Epic road trip days 10-13, June 7th-10th: Zion Ponderosa Ranch and Zion National Park
I planned one ‘vacation’ type camping location during our trip and that was at Zion Ponderosa Ranch. It had excellent reviews on the net and I did want the kids to have a place to unwind and unhook. The internet was horrid, so we all had to take some down time while staying at the ranch.
The campground had so many things to do, we didn’t end up doing everything. A three tiered swimming pool with slides and hot tubs was the biggest hit, but equally fun and a lot warmer was the ‘barn’ where the kids played many games of Foosball, pool, and ping pong. They had a small pond where they could pay with canoes, paddle boards, or kayaks. Also included were two tennis courts, a basketball court, and a sand volleyball court, plus all the gear needed to work up a good sweat. This was all included in the price of camping. There were a few things that cost extra like zip lining (5 dollars a run in the evenings), 3 rock climbing walls, a bungee trampoline, and mini golf. The kids did the zip lining once, but otherwise we skipped on the extras, because we had plenty to do with the included activities.
We did spring for a sunset jeep tour and a half day of canyoneering. Both were worth the price for the guides knowledge and incredible fun. Keith is now thinking he needs an off road Jeep and Kenzie thinks she should become a repelling instructor!
On the 8th we made the long hike out to Observation Point. It was located a few miles up on the ridge from our campsite, so we felt it was the best way to start our few days in Zion. The hike was 3.5 miles in, but worth every painful mile. I can’t imagine a better view of the park than from that vista.
We did venture into Zion National Park on the 9th and spent most of the day riding the free shuttle, learning the history of the park, enjoying the wonderful weather while we hiked our legs to jelly. My watch said we clocked another 8.5 miles just touring the canyon. I honestly didn’t know a lot about this park before arriving and I didn’t know many people personally who had been, so I wasn’t expecting the incredible sights. I’ve been to a lot of National Parks and honestly, this ranks up there with Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone. It should be on everyone’s bucket list.
I did get video of the canyoneering, but honestly I am beat tired and will save that edit and upload for another day. I’ll probably pair it with Bryce Canyon’s post in the future.
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