Family Road Trip to Zion National Park
Oh Zion, I adore thee.
This place has quickly become one of our all-time favorite places we’ve visited so far. About 2 years ago (pre-Sequoia days) we first visiting Zion and fell in love with the red mountains, easily accessible national park, and their variety of hikes and activities for all ages. It truly is one of the best family vacations out there.
After being cooped up in the house for a few months, once domestic travel began to be possible again, this was one of the first places we thought about visiting. Being outside in nature and naturally socially distanced just seemed to make perfect sense during these times.
We left San Diego at around 6am. The drive is only 7 hours but we stopped a few times for food and bathroom so it was about 8.5. It’s a bit of a longer drive when you have a 18 month old, but he managed pretty well overall. Media is not an option for us even on long trips like this, so I always make sure to pack activities for the kids. We pack coloring books and markers, activity books, maps, knitting stuff and a few other car-friendly crafts. Here’s a link to my amazon list that has some of our favs listed - Amazon List .
We only really stopped to eat and pee. There are some notable stops along the way (Las Vegas, etc.) but we opted to just power through and get to our destination ASAP.
With COVID in full affect, we definitely wanted to be mindful of our accommodations. We opted to return to Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort for the second time because we were familiar with the property and their practices and felt very comfortable that it would be a safe environment. Although it’s a resort, all the cabins and tents are spaced out very far and social distancing is completely possible on their property. We love this resort for so many reason, but for some of those top reasons include their range of accomodations (cabins, glamping tents, covered wagons, RV sites), the beautiful grounds, tons of activities for the kids and the proximity to the park itself. Zion Ponderosa is located just outside the east entrance to the park. The east entrance is the lesser trafficked entrance so getting in and out of the park is much easier than using the main entrance.
We love this property so much that we plan on turning Zion Ponderosa into an annual tradition.
We stayed a total of 3 nights but could have easily stayed a few more. We chose to spend 1 day on property playing and hanging out and then 2 days in the park itself.
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
There is literally SO MUCH to tell you about here. The best way I can think to describe this place is that it’s like a summer camp for families. They offer a wide range of accommodations for super huge luxury cabins all the way down to tent camping so there’s an option for just about any budget. The property has one main restaurant on site that functions as a cafe and a cafeteria serving breakfast ,lunch, and dinner. But it’s not your typical cafeteria, the food is honestly SO GOOD and they had multiple vegan options for us to choose from.
They offer lots of free activities like a pool (w/ waterslide), huge lawn, basketball, playground, billiards, foosball, horse shoes, ping pong, tennis and volleyball. Then they also have an amazing list of paid activities that can be done on and off-site. We took advantage of a lot of the free stuff and then let the kiddos pick out a few paid activities each. Having all the activities on-site was so convenient. Some of the highlights for us included the rock climbing wall, zip-line, horseback riding and Jeep tour. But they honestly have way more to offer and you can see the full list here - Activity List
Here’s a video of us on our Jeep tour…
Zion National Park
As for Zion National Park itself, keep in mind that our experience was during COVID so the park wasn’t fully opened. Normally they have a shuttle that takes you around the park to making it easy to see more of it with little kiddos, but during the time of our trip the shuttles weren’t running. But you can still drive into the park with your car and then hike from there. Parking was limited but overall the park was less busy than it was the last time we were there.
One of the most popular hikes in Zion is called “the narrows”. If you google it you’ll find tons of info. What makes it so unique is that you’re actually hiking in a shallow river with huge cliffs on either side. It’s absolutely incredible and a one-of-a-kind experience. It can be a little challenging with toddlers and babies, so if you’re going to do it, be prepared to carry them and ideally have a child-carrier. backpack. We did the hike 2 years ago with our 3 kiddos and ended up carrying our 2 year old and 4 year old most the way. But at the same time, it was an amazing adventure and challenge for our family and I would recommend it. You basically hike as far as you can and turn around whenever you want. So its really up to you how hard you want the hike to be.
This time around we opted not to do that hike and try a few new things. One lesser known hike that is easy for the kiddos is called “pine creek trail”. Its usually not crowded and at the end of the hike is a cool waterfall to check out. It’s pretty short and easy and theres a stream along the way for the kiddos to explore.
The other kid-friendly hike I would reccomend is Pa'rus Trail. It’s a paved path that goes along the virgin river and what makes it so fun is that there are various points to access to the shallow river. We spent an entire day on this trail just hanging out, playing in the water and then picnicking. It was pure and simple fun, just the way we like it. Keep in mind that the water can be VERY cold though. Jumping in to it is totally worth it but it will definitely wake you up!
Something we didn’t do but saw alot of was bike riders. There are tons of paved trails for bikes so if you’re into that, I would also recommend it. You can either bring your bikes or rent them nearby.
One of the best things about this park is that you can see so much of it just by driving through it. So before and after your hikes, just getting to drive around it is absolutely stunning.
Some things to note about gear:
We didn’t buy the kids hiking boots and don’t really feel like they are needed. Some good sneakers will do the trick. We also brought water socks for Cash and Native brand water shoes for the girls. When playing in the river it’s really nice for them to have something on their feet because it an be rocky and uneven. It just gives them a little more grip on the slippery rocks.
Zion can get cold at night so even though it can be 100 degrees during the day, bring warm pants and jackets for the evening.
Water - don’t mess around. Bring canteens, hydroflasks, camel baks, or something that keeps water cool. You’ll want plenty of water while hiking around.
Food - Pack a lunch and snacks each day. and take breaks in the shade. Keeping the kids fed was critical for keeping energy levels up. It was amazing how fast a tired kid can turn their mood around with a little snack, water and time in the shade.
If you want more info or to see behind the scenes, on my instagram I have 2 highlights called Zion and Zion ii, click here.
Zion has our heart. The natural beauty, open space and energy has been so healing for my family. After this trip we’ve now decided to make this an annual family tradition to @zionponderosa and @zionnps. But I want to know does your family have any annual vacation traditions?