Trip to Zion National Park

In October we attempted to go to Zion for fall break. We thought it would be fun to go with family so we roped Mark's cousin and her family into going with us. They have 2 older boys and a little guy Jack's age. So who better to brave a national park with than parents of another toddler? Unfortunately we found a perfect house to rent but it had been reserved only minutes before we did. So rather than take a 2nd choice location that wasn't as good, we decided to wait and go a few weeks later. We were unsure what the weather would be like but it turned out to be perfect.  

We got there mid-afternoon on Friday. Jack did great in the car despite a meltdown about leaving the fun fast food play area after lunch. We just did a little exploring of the visitors center areas and taking in some of the exterior breathtaking views

Posing for a selfie....of course when I assumed Mark would pull a funny face he did not.  

I didn't get any pictures of the house we stayed at but it was definitely immaculate. It was about an hour from the park, but it was nice, clean, and gave us all plenty of space with a nice house feel rather than cramped into a hotel room. 

Saturday morning we headed back into the Park where we hiked Overlook Trail and had some lunch. Jack really liked the hike and eventually demanded he get to walk. He definitely hikes at a slow pace with his little legs but it sure was fun to see such big smiles on his face. 

Halfway through there was a cave area which provided some nice shade. Jack was not sure about photos... 

Taking it slow...

At the end of the hike you get to this area with multiple pillars like these. There is a steep cliff area but it's fenced off so it's the perfect hike to have lunch or a snack break at the end. 

Dirt+Outside= Happiness

After lunch we headed (slowly) back down and then drove back through the scenic trail tunnel down to the parking lot. Then we took the tram up to the Emerald Pools trail. We only hiked the first part but some of our group hiked the wetter areas. It was getting chilly and we didn't feel like getting wet or carrying the stroller. Jack was pretty tired and didn't seem to care what we did. So we headed back down the trail and spent some time in the warm gift shop and lodge area while we waited for the rest of our group. We also decided one day we were going to come back and actually stay in the lodge. (They recommend you reserve rooms a year in advance-- it's that kind of awesome location)

As you can see, Jack clearly was too tired to care. I have never seen him so content for so long in his stroller. I'm pretty sure he almost fell asleep in it at one point on our way back to the tram area.
These kind of views are all over Zion National Park...yet you can never get tired of them!

On our way down we were lucky enough to have a pretty close encounter with a few deer. I much prefer deer rather than huge bison that walked right by our car in Yellowstone a few years back!

We had so much fun and weren't too exhausted from night 1 of rough sleep. The 2nd night however, Jack refused to go back to sleep after about 4AM. He was tired enough that he actually slept on the floor with me on some pillows. This kid is a crazy sleeper and not only tosses and turns but rotates while doing so. For an hour I just sat up watching him because he had rolled over to my side but I was afraid he would hit his head or roll under the bed. It was a short trip but we were glad we only stayed 2 nights. We had to accept that we couldn't travel with Jack again until he could sleep on the floor or on a regular bed. Thankfully we have no major travel plans until June. I get travel bugs but with needing to take Jack with me when I travel, his inability to sleep in a bed definitely hinders that ability. Thanks for being a money saver kiddo! And thanks to Emily and Andy & clan for coming and braving Zion with a toddler as well!