Zion National Park in the Autumn

Fireplace in a Cabin Suite

As the clouds descend lower and lower upon the neighboring mountain, we cant help but stop and stare at the mystical beauty.  Although the summer is amazing in its daily hustle and bustle, autumn is magic in its own sense.  The leaves change to a bouquet of reds and yellows, while the recent rain leaves a smell of freshness in the air.

But as beautiful as autumn is, it quickly changes on us.  Flakes of snow fall lightly upon the ground as a warning of what’s to come.  The air is turning frigid and the fire is crackling in the fireplace.  Hot chocolate and coffee sales grow, as do the jacket sales.  The foreshadowing of winter brings excitement for something new.

While October is just beginning, and there yet to be more weeks of warm days, filled with hiking and play, we look forward to the new season and the new adventures we will take, like opening a Bed and Breakfast and starting education seminars.  The weather is changing, and so are we.

Winter at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

The beautiful entrance to the gated community Zion Ridge

Exclusive Utah features Utah’s exclusive and unique properties and services.  They feature Ski/Mountain resorts, Dining/Nightlife, Exclusive Experiences, and Red Rock/Desert resorts.  Zion Ponderosa was lucky enough to be chosen by Exclusive Utah to be hosted on their website.  Zion Ridge is an important part of Zion Ponderosa and is the ultimate relaxation spot in the Zion National Park area.

Zion Ridge consists of our beautiful vacation homes.  Each home is unique and well-equipped for a splendid stay.  Whether your group consists of 3 people of 35 people, there is a home that will be perfect for your group.  Several homes overlook an expansive and breath-taking gulch with raising mesas and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in the distance.  Other homes are surrounded lush forests, perfect for adventure.  Each is different in architecture and décor, and there is an ideal home for each unique taste.

One of our beautiful vacation homes at night

Each guest in one of our beautiful mountain homes has open access to all of Zion Ponderosa’s amenities: recreation activities, two-tiered pool, volleyball and basketball courts, evening activities, exquisite massages at the Juniper Spa, and dining experiences, particularly the Blue Belly Grill.

Many of our exquisite amenities were featured in the video made by Exclusive Utah.  The fine dining at the Blue Belly Grill simply jumps off the screen and cries “Eat me”, the gravity-defying pool is ready for someone to make the first splash, and the hot tub beckons for someone to take a dip.  The homes each look splendid with gorgeous entry-ways, aerial views of the rooftops and deep gulch, personal hot tubs bubbling, kitchens stocked with supplies from our grocery shopping service, and elegant master bedrooms and bathrooms with lighted candles.

Exclusive Utah did a spectacular job with the video and we are truly honored to be featured on by them.  Learn more about Exclusive Utah by visiting their website.

If you’d like to know more call us toll free at (800) 293-5444 or visit our website Zion Ponderosa.

Guests dining at the Blue Belly Grill

Our cardboard recycling bin for our Green conservation effort next to Zion National Park.

Cardboard and cooking oil are two products that we go through in a big-way here at Zion Ponderosa.    It took some research to identify just how much we were using, but once we got a handle on it, we also devised a plan for disposing of it more effectively.   Read more about our efforts here.

Cardboard stands inside our recycle bin ready to be delivered to recycling company.

At Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, we wanted to enhance our ability to be more environmentally friendly ( Go Green ), and to reduce our carbon footprint.   To accomplish this our General Manager, Michael Kane, hired a Masters student from the University of Utah as an intern, to analyze our entire conservation effort and to develop a more robust plan.   See what we accomplished by reading our Going Green – Press Release.

Our Organic Garden at Zion Ponderosa is just getting started but will become a great resource.

We also established an organic garden to decrease on the amount of food that is delivered to our resort, thus decreasing the carbon footprint of delivery vehicles.   Our future plans also include greater efforts to recycle plastic, aluminum and other resources. Read more.

A small waterfall in Zion National Park

Spring is a magnificent time to experience Zion National Park, and of course there is no better place to stay in the Zion area than Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

Reasons Why Spring is Great!

1- Waterfalls: The upper areas of  Zion National Park and the mountains to the North of Zion range in elevations from 8,000 to 11,000 feet.   Snow is melting in these upper elevations and much of this water runs toward Zion and finds it’s way into the Virgin River.   The water will be running swiftly in the river so this is not the time for hiking the Zion Narrows, but some of the snow melt may find its way over the edges of cliff faces in the form of waterfalls.  If you happen to be in Zion on a day when we catch some rare rain, then the waterfalls will be all the more impressive.

2- Foliage: Water fills the valleys with plenty of moisture this time of year and the grasses and flowers are in their healthiest stage.   Water also works it way through the sandstone in the park and filters out at strategic points causing hanging gardens of lush foliage.  With a morning dew on the grass and flowers, Zion takes on its greenest hues, and this contrasts spectacularly with the red sandstone and deep blue skies.

3- Wildlife: Birds are starting their nests, wild turkeys are roaming the valley floors, and bighorn sheep, mule deer and other larger animals are moving about in strong numbers.  The world just seems to be more alive in spring and you’ll enjoy seeing the wildlife in Zion.

4- Temperatures: The valley floor of the main canyon in Zion is just 4,000 feet in elevation.  Air temperatures usually run in the 70’s or 80’s at this time of year, and that’s great temps for walking, hiking, taking photographs, and driving with the windows down.

So there’s four good reasons to get to Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, as soon as you can make your reservations!  We have some great special rates going on for weekdays this spring – learn more…

St. George Magazine highlights Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

The March issue of St. George Magazine included an article about Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.    The story highlighted the unique location of our 4,000 acre ranch resort on the border of the park and our elevation which brings cooler summer temperatures and even better views of the star-filled night skies.

One of our prior guests, Annie Huff, was quoted multiple times in relation to her experiences at Zion Ponderosa.  Annie mentioned that her family already has reservations to return again with her family to the resort this year.   The article emphasized the diversity of our operations with so many different lodging options, along with our on-property dining experiences, and the largest number of activities of any resort in the entire region. You may visit this link to read the story.

Spring Floral Arrangement - Zion

Zion Ponderosa is always open with our Vacation Homes but each March we open the rest of the resort which includes our Cowboy Cabins, Cabin Suites, Western Wagons, Campgrounds, dining facilities and activity services.   It’s a big operation to prepare for the main season, but we get pretty excited about it, especially when we have some new things to announce.

NEWS – Announcing a New Chef: Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort announces the hiring of our new Chef Frances Van der Stappen.  Frances comes with an exquisite resume and accolades from those who have experienced her cuisine.   Frances will oversee the dining operations at Zion Ponderosa which include the Blue Belly Grill and Gus & Rosey’s restaurants.   Other dining services include the Narrows Cafe & Espresso Bar, In-Cabin Chef services, and catering.  Learn more about Frances and the dining services at Zion Ponderosa -  Here.

Spring Packages: We like to provide some fun incentive to visit us in the Spring and Fall, so check out our Adventure Packages page for some special offers.

Last weekend the weather cooperated with us as we were able to complete the golf course, which opened for guests on Saturday.  By the afternoon we had quite a few groups of children, families, and adults playing 18 holes.  Our course has it all – a creek, bridges, inclines, a waterfall, and lots of twists and turns.  You’ll also see both smiles and serious faces.

The girls are cousins and here on a kick-off to summer vacation.  Part of a larger group playing, they kept their own pace, enjoying the game, yet were still competitive with the rest of the group.  The young man crouched on the green was serious about his game.  Concentrating on the integrity of his score, he was double checking his numbers by adding with his fingers, all to make sure that he was the winner in his group of three.

Come and tee off with us this summer – membership not required!  It’s a great way to end a day after hiking in Zion National Park, an ATV ride, or canyoneering.

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort - New Miniature Golf Course - 2010

Wondering about a little golf while staying at Zion National Park.   Well Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort has just announced the opening of a new and unique miniature golf course for summer 2010.  See more info. here.

This miniature golf course will feature faux rock formations of a Zion National Park style slot canyon and a Bryce Canyon National Park style hoodoo.     Hoodoos are the unique rock formations that fill Bryce Canyon National Park and slot canyons are the deep and narrow canyons carved by flash floods into the soft sandstone of the Zion National Park region.

These two rock formations will highlight the miniature golf course which will also offer two main water features.   Each water feature will have a pond at the north end of the course and connected by a small stream that flows to a pond on the southern end of the course.  Small bridges will cross the stream features at various points in the 18 hole miniature golf course.

The beautifully landscaped miniature golf course will play through the center island of the area just north of the main lodge and between the Cabin Suites on the west and east.      The golf course will be open for much of the day, and even into the evening during summer months.

As with all Zion Ponderosa activities, the course is open to all visitors even if they are not staying at the resort.   Golf enthusiasts will relish the opportunity to practice their putting game and to keep some friendly competition going amongst friends and family.   This is the type of thing that brings young and old together for an activity that really can be enjoyed together by people of all ages (1 to 100).

See more info. here.

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.

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.