Its always good to check the weather first; http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/overview/UTNPZION
Bring plenty of sunscreen and water, and nibbles for the slot canyon hike.
We stopped in Springdale for lunch and to look around. The town was originally settled as a Mormon community in 1862, and was recently named one of the prettiest towns in the United States by Forbes Traveler 2008. There are approximately 600 people living there. They have a cool rock store on the main street that we stopped in. You can also pick up the shuttle to the popular hikes in Zion from here and beat the traffic. http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/shuttle-system.htm. We took our chances and drove to the main area at Zion, and took the shuttle to the stops for the hikes. Its very convenient, there are about 8 stops, and the shuttles come every 15 to 20 minutes. 
We had time for three fast-paced hikes before the shuttle stopped running for the day. We chose the Temple of SInawava, Weeping Rock and the Grotto. The Grotto had water and we had to wade through it to continue our hike through the narrows. 
On our way out of Zion, we saw bighorn sheep on the cliffs with their kids. Its amazing how they can hug the cliffs and hop around. We watched them awhile before driving out of Zion. 
It took about an hour on the 9 East to get to Kanab. We checked into Parry Lodge, a trippy little place where old school country western stars would stay. It is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Apparently the Parry Brothers started by helping the movie industry with their transportation needs while filming in Southern Utah. The first film that was produced there was in 1923.
The brothers opened the Parry Lodge in 1931 as a place to feed and lodge cast and crew and called on Hollywood's movie execs to promote filming in Utah. Apparently it was very successful, as more tham 100 feature films were produced in Utah, including The Lone Ranger and Wagon Train, as well as TV shows like Gunsmoke, Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and Daniel Boone. There is a feel of being in a part of western history while staying there, from the name plates above some of the rooms where famous people stayed, to the signed autographs in the restaurant of John Wayne and Dale Evans among others.
The next day we headed to the slot canyons of Antelope Valley. It is about an hour drive from Parry Lodge. Head towards Page, Arizona. You will pass the controversial Glen Canyon Dam, a must stop if you have time, because there is talk of removing it to regenerate the natural flow of the Colorado River. Its reservoir is Lake Powell, the second largest artificial lake in the country. There are 45 minute tours at the center that take you through the dam, but you need to make reservations. Contact the Glen Canyon Tour Program at (928) 608-6072. Tours are $5 per person and must be made 24 hours in advance and paid for in person at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center. 
Continue towards Antelope Valley Slot Canyons which are just outside Page, close to AZ 98 a few miles east of town, at milepost 299 (yeah you are out in the middle of nowhere!). You are also on Navajo Indian Reservation land, so permits must be obtained, and you have to have a native American tour guide to take you through the canyons. Antelope is the most visited slot canyon in the southwest due to professional photographers visiting for amazing shots in ideal conditions. The tour guide helped me with my shots, and some of them turned out beautiful from my cell phone camera! The lower slot canyon is off the main road, is less expensive, and is just as beautiful. This is the one we chose.
The tour guide is basically for technicality and safety, because it would be difficult to get lost. In August 1997, 11 people were drowned when water 50 feet deep swept through the canyon from a thunderstorm five miles away. This also resulted in the canyon becoming four feet deeper. Now, a tour guide is mandatory and its pricey, about $20 per person. Our tour guide, a Navajo Indian, was funny, helpful, and even played a guitar while we were in the canyon. Once you are in the canyon you can basically do whatever you want. We could get far ahead of the small group and take pictures and enjoy the silence and beauty. We headed back to Los Angeles around 5 p.m. and decided to take the route through Zion again. We spotted more bighorn sheep and the lighting for pictures was amazing.
It was a fast and furious trip with lots of exercise and interesting places to visit. We had a fun time!!
No comments:
Post a Comment