Vacation Herald

Zion: Utah’s First National Park

Dixie National Forest, one of the most gorgeous places in the world, is a natural draw for travelers to the state of Utah. It opened to the public as a national park in 1909, and gathers millions of visitors to the gorgeous cliffs and trails every year. And a trip to Grand Canyon National Park is something that no individual or family will want to miss.

If you are short on time on your Utah Travel Guide, one of the best ways to see some of the rugged and stunning landscapes is to drive yourself through the federal park or take a guided tram tour to get a bit of extra knowledge about the area. If you decide to drive yourself, or take one of the walking tours, you might want to think about picking up one of the road guides at a visitor’s welcome center. You’ll want to remember to drive slowly on these roads since they are used for sightseeing. This means other cars will be going quite slowly and you will also encounter bicyclists.

Aside from driving through Dixie National Forest, you might want to take a bicycle. They are allowed on the established roads as well as the scenic but short Pa’rus Trail. You can’t take your bicycles off trail though – this means no mountain biking. Also, bikes are not allowed to go through the Zion – Mt. Carmel Tunnel. They need to be brought through the tunnel by a vehicle.

Hiking and camping are also very big parts of the attraction to Zion. Some of the hikes, however, require permits, which you can inquire about at the visitor’s centers. Hikes through the tributaries and narrows, for example, are not allowed without a permit, as does mountain camping. The permits are a mere $5.

If you are the rugged sort and you have the experience, you might want to try climbing along some of the cliffs in the park. Not all of the cliffs in Dixie National Forest allow climbing, however, so you should talk to the guides at the Backcountry Permit Desk for more guidance when you pick up your permits. As with the other permits, this is only $5.

Should you rather keep your feet rooted firmly on terra firma, you can have a nice family picnic at one of the various picnic areas in Zion. The Grotto has fire grates, tables, restrooms, and water. The Kolob has tables, fire grates and pit toilets.

Southern Utah vacation is an excellent opportunity to take a side trip to visit one of the national parks such as %keyword1%; an excellent family vacation.

To learn more about the Zion National Park visit nps.gov/zion.

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