Today is last full day in the area of Zion National Park. I have a little work to do, so the quick excursion to the Kolob Canyons section of the park was the perfect activity, taking up the afternoon.

It was just a short drive up I-15 to the visitors’ centre for that section of the park. Here, you can see a series of slot canyons. I really want to come back and hike in this part of the park, but the prospect was too daunting for my current drive-through the area, requiring permits and equipment for overnight stays. I especially want to do the hike to the Kolob Arch, considered to be the second largest natural arch in the world. It’s doable as strenuous 12-hour day trip, but I would have had to plan for a permit in advance for that, so it was still not a reasonable to-do item for this trip.

Besides long hikes, the only activity in this part of the park is the 5-mile scenic drive to a lookout point and 1-mile trail to a further lookout point. So the road ends with a giant turn around that has toilets, a nice view, and the trail head. I met a nice couple with two beautiful older dogs who gave sweet kisses and liked to be petted. Yup, definitely a dog person now. 🙂 BTW, Zion, like most national parks in the US, is NOT dog friendly.

When I came back from the hike, a man asked me what part of SK I’m from and I explained to him that I’m about 2.5 hours south of Regina, 45 minutes north of the Montana border. He confidently informed me that Saskatchewan does not have a border with Montana, only North Dakota, and that I am mistaken… But he did correct a German or Dutch lady who asked me how to pronounce the name of my state, informing her that it’s a province, so he gets points for that. 🙂 The lady got the name correct after only two tries and sadly informed me that she would forget in minutes how to say it.

Thus ends this current visit to Zion National Park. It’s really not that far from Haven (two long days or three short ones) and there are so many more parks I want to experience in Utah that I would like to make the state a destination at some point and do a lot more hikes! I’m pretty sure now that I want a class B camper van type thing, like a small RoadTrek, rather than a bumper pull trailer, btw, enough that I’m going to start window shopping this winter!

Hurricane was a fantastic base to explore the park, much less expensive than Springdale and with more services. I think it would be nice to spend a week in Springdale and be pretty much right on site, but the drive from Hurricane is so short that it’s not a huge compromise.

Tonight, I’m going to finish my work project and continue packing. I got the tote back into the truck today, so that’s progress. I’ve also discovered that the tailgate handle I installed in 2012 is not working and I don’t have the screwdriver I need to pull open the cover and see if the handle is broken or just came loose. It’s a weird screw driver and I don’t really feel like buying one, but US Customs opened the tailgate and I want it openable in case Mexican Customs wants access, too. I can still get stuff in through the topper cover, myself included, but it’s not very convenient. I am not pleased. Oh, well, if that’s the worse thing that happens to the truck on this trip… 🙂