What We Did
CA --> NV --> AZ --> UT
On the morning of January 1st, 2025, we packed all of our belongings up into the Kia and hit the road from San Diego. The drive itself was very familiar - we've driven the 15 on the way to Vegas, Bryce Canyon, and Death Valley - but it was definitely a different mood with the car carrying all of our belongings. 5 hours in, we took a quick detour to have lunch and see the Hoover Dam before continuing on our way. The next couple hours to Utah were easy and beautiful, with the sun setting over the desert behind us.
La Verkin
Our first nomadic home was a sky-blue farmhouse in La Verkin, UT. It was one of the first homes built in the town, built in 1904, and had a very cozy feel to it. Our host even brought us fresh-baked cookies after we arrived! There's not too much to the town of La Verkin as a whole. It's right down the street from the larger and more well-known town of Hurricane, with the Virgin River winding through a steep ravine that divides the two towns. This is the same river that flows through Zion Canyon and terminates in Lake Mead (the lake created by the Hoover Dam). On Thursday, we biked to a short hiking trail (La Verkin overlook) near the river to watch the sunset over La Verkin and Hurricane. Annie and James (Grace's cousin and her fiancé) joined us late Friday night, making the long drive down from Logan, UT to join us for Zion the next day.
Zion
On Friday, we drove into Zion for the first time. We biked along the Pa'rus trail, a relatively flat but incredibly scenic path starting from the visitor's center and ending a couple miles into the park. Being the off-season, the park was much less crowded and the usual shuttles weren't operating. They also weren't letting cars past a certain point because of lack of parking, so a lot of people were getting around by bike. We biked another mile or so down the Zion Canyon scenic drive before turning around and heading back home. It was a quick and easy introduction to the park, and one of the coolest bike rides we've ever done.On Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed out to Zion for the main event - Angel's Landing. A 30 minute drive to the park got us there well before sunrise, and the steep cliffs of Zion Canyon kept it extra dark. The hike itself isn't too long, but the parking situation is notorious even during non-peak season. The whole hike was about 2.5 miles one-way, starting flat and hugging the side of the river. Once the switchbacks started, they were steep and consistent. Surprisingly, nearly the entire trail was paved. The summit of Angel's Landing was visible the entire way, but the iconic view from Scout Lookout was the most intimidating. This is where the Ranger/Bouncer was turning around all of the non-permitted visitors. As expected, the last half mile was steep and strenuous. The chain railing was definitely needed, especially in the areas where the cliffs dropped off on both sides. Thankfully, the summit itself was nice and wide, offering an awesome spot for lunch with a view.
Thoughts
- We lucked out with this being our first stop. The house felt very homey and welcoming and was a great way to ease into our new lifestyle.
- It was a little weird seeing how built up the town of Springdale is, just outside of the Zion gates. Everything was very new and there were enough restaurants, hotels, and other amenities to accommodate thousands of people. Very grateful that we came off of peak season.
- We didn't know how much geologic activity there was in the area. The cliffs by our house were largely black volcanic rock. When we hiked up them, we could clearly smell sulfur. We even noticed the construction of a large hot-springs resort complex just down the street.
Favorites
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River Rock Roasting Co. - Locally-famous coffee, pizza, and beer spot. Stopped for pizza and craft soda after the hike. Definitely worth checking out.
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Angel's Landing - Worth the hype, do it if you can get a permit.