Travelling Utah with a Campervan – Zion National Park

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My parents and I spent 10 days in Utah in October. We flew into Las Vegas, rented a 25-foot RV, and hiked the National Parks. Our first stop was the spectacular Zion National Park.

Having grown up in Saudi Arabia, I naturally love the desert. Only the absence of camels made me realize that we were not in fact driving in the Middle East, but in Utah!

We only spent three days in Zion, but our days were full of hiking the myriad trails throughout the park. We started off on easy trails, not knowing how strenuous they would be, but then challenged ourselves with longer and more moderate hikes. First up was the Weeping Rock, an easy trail up to a cliff where the porous Navajo sandstone meets impermeable kayenta rock. The water has been seeping through the soft layer for hundreds of years and then seeps out out at the ‘spring line’ where the two layers meet. This creates a lush oasis in the dry desert canyon, mosses and maidenhair ferns provide a cool respite from the heat.

Our next hike was the Riverside Walk, an easy walk further into the canyon until the walls close in and you have to wade through the Virgin River to continue on the famous and more strenuous Narrows hike. We weren’t properly outfitted for river hiking, but we looked longingly at those who were as they continued without us. Our last hike of the day was the longer and more strenuous hike up to all three Emerald Pools. The 350 foot ascent through narrow rocky paths was tricky, but once we got to the Upper Pool, we saw that some families had brought several children, even infants only a couple months old, and we were truly humbled. If they can do it, we have no excuses!

The next day, we hiked the easy, paved and flat Pa’rus Trail, but were unimpressed. It would have been great for cycling, but we saw only one or two in total! So we headed on to the Watchman hike, where we climbed the foothills beneath Bridge Mountain, an ascent of almost 500 feet, to a kind of platform where we had spectacular views of the canyon, valley, and the Watchman itself.

The views from the bottom of the canyon were breathtaking, but we all got sore necks from always looking up! The Virgin River flowed past yellow, pink and white sandstone cliffs while we admired the sheer cliff climbers and those brave enough to make the precarious climb up to Angel’s Landing.

Travelling this way was very affordable for me. Apart from the flight, the whole trip was budget-friendly. Our days were spent hiking, we did all our own cooking, the national park fee was low, and American gas is super cheap!

Being mid-October, days were pleasant and sunny and about 20C, and we could comfortably hike in t-shirts and shorts. We were able to spot mule deer, some fluffy cute ground squirrels, and lizards on our treks. Nights went down to maybe 5C, and I only had a summer camping bag so I was kinda chilly. A warm sleeping bag from MEC is on my Christmas wish list this year.

My parents and I loved hiking in Utah so much that we are planning to go back in May!