My wife and I just took a vacation down to Cedar City for the Shakespeare festival, followed by a full day to play in Zion National Park. While the Shakespeare festival was a bit underwhelming (we saw “The Taming of the Shrew” and “The School For Wives”) our day in Zion Park was fantastic.
We decided before we started this trip that we would see if we could rent some bicycles for a few hours to ride around in the park a bit – hopefully get some exercise and fresh air.
Our 2 hour rental turned into a full day of exploration.
It was quite an amazing experience to be surrounded by towering cliffs, wildlife, native vegetation ranging from cacti to dogwood trees and spectacular views in every direction.
Zion Park does offer a free shuttle that will whisk you from shuttle stop to shuttle stop so you can see the “stuff to see” in the park quickly and easily. However, if you do this, you’ll miss out on the best that Zion’s has to offer: escape from the everyday, hurry up, where’s my cheeseburger world where most Americans spend their lives.
On a bike the park is quiet. We could stop riding, pull to the side of the road, hop off our bikes and just enjoy the silence, take in the glorious views, and realize how huge and tiny our world is all at the same time.
If you go to Zion’s, plan a full day. Stay away from the shuttle. Rent a bike. Take some hikes. Relax. Slow down. Strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger – you’ll be amazed at how far people come to do exactly what you are doing.
Enjoy all that the park has to offer.
Oh, and say hello to Ranger Luke for me. 🙂
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