Springdale, UT

We arrived at our lodging for the night, Cliffrose Lodge & Gardens, around 5:30. Springdale (the town outside of Zion National Park) is lovely. It is a series of restaurant, stores, and lodgings along the one road to the park but yet it is charming and picturesque. We found Mexican food for dinner after settling into our room.

Over the next week we will be visiting national parks, national monuments, and natural wonders without such grand titles. Altogether, we will see with Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. We will hike in all of the parks (as much as we are capable of) and raft the Colorado River for a day. We were limited to just over a week for the trip and we packed in as much as we could fit.Read more