Archive for the ‘National Parks’ Category

Observation Point Trail from Zion Ponderosa

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

View from Observation Point.

Observation Point is one of my favorite hikes in Zion National Park. Although the park is full of stunning vistas, various levels of hiking trails, and an abundance of water and vegetation, Observation Point remains my favorite. Why? Well, accessing it from our property here at Zion Ponderosa makes it easy and the hike is filled with diverse landscaping and spectacular views.

When hiking this trail from the park shuttles, it takes about 4-5 hours roundtrip and it’s best to begin early in the morning to begin your ascent before the sun bakes you. I chose access from the east boundary of the park, which eliminates hiking up the mountain, but does not compromise the experience in any way. In fact, about halfway to Observation Point there is a great spot to sit, rest, take photos, and soak in the beauty of the canyon to the right. I especially like this spot just after dinner because the sun is beginning to set and the colors in the canyon awe me each and every time. Another benefit to accessing the trail from our property is that it takes about 3-4 hours roundtrip. When you have limited time on your vacation and want to experience the most you can, saving time on the hike is golden.

View of Zion Canyon and the Virgin River in Utah.

The hike is more like a long walk, which makes it great for all ages and skill levels to enjoy. On the way back I passed a couple with three young children wearing flip flops, on their way to Observation Point. The kids were all armed with water bottles, something I highly recommend you take – at least two per person. Although you walk through a forest and some shady spots, most of the trail is open to the sun.

Don’t forget your camera when you go on this or other hikes because you won’t find this kind of beauty in any photo studio. If you are interested in portraits with everyone in the group included, our photographer finds these assignments some of her favorites!

Portrait photography at Zion Ponderosa.

Once you arrive here and settle in to one of our vacation homes, cabins, your RV, or tent, visit our Adventure Guides in the Recreation Barn to help plan your activities, whether it be one of our hikes, canyoneering, ATV rides, horseback riding – or whatever you can imagine, our team is here to make your visit to Zion Ponderosa full of unforgettable moments.

Tags: angels landing, canyon, hiking, national park, Observation Point, photography, Ponderosa, portrait, ranch, Resort, trail, utah, virgin river, zion
Posted in National Parks, Outdoor Adventures, Zion National Park, Zion Ponderosa | No Comments »

Contrasting Zion Canyon and Bryce Canyon

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Many people coming to stay at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort have the opportunity to enjoy the scenic diversity of this region. If you’ve spent time on our web-site you know that our ranch sits literally on the border of Zion National Park. The good news is that Bryce Canyon National Park is just 75 minutes away and makes a perfect half-day or full-day excursion while staying with us.

Bryce Canyon Hoodoos colored by oxidizing minerals in rock

Bryce Canyon is quite different from Zion in that most of Bryce sits between 8,000 and 9,000 feet in elevation, while the most accessible parts of Zion are within the 4,000 to 6,500 feet elevation range. Anciently this entire region was part of the bottom of a great lake. Zion represents layers of sediment that were deposited in the lake much earlier than Bryce Canyon. The layers of sediment that comprise Bryce Canyon National Park are predominantly limestone while Zion is mostly sandstone.

The harder limestone in Bryce Canyon is eroded by water entering the cracks of the stone and then freezing and breaking. This creates hard chunks or small boulders that break and fall away. Zion is eroded in a much smoother fashion by flowing water or by wind. In both cases it is rare to ever see the erosion effects actually occurring. Flash floods in Zion National Park offer one time when you can see erosion in full-swing. This usually occurs when rain comes heavily in one area for several hours and the water gathers on Zion’s upper reaches and flows into narrow slot canyons. Within a matter of minutes the quickly accumulating water can rise to levels of over 40 feet, insde a slot canyon. This rare occurring event represents a time when you will not want to be nearby. At Bryce Canyon you’ll find that melting snow and heavy rains have less of an immediate impact.

Bryce Canyon is actually a series of rock amphitheaters on the eastern edge of a large plateau. You can drive along the rim and stop at many points along the 20 mile road that traverses the Bryce Canyon plateau area. You may also walk down inside the amphitheaters among the rock formations called Hoodoos. Willdlife such as deer, porcupines, coyotes, mountain lions (cougars), and many types of birds inhabit this region. It is not uncommon to see mule deer on your visit to Bryce Canyon.

How to get to Bryce Canyon: Leave Zion Ponderosa and go five miles southeast on the Northfork Road. Turn left at Highway 9 and follow this 14 miles to Mt. Carmel Junction. Turn left on highway 89 and go north approx. 35 miles to Scenic Highway 12. Turn right and follow this through Red Canyon and onto the plateau (approx. 10 miles). Turn left at highway 63 (watch for signs). Go south two miles to the Bryce Canyon National Park entrance.

Tags: bryce, Bryce Canyon, bryce canyon national park, bryce utah, national park, utah national park
Posted in Bryce Canyon, Day Trips, Geology, National Parks, Travel, Zion National Park, Zion Ponderosa | No Comments »

Waterfalls in Zion National Park

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Dual Waterfalls in Zion National Park

Zion National Park has been eroded and shaped by the constant effects of water moving over the soft sandstone formations. Melting snow or rain storms are most prominent in the spring-time and this leads to opportunities to view some magnificent waterfalls within the park. Zion National Park is actually a large plateau where deep canyons have been carved into the plateau. The plateau gathers snow and rain and then funnels the resulting water flow down, sometimes into narrow canyons commonly referred to as slot canyons. As water gathers from multiple points on the plateau, it gathers force and often jettisons itself out over the edge of the plateau before gravity grabs hold and curls the force of water downward.

With so many gathering points along the top of Zion, waterfalls may often be seen at nearly every turn. This only occurs during days of strong snow-melt or during a heavy rain-storm. So count yourself lucky if you are in Zion National Park when these events occur. The water from these falls funnel down to gathering points on the valley floor where they flow eventually into the Virgin River. The Virgin River is the main water flow through the Narrows of Zion and this river continues through the park, out past the towns of Springdale, Rockville, Virgin and on to Hurricane, St. George and eventually to the Colorado River.

Waterfall from a slot canyon at Zion National Park

Flash Floods: With so many narrow slot canyons in Zion National Park, the fast gathering water has no outlet and walls of water will come raging down a slot canyon at a rapid rate and at heights that can exceed 40 feet. This is a rare occurrence but one that you do not want to witness from the bottom of a slot canyon. So on rainy days, be sure to stay out of slot canyons. Also be wary of strong increases in temperatures on spring days when melting snow can quickly gather water in large amounts.

Guided slot canyon trips: Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort offers guided canyoneering adventures into area slot canyons. Click here for more details.

Bring your camera: The waterfalls in Zion National Park are a spectacular sight and you’ll want to shoot plenty of photographs. You’ll find that spring-time is remarkably scenic with the blooming flowers and budding trees. Combine this with the waterfalls, and occasional views of wildlife and you’ve got some great compositions and colors for beautiful photographs.

Posted in Canyoneering, Guided Adventures, National Parks, Outdoor Adventures, Zion National Park | No Comments »

Zion National Park

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Thinking of visiting Zion National Park. Let me outline some very compelling reasons why you’re thoughts are leading you in the right direction.

View of Zion National Park main canyon

1- Center of Scenic Wonders: Zion National Park is located in an area that offers the greatest concentration of natural scenic wonders in the United States (perhaps the world). Try to identify an area that has more national parks, along with numerous national monuments, state parks, forests, lakes and rivers, all within a one-day drive. In fact, within two hours of Zion National Park you’ll find Grand Canyon, Lake Powell (Glen Canyon, Grand Staircase National Monument, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, and there’s more.

Hiking in Zion National Park

2- Trip Advisor #1 Rated: Trip Advisor recently rated Zion National Park as the #1 National park destination in the United States, even over the Grand Canyon. There may be several reasons for this, but Zion is much easier to access and to experience than the Grand Canyon, and frankly the views are more beautiful. Is the Grand Canyon also great? You bet, that’s why it is rated #2.

3- World Class Hiking: There are miles and miles of trails to hike in Zion. Many of these trails have been paved for the comfort and access of everyone, even handicapped individuals. There are also many unpaved back-country trails to access. You have your choice of easy walking trails to strenuous ascents that lead to incredible views. But even the person who seeks a casual walk to get a great view will enjoy the easy trail to Canyon Overlook, just above the Zion tunnel. The walk into the Zion Narrows is rated one of the best hiking experiences in the world and Angels Landing trail is just as magnificent. The adventurous person will enjoy Canyoneering in Zion National Park

Moon Over Zion National Park

4- Weather: The base of the main canyon in Zion National Park sits at 4,000 feet above sea level, and this elevation makes for cool mornings and evenings in the summer and mild winters. Zion is spectacular in winter months and the views of formations are even more visible without the leaves on the cottonwood trees along the Virgin River. It rarely rains in Zion and skies are blue and vivid over 300 days per year. But if it does happen to rain while you are there, count yourself lucky, because you are likely to see 20 or more waterfalls cascading over the canyon walls. Zion Ponderosa Ranch resort sits on the eastern border of the park at an elevation of 6,500 feet. Summer nights are beautiful here and you’ve never seen more stars in the sky than above Zion Ponderosa.

5- Size: Zion is large enough that you can find a quiet spot for yourself, even in the busy summer months. Just do a little research or ask our guides about the secret places where few people ever go. Zion National Park is 30 miles in length and over 15 miles across at its widest point.

Tags: national park, zion, zion canyon, Zion National Park, zion park, zion ut, zion utah
Posted in National Parks, Zion National Park, Zion Ponderosa | No Comments »

Canyoneering at Zion National Park

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Canyoneering in Zion National Park

Canyoneering:

Most people have never heard the term canyoneering. In fact the dictionary doesn’t even recognize the name. So what does it mean? Essentially canyoneering is the art or experience of exploring and traveling through canyons. The similar term of canyoning is used outside the United States to describe this experience.

Wading through pools of water in slot canyon

Canyoneering participants are most often walking, down-climbing (sometimes with ropes) and negotiating technical obstacles in canyons that often contain flowing water or in some cases, remnant pools of rainwater. With these pools and/or waterfalls, there is often also the need to swim.

There are few places in the world that offer a more magnificent canyoneering opportunity than Zion National Park. If fact, look-up canyoneering in Wikipedia and the first photo you’ll see (10-16-09) is one of Mystery Canyon in Zion National Park.

Why is canyoneering in Zion National Park so unique? The answer is that the canyons in Zion are comprised of sandstone that has been stained by oxidizing iron. The many hues of white, ochre and red sandstone provide a colorful experience not found, in such abundance, anywhere else in the world. Mix in the pine trees, scrub-oak and cottonwood trees that cling to the rock crevices and line the canyons, the blue-sky far overhead, and you have an remarkable color palette.

Some canyoneering experiences require many rappels (with ropes), and therefore also necessitate that at least one or two people in the group have strong skills with rappelling. The good news is that Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort offers skilled guides to take you on a canyoneering adventure, so that you won’t need to acquire rappelling knowledge. There are canyons to explore that require just the ability to scramble over or down obstacles or rocks that are 10 to 20 feet high. In these cases, a simple strong rope and some basic skills and agility will suffice.

Gazing up at the sot canyon walls that rise vertically to great heights

Zion National Park offers some of the world’s best slot canyons for canyoneering exploration. Places such as The Narrows, The Subway, Orderville Canyon, Mystery Canyon, Englestead Canyon and others offer various levels of adventure and challenge.

In Zion National Park it is often best to start at the top of the canyon and hike down. Zion Ponderosa offers shuttles to pick you up at the end of your canyoneering adventure. You may also choose to enter the Narrows from the bottom and walk up-river as far as you choose and then turn around and come back down. With this method you can leave a car outside the park and return via Zion National Park shuttle (during main season).

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Visit our canyoneering page by clicking here to learn more about the special slot canyon adventures that we offer.

Tags: canyon, Canyoneering, canyoning, englestead canyon, narrows, obstacles, orderville canyon, rappel, rappelling, ropes, slot, slot canyon, the narrows, the subway, waterfalls, zion, zion canyon, Zion National Park, zion park, Zion Ponderosa, zion ponderosa ranch resort, zion shuttle
Posted in Canyoneering, Climbing, Geology, Guided Adventures, National Parks, Travel, Zion National Park, Zion Ponderosa | No Comments »

Zion National Park Lodging

Monday, October 5th, 2009

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Choosing Zion National Park Lodging:

Zion National Park lodging choice over a hotel or motel

This post is an explanation of why selecting Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort as your Zion National Park lodging experience is the right decision. First let’s review the lodging options at Zion Ponderosa.

1- Camping / RV Park. We have many guests who would rather bring their RV or tent and stay with us because of the full package of dining and activities we also provide.

2- Cowboy Cabins. These inexpensive cabins will sleep up to six and are the equivalent of staying in a Zion National Park motel except that the bathrooms and showers are in nearby facilities, but all cabins have a front porch for enjoying our beautiful mornings and evenings.

3- Cabin Suites. These nicer cabins will also sleep 6 and are the equivalent of staying in a Zion National Park hotel, but you have your own place with with full bathrooms, air conditioning and a great view from your own front porch.

View from the porch of a cabin suite near Zion National Park

4- Vacation Homes. We have 20 different vacation home rentals (cabin style) which are generally the equivalent of staying in a deluxe Zion National Park hotel suite. There are many sizes, and varying degrees of amenities. Just pick the one that suits your needs. These are great for groups of friends or families who want to be together. These can be quite economical when spreading the cost over a larger group.

So there a simple overview of why Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is the choice when selecting your place to stay for Zion National Park lodging, hotels, motels and resorts.

What other reasons can we offer for choosing us as your Zion National Park hotel, motel or lodging option?

a- Dining. During the main season we offer excellent fine dining at the Blue Belly Grill. Our guest rave about this fine dining experience. It makes their choice for Zion National Park lodging even easier. Through all the months we are open, we all offer buffet and À la Carte dining at Gus & Rosey’s Buffet. The quality of this option is also excellent.

Two-tierred swimming pool - gravity edge at Zion Ponderosa

b- Activities. When you’re choosing your Zion National Park hotel or lodging, you really want to have options for things to do. Consider, as compelling evidence, our large two-tierred gravity edge swimming pool and a host of other activities such as horseback riding, ATV tours, climbing wall, zip-line, paintball, rifle range, and more. At Zion Ponderosa we offer more on-property activities than any place in Utah. We even offer some excellent packages that make these activities quite inexpensive.

c- Proximity. Our location on the border of Zion National Park and just 75 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park, makes us a convenient place to unpack once and spend many days. The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument begins just 25 minutes away. We are situated on the upper side of Zion National Park among the Ponderosa Pines at 6,000 feet and just minutes from the official east gate of Zion National Park.

So this provides just a few clear reasons why choosing Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort as your Zion National Park lodging is the right choice. We invite you to call and ask questions about availability and the many reasons whey you’ll enjoy staying with us. 800-293-5444

Tags: campground, Camping, hotel, hotels, motel, motels, rv park, zion, zion canyon, Zion National Park, zion national park campground, zion national park camping, zion national park hotel, zion national park hotels, zion national park lodging, zion national park motel, zion national park motels
Posted in ATV Tours, Camping, Canyoneering, Climbing, Dining, Guided Adventures, Horseback Riding, Lodging - Cabins, National Parks, Outdoor Adventures, Resort, Zion National Park, Zion Ponderosa | No Comments »

Centennial Celebration! 100 Years – Zion National Park

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort will host a Zion National Park Centennial Celebration party on August 15, 2009. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. and runs till 10:30 that night. Activities include a dining experience from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. that includes a Hawaiian theme and a roasted pig.

Zion National Park - Centennial Celebration

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A rodeo begins at 8:00 p.m. followed by a barn dance at 8:30 p.m. ”Two Much Fun” is the featured band for the barn dance. Tickets are $21.50 for adults and $10.00 for children 12 and under.

Employees of Zion National Park will receive a discount.

For details contact the resort at 800-293-5444.

Tags: Barn dance, celebration, Dining, party, rodeo, zion canyon, zion centennial celebration, Zion National Park, zion park
Posted in Dining, National Parks, Resort, Travel, Zion National Park, Zion Ponderosa | No Comments »

Zion National Park Celebrates 100 Years

Friday, July 17th, 2009

: A morning view of the main canyon of Zion National Park

This year, as a national attraction, Zion National Park is 100 years old. Zion was established as Mukuntuweap National Monument by President William Taft on July 31, 1909. While various activities are occuring throughout this centennial year, on July 31 of this year there are several small activities slated to occur within the park.

An additional recent cause for celebration is the announcement of a new commemorative stamp for Zion National Park. This is just the second time that a stamp has been created for Zion National Park.

Zion National Park Stamp

Come see why Zion National Park was set aside 100 years ago as a national treasure. We invite you to spend some time with us at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

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Tags: Mukuntuweap, National Monument, Postage Stamp, zion, Zion 100 years, zion canyon, Zion Centennial, Zion National Park, Zion National Park Stamp, zion park, zion utah
Posted in Geology, History, National Parks, Zion National Park | No Comments »

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