online and attempt to get tickets. Fortunately, we were able to snag shuttle passes for 7am. Shuttle passes are $1. To get a shuttle pass, go to recreation.gov and make sure to create a username before you want to buy it, it will make things a lot quicker!
If you can’t get a shuttle, there are private companies that will drive you in, but their costs start at around $50, so we were feeling very lucky! The shuttle starts running at 6am, and the last bus leaves Temple of Sinawava (the most northern point) at 8:15pm. Only 33 people are allowed on a shuttle at a time. If you miss it- you’re walking!
According to what we read, the visitor center parking lot has limited spots, and fills up fast. When full, you have to park in the nearby town of Springdale and walk in. So we were up bright and early- the drive to Zion from Kanab took about 1.5 hours. The scenic highway we took the day before doesn’t open until 8am, so we had to go the longer way around in the morning. However, we were able to see the beautiful sunrise on our drive.
Starting our day in Zion
We were able to find parking, and jump right on the shuttle with no wait! Our diligence had paid off! We were so nervous about having difficulties getting in and yet it worked out so easily. On the shuttle you have to wear a mask, but I had no problems doing that. Another change with Zion during COVID was several shuttle stops, and many trails, are closed. But, the great part about Zion is there are NO bad hikes. It is really beautiful everywhere you go. Out of the 7 National Parks we saw during our trip together, this was easily our favorite one. Before your trip, visit their website to find out what hikes are available to you. Read on to find out my recommendations on the best hikes in Zion National Park.
Emerald Pools & Narrows Hikes
We took the shuttle to The Grotto so that we could do the Emerald Pools hike. From this hike there were beautiful views of Zion.
Another fabulous hike you have to do while in Zion is the Narrows. This was probably the best hike I’ve ever done, so it shouldn’t be missed. Click here for the blog all about the some hikes in Zion- Emerald Pools & the Narrows.
We only spent a day and a half in Zion, but it was amazing, and I can’t wait to go back. I hope you found this post- the info on driving from Vegas, the scenic drive, the shuttle or the best hikes to take- helpful. Until next time!
[…] stunned by all the beauty that is Zion. Read all about that drive, and see the amazing pictures, here. In that blog post, I also talk about getting into the park, getting tickets and using the shuttle, […]
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