Cross Country Journal Day Seven: Zion National Park
Our first evening in Zion National Park included lots of fun floating down the Virgin River on our new inner tubes.
Our second day in Zion began very early in the morning. Inspired by our time at the rock climbing gym, our family had booked a half day rock climbing tour in Zion.
It was a fantastic and memorable adventure.
We attempted three very different climbs.
The first was a very vertical climb, but not too high. It was a good first climb to get used to the experience of climbing without positive handholds.
This was a very different type of climbing than we were used to.
Most of us made it to the top of this first one.
Meanwhile, a line was set up around the corner for a flat rock climb that had no foot or handholds. It was a game of learning to put weight on the balls of your feet and balancing.
Of course, if you scrambled to the left a bit, you had more of a horizontal scramble for some of the rock and it was easier.
All three of the gals made it up the hard way. Go, ladies!
The final climb was our most challenging. It was about 60 feet high if you made it to the top.
The start required some acrobatics, using both walls.
Once reached the top of the beginning slot, it was a steep climb straight up from there. Again, there weren’t a ton of positive handholds, but that was part of the problem-solving.
All three ladies made it to the very top!
The boys stuck with reaching the top of the entrance slot, which was quite challenging on its own.
After climbing, we headed home for lunch in our room and a well-deserved nap. Everyone, other than David, took a nice long nap.
Upon waking, we gathered up our energy, packed our bags, and headed into Zion National Park for some exploring.
We took the tram to the last stop and hiked the Riverside path to the entrance of “The Narrows”. As much as we wanted to hike the Narrows, we were exhausted from our rock climbing adventure, so we explored about 1/4 mile of the hike.
This hike will be the adventure that we can tackle on our next trip to Zion. We loved hiking the river!
Next, we boarded the tram and took in the scenery at certain stops. This one included a 360-degree view of canyon walls surrounding you.
Finally, we hiked to Weeping Rock and enjoyed the view.
It was time to catch the tram back to our van.
The kids were dying to play in the river with their tubes again. Of course, it was after 8 PM by the time we got back and we still needed dinner.
We let them squeeze in some tubing and pool fun while I made dinner.
After some pizza and salad, we all crashed! This was our last night at Zion National Park and we were heading to Bryce Canyon National Park in the morning.
Zion was just one of many great stops on our trip out west. We visited Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Arches and more.
After our trip, I created a guide that includes everything I learned on our adventure to help other families plan their ideal vacation out west.
For just $4.99 you will have all of the inside details about our visit to popular destinations out west including the Painted Desert, the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, Mesa Verde, and more.
Learn where to eat and sleep and all of the tours we recommend.
You can read more here or if you are ready, you can grab your guide.
NOTE: as PDF’s are digital products they are non-refundable.
RELATED POSTS:
Cross Country Day 3: Driving Days – Cadillac Ranch
Cross Country Day 4: Painted Desert and Petrified Forest
Cross Country Day 5: Grand Canyon
Cross Country Day 6: Antelope Canyon
Cross Country Days 8 and 9: Bryce Canyon
Cross Country Days 10 and 11: Arches National Park
Cross Country Day 12: Mesa Verde
Cross Country Heading Home: Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial
She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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I heard you on the Brave Writer podcast speaking so highly of Zion, and came here to read about your travels. We just returned from a seven week southwestern road trip with my four children and we had a similar magical time at Zion. What a beautiful spot!
Seven weeks would be amazing!! WOW!