Though not a "park that is government operated", Butchart Gardens is a memorable experience.
You can stay at this hotel.
https://www.butchartgardens.com/
Last edited by Kingspoint; 11-22-2022 at 06:51 AM.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
Last night, we returned home from our exciting week-long trip knocking out 3 National Parks: Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Grand Canyon. We left last Sunday and drove 8 hours to Bryce Canyon catching it just before sunset. Then, we went back at 7:00 in the morning to catch the sunrise which was quite a bit prettier than the sunset, but it fascinating seeing how different the hoodoos and amphitheater look at different times of the day. While Bryce isn't a big park, it's really unique and stunning. I love the hoodoos that reach 150' tall and hiking through them was quite the experience feeling like you're inside a Dali painting. It's so bizarre and hard to comprehend what you're looking at or how it was made by Mother Nature. Overall, I would highly recommend Bryce Canyon and one full day is enough time to spend there.
That evening, we drove an hour South to our VRBO in Orderville where we stayed for 5 nights as it was the most centralized location. In the morning, we drove to Zion through the East side of the park which happens tests your patience, big time. Zion is bigger than Bryce, but very frustratingly difficult to get around. It takes 15-30 just to enter the park even if you have a park pass (long lines), the mile-long tunnel requires a wait and there are cars/people EVERYWHERE. Zion is the 2nd most visited National Park with over 5 million visitors a year, but it feels even busier than that since the main area of Zion is relatively small. Once you arrive at the Visitor Center, you drive around for 20 minutes looking for a parking spot then realize you have no chance so you have to exit that area to find a different area that's $40/day. After parking, you walk/shuttle to the Visitor Center where you wait in line for a shuttle into the park since the canyon isn't big enough to add enough parking. It's like planes, trains and automobiles.
Once you get into the canyon, it's a really pretty and cool park, however, there aren't many hikes in the canyon area. We had to pass on hiking Angel's Landing, arguably the scariest and most dangerous hikes in the US, since there's no way I'd take my family up there (kids are 11 & 12). We did hike the River Walk and Emerald Pools which were both pretty good.
On day 2, we were set to hike The Narrows, another iconic Zion hike. The Narrows in a hike along and in the Virgin River within the 1000' walls of the canyon with the walls getting more narrow as you get deeper into the hike. While waiting in the shuttle line with all of our gear on (getting the waterproof gear on is like getting ready to skiing....a lot of work), there was an announcement that the last shuttle stop was closed for the day which meant no Narrows for us. Before I went all Clark Griswold on the place, I asked what happened and they said there was a search and rescue....more on that later. So, without much else to discover in Zion, we drove an hour to the NW side and took in Kolob Canyon. You don't need much time there, but it was really cool to see.
So, on Thanksgiving, we went back to Zion to try The Narrows hike again. This time, we were able to do it and it was an experience I'll never forget. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad my kids were old enough to hike it without much worry or struggle. And another plus, they were troopers and didn't complain at all. We hiked nearly 2 miles each way (not counting the one mile trip to get there) through the river which takes forever since you're in the water half of the time. The water was between shin and knee height most of the time, but it did reach mid-thigh a few times. And, the water is cooooold. The water temp was 37 degrees, but the scuba like material around your feet made it tolerable, but with that said, my right foot was numb when we completed the hike. Overall, it was a 6-mile hike which took around 3 hours or so.
Back to the search and rescue. Shortly after completing The Narrows, it was all over the news that a lady, unfortunately, died when there was the search and rescue. This is a crazy story. At The Narrows, you can choose at the bottom which is the "normal" starting point or start up top and hike down over a measly 16 miles through a canyon with water and no outs. Once you're in, you're in. A couple, both in their early 30's attempted this and planned on camping out one night in the canyon. Keep in mind it was getting down to 20 degrees at night, you're in and out of frigid water all day and there's no wood for a fire. Overnight, the poor couple starting showing signs of hypothermia. In the morning, the husband left his wife to get help with just 1.5 miles left in the hike. By the time they, hikers and rescuers, reached his wife, she had passed away. Super sad story and I don't think we would've done the hike had we known this beforehand.
The next day we drove an hour and a half to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Going in, I knew everything would be closed, but we didn't want to drive an extra few hours to the South Rim. Unfortunately, our visit to the Grand Canyon was very disappointing and we spent less than an hour there. All the roads were closed except the one to the Visitor Center and the hikes were too icy for us. So, we say some of the main views there, but the lighting was bad. It was a sunny day, but there was a winter haze that took out some of the pizazz of the view. I'm glad we went, but we'll have to go back to the South Rim someday. I would give our experience an incomplete grade.
Overall, I would say Bryce had the prettiest views and you can see forever there. Zion is really cool and very pretty as well, but I'd never go back because it's too busy. Someday, I'll get back to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon so I can see the park shine.
I also have some pics to share, but they're not uploading correctly for some reason. I'll try another time.
Last edited by Redhook; 11-27-2022 at 09:58 PM.
"....the two players I liked watching the most were Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. I was suitably entertained by their effortless skill that I didn't need them crashing into walls like a squirrel on a coke binge." - dsmith421
Cyclone792 (11-30-2022),Kingspoint (11-28-2022)
cumberlandreds (11-28-2022),Cyclone792 (11-30-2022),Kingspoint (11-28-2022),marcshoe (11-28-2022)
"....the two players I liked watching the most were Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. I was suitably entertained by their effortless skill that I didn't need them crashing into walls like a squirrel on a coke binge." - dsmith421
cumberlandreds (11-28-2022),Cyclone792 (11-30-2022),Kingspoint (11-28-2022),marcshoe (11-28-2022)
cumberlandreds (11-28-2022),Cyclone792 (11-30-2022),Kingspoint (11-28-2022),marcshoe (11-28-2022),westofyou (11-28-2022)
"....the two players I liked watching the most were Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. I was suitably entertained by their effortless skill that I didn't need them crashing into walls like a squirrel on a coke binge." - dsmith421
cumberlandreds (11-28-2022),Cyclone792 (11-30-2022),Kingspoint (11-28-2022),marcshoe (11-28-2022)
Thanks for the details, and it sounds like you had an overall really good time (with a few exceptions).
We haven't done Zion yet, and I keep kicking the can down the road because of the crowds. My son - in kindergarten now - is just too young to have patience for that. We'll be better served waiting until he's older.
That said, the South Rim is also swarming with people so be prepared. We got to the entrance very, very early on our July day (I want to say around 7am) so we drove right in and got a great parking spot, but within a few hours it was overrun with crowds and no parking available nearby. We only spent a half day there since it wasn't even part of our original plan, but I'm glad we went. If nothing else, I learned that efficiency with 1) getting there early, and 2) having a plan with navigating the shuttles and doing the park in sections (rather than riding to random places on a whim) is an absolute must. We'll eventually get back and spend several days there sometime. And now I know much better how to plan and tackle it efficiently.
I think our big trip next summer is going to be heading out your way with a focus on Rocky Mountain NP. I'm also looking at heading down toward Alamosa to check out Great Sand Dunes NP, with a stop near Colorado Springs to check out Pikes Peak and the surrounding area. I'd love to add some stops in the Western Slope, but that'd probably result in too much driving for my wife and son. Odds are we'd have to do a Western Slope visit in another trip.
The Lost Decade Average Season: 74-88
2014-22 Average Season: 71-91
Redhook (11-30-2022)
Yes, it was a great trip overall. I wish I could edit the pics and make them bigger, but the site won’t allow it.
Yeah, I would recommend holding off on going to Zion until he’s at least 10. It’s a weird park in that it’s big, but there’s limited things to do in the main part/canyon. The best parts of the park are challenging. When you go, it’s probably worth the extra money to stay in Springdale which is only a few minutes from the main entrance (I wish I had known that). It’s a cute little down with plenty of restaurants and you can shuttle to Zion from town. I think there are 8 or 9 shuttle locations in Springdale. That would knock out half of the headache getting into the park.
Thanks for the info about the South Rim. I’ll get there someday! And, I agree about having a plan is imperative. Preparing to visit 3 National Parks in a week was quite the challenge.
If you go to Colorado Springs for Pikes Peak, be sure to visit the Garden of the Gods just up the road. The Broadmoor and Manitou Springs are right there as well. There’s a 7 waterfall hike/walk at The Broadmoor that’s pretty cool and easy/paved.
We almost drove back the “long way” to see the Great Sand Dunes, but we didn’t have enough time. It’s only 3-4 hours away so we’ll get there pretty soon. It looks pretty and I need to learn how to snowboard.
Next, I’m thinking a trip to either Olympic or Glacier National Park would be pretty sweet.
"....the two players I liked watching the most were Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. I was suitably entertained by their effortless skill that I didn't need them crashing into walls like a squirrel on a coke binge." - dsmith421
Cyclone792 (12-02-2022),Kingspoint (12-01-2022),westofyou (11-30-2022)
Redhook (12-01-2022)
"....the two players I liked watching the most were Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. I was suitably entertained by their effortless skill that I didn't need them crashing into walls like a squirrel on a coke binge." - dsmith421
When we went to Zion, we rented a house in Zion Ponderosa. Key move in that there is a trailhead in the neighborhood for Observation Point. If you hike to Observation Point from inside the park, it's a 7.1 mile trail with over 2,100 feet of elevation gain. The views are absurd up there, but that's a meaty hike. However, from Zion Ponderosa, it's more like 2-2.5 miles, and you're essentially hiking DOWN to Observation Point. But still not bad on the way back. it's a relatively flat hike (by Zion standards).
I DID greatly enjoy the Narrows. Especially great on a 100 degree summer day!
Redhook (12-01-2022)
Arise and walk, come through. A world beyond that door is calling out for you. Arise and walk, come through. It's calling out for you.
Kingspoint (12-01-2022),Redhook (12-01-2022)
Dang, that sounds awesome and the pics look incredible. I should’ve contacted you before booking my place
The Observation Trail hike up is still closed due to a big rock slide 3 years ago. The Weeping Rock Trail just reopened last week. A hiker up on Angel’s Landing caught the rock slide on video: . Amazingly and thankfully, no one died.
"....the two players I liked watching the most were Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. I was suitably entertained by their effortless skill that I didn't need them crashing into walls like a squirrel on a coke binge." - dsmith421
And, if you stay in Sequim, you can listen to lions roaring at night while you sleep. Not kidding. There's also hot springs in Olympic. It's so huge. Easy to get lost, though, as the signage is poor and non-existing in many places. The weather turns bad quickly as does darkness. Many of the trails are rough and dangerous for dogs and kids.
Last edited by Kingspoint; 12-01-2022 at 10:42 PM.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
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