Travelling to Zion National Park was a phenomenal experience. The name “Zion” means a place of peace and refuge. 146,000 acres of cliffs, canyons, diverse plant and animal life, and uninterrupted beauty, Zion is well-named.
Mesmerised as we gazed up at massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. Zion started forming two hundred million years ago during the Jurassic Period, so you can imagine the questions from an inquisitive 6-year-old Kidsetter. Did the dinosaurs still exist behind the cliffs? What type of dinosaurs were they?
We were able to build on his thirst for knowledge and turn the entire experience into a classroom among the cliffs. We visited the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and our Kidsetter met a Park Ranger. Zion offers a Junior Ranger Program and our Kidsetter was beyond thrilled to learn he too could become a Junior Ranger after completing a few tasks in his activity booklet using Zion National Park as he’s teaching aid whilst he hiked.
Our Kidsetter loves the outdoors so was eager to start hiking. Thankfully Zion has all levels of various hiking trails. I was keen to join our friends on the Angel’s landing hike which is not kid friendly. Our Kidsetter and daddy spent the day together exploring the Riverside Walk, Upper Emerald Pool and Lower Emerald Pool Trails.
He waded through pools and walked underneath waterfalls. All the while filling in his Junior Ranger activity booklet and learning about his natural surroundings. At one point he was most excited, as he along with other hikers had discovered a tarantula spider scurry across the trail. Thankfully I wasn’t there to witness that!
At the end of a full days hiking we retreated to the conveniently located Zion National Park Lodge. The most appealing feature of the lodge is being able to immerse yourself amongst the massive sandstone walls when the people have left the park and stillness emerges.
Our Kidsetter enjoyed rocking on the patio chair watching the starry night skies of Zion. Sharing laughs and stories about our adventurous day was special family time indeed.
