Exploring Southern Utah

So full confession, I've not been to that many national parks. I'm usually more of a beach person. But after watching a Youtube video courtesy of the Outdoor Boys (which my boys are obsessed with), we decided to give Utah a go.

I decided to plan the trip during my oldest son's spring break in March. This is the start of the tourist season in Zion and is when all the shuttles start running. I knew we were taking a gamble with the weather as it could have been much cooler but we got lucky with 70 degree weather each day! But one positive of going during this time is much less crowds!

We flew in and out of Las Vegas as Breeze flies non-stop from Richmond. We rented a car and it's about 1 1/2 hours from LV to St George (our first stop). In St George we stayed at the Black Desert Resort. This is a fairly new resort with spectacular views and a variety of room types, including 2 bedroom condo style places, perfect for families. There's also several restaurants on site and a heated pool/hot tub, which we took full advantage of! It's a 5 minute drive to Snow Canyon too which is the best hiking spot in the area.

We started off our trip at the Dino Discovery Site in St George. This is a small but really cool museum full of actual fossils, as well as some life-sized models of prehistoric animals and an actual fossil preperation lab. Lots of dino tracks to spot with plenty of information about the history, especially in and around St George. There's even an outdoor play space and picnic tables if you want to have lunch.

Next we went to Pioneer park which is a 52 acre natural playground with the most beautiful red sandstone cliffs and spectacular views. There are lots of opportunities for hiking, rock climbing and picnic areas. While there, don't forget to check out Red Hills Desert Garden which is a free 5 acre botanical garden. My boys were amazed at all the different types of cactus and enjoyed exploring all the different paths, including a few over the stream.

The highlight of St George was Snow Canyon State Park. It costs $20 for a day pass but you can drive up to just about any of the trail heads. There is also a paved bike path that runs throughout the canyon, as well as a campground. Because my boys are 5 and 7, we picked trails that were a bit more kid friendly. One of our favorites was Jenny's canyon, only 0.5 miles to get to an amazing slot canyon (pictured above). Some other hikes we loved were the petrified sand dunes and lava flow trail, which offers a hike through lava fields where you can see some cool underground tunnels. Some of these caves are accessible by foot to explore but make sure you have a flashlight and are ready to climb!

From St George to Springdale Utah, where the entrance to Zion sits, was only about an hour drive. We stayed at LaFave condos, where we had a two bedroom condo with spectacular views. There are also two pools and hot tubs on site. It was also so nice having a kitchen to easily prep breakfast and lunch! There is also a washer/dryer in each unit which we took advantage of (lots of dusty clothes after hikes in Zion!).

One of our favorite activities in Zion was renting bikes from Zion Cycles and biking the Pa'rus trail. There is a bike lane down the main road entering the park. At the visitor center you can access the trail, which is about 3 miles round trip. It runs along the river and offers incredible views of the canyon. We took a picnic lunch and stopped for lunch at a great spot on the river.

Our second morning in Zion, we got up early and hiked the canyon overlook trail. It's a short drive through the Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel and there is parking near the trailhead. The trail is about 1 mile round trip and took us about 45 min to complete. There is an elevation gain and a few narrow parts of the trail but you are rewarded with breathtaking views of Pine Creek Canyon. From here we drove out to Kanab, about an hour away but a very pretty drive - even seeing bison at one of the local farms! It's here where we did an ATV tour through Razor's Edge tours. Another one of our favorite parts of the trip! We started at the Peek-a-boo slot canyon trailhead. This trail is incredibly sandy so best accessed by ATV or 4x4 vehicle. We had incredible views in the canyon and we also got to try sand boarding, which is basically like snow sledding but with sand - so fun!

Overall, we had such an incredible time in Zion. Now that my boys are 5 and 7 they are perfect ages to start doing some more adventurous trips involving activities like hiking and biking. The only downside - I wish we had spent one more day here! Would definitely recommend spending at least 3 full days in Zion. I wanted to do the emerald pools and river walk trail but we didn't have the time. Please let me know if you have any any questions or comments! Also, I would love to help you plan your own trip to Zion - please reach out!