After spending two nights of freezing temperatures in the low twenties, I headed south to lower altitudes and warmer weather in a place everyone knows – Zion National Park. Nothing about this park is like I remember it, and it has become so commercialized it’s not even near one of my favorites. Even on the last day of October, the crowds are awful. I can only imagine what it would be like on a summer weekend.
Like Bryce Canyon NP, Zion has a huge city just outside it’s gate with miles of gift shops, motels and resturants. Most days in the summer you can’t even find parking in the park and shuttle buses are the only way to enter. Even the road through the canyon is only accessable by shuttle in the summer.
I found a BLM site just outside the park where I will stay for a couple of days. From there i will drive into the park to hike some of the trails and read about the history.
It surely must be changed 100% since we were there. It was one of the nicest, quietest places to spend a week or so, and the Rangers were always helpful. I am sure that life has changed in those 40 or 50 years, as well as everywhere else. Life goes on, and time waits for no man–and lots of other sayings that really make sense.
We were there with our grandkids a couple years ago and also felt the pressure of people. They were everywhere! Times have certainly changed. There are few NP’s that are not overcrowded now.
I’m glad you are getting to see some beautiful places.
At least the scenery has not changed. I drove through there a few years ago on my way home from Boise and it was spectacularly beautiful. But there was a ton of traffic! 🙁
At least the scenery has not changed. I drove through there a few years ago on my way home from Boise and it was as spectacularly beautiful as ever. But there was a ton of traffic! 🙁
Speaking of National Parks, Kings Canyon was not at all crowded when Dale, Karen and I were there a few weeks ago. Especially the roads inside the canyon, where we met very few cars. I think it gets lost in the shadow of Sequoia and Yosemite, but it’s really worth a visit.
No one seems to have heard from you in five days. Can’t you give us a holler, just so we know that you are not lost in a canyon?
He did make a comment on Daryl’s blog a day or so ago.