Winter Van Life: Grand Canyon’s South Rim to Zion
We were on our way to Brian Head Resort in Utah from Arizona Snowbowl in March 2019. Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks were just too close to our ski route to pass up.
In case you missed it, you can read about our Grand Canyon experience and why we didn’t have plans to visit National Parks with our dog, Bruce Leroy.
Our route
From Grand Canyon’s South Rim to Zion National Park, we planned to take US-89 and US-89A North to Zion National Park’s East entrance via SR-9, Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. Our route would pass through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, past Grand Canyon’s North Rim entrance at Jacob Lake, and Kanab, Utah.
Our overnight stops
We chose to do two overnight stops between Grand Canyon and Zion – one in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and another in Kanab, Utah.
On our way to Glen Canyon, we stopped in the town of Marble Canyon at the Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center. It was a good place to catch up on some emails and make lunch.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is 1.25 million acres and includes Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Lees Ferry, Escalante, Hite, Muley Point, and Orange Cliffs.
See Glen Canyon’s Places to Go and Fees & Passes.
The vehicle entrance fee for Glen Canyon was $30 at the time of our visit. Fortunately, we recently purchased an America the Beautiful Annual Pass in Grand Canyon, which grants us entry into Glen Canyon.
Combining Grand Canyon’s $35 vehicle entrance fee, and Glen Canyon’s $30 fee, we were only $15 away from getting the $80 value out of our America the Beautiful Annual Pass.
We stayed at Lees Ferry Campground one night, 200 miles from Mather Campground in Grand Canyon National Park. The campground has views of the Colorado River and surrounding cliffs.
I was surprised to learn I could work remotely here, being in a remote canyon area. We were fully prepared to stay somewhere else.
The weather was sunny and warm in March, but not hot, which was perfect for thawing out from our ski and snowboard travels. We don’t handle temperatures above 60 degrees very well.
The next morning before we departed to Kanab, we enjoyed a leisurely hike on the River Trail at Lees Ferry Historic Site.
See Glen Canyon’s Day Hikes.
Kanab, Utah
The next night we stayed at Kanab RV Corral to shower, catch up on laundry and work, and stock up at the local grocery store. The facilities were dated but very clean.
We left early the next morning so we could try and get a walk-in campsite in Zion. Next time we are in Kanab, I want to visit the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Our Zion National Park Experience
See the Zion National Park map to follow along, and Zion’s Directions.
Entry
See Zion National Park’s Fees & Passes.
We entered the park at the East entrance. To gain entry, we used our America the Beautiful Annual Pass for the third time since purchasing it at Grand Canyon. Otherwise, entry into Zion for a private vehicle was $35, valid for seven days, at the time of our visit. Which means we had exceeded the value of our pass by $20.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you choose to enter Zion through the East entrance and plan on driving the park’s length, you will have to travel through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. The tunnel has vehicle size restrictions. Oversize vehicles and RVs need to pay for a permit and can only drive through the tunnel during allotted times when rangers are present to guide traffic.
For more information, visit the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel page.
Fortunately, our Winnebago Revel is short and skinny enough to make it through the tunnel without special accommodations. If you also own a Winnebago Revel, make sure you haven’t made any modifications or have rooftop features that could make you too tall.
For a long time, I wanted to visit Zion National Park. I’m not sure when the idea first came into my head, but I think it had to do with the Mighty 5 marketing campaign. The campaign was a success for National Parks located in Utah and tourism for the state. Now there is a problem with overcrowding, though.
I didn’t realize how massive the park would feel around me as we began driving through the park. The sandstone cliffs reach heights of a couple of thousand feet, among the tallest in the world.
There are few turnouts as you wind your way to the valley floor and have limited parking. If you spot an opportunity to park, take it if you want to capture any photos. Making a quick u-turn is tricky on this stretch of road. We missed all opportunities and didn’t choose to go back.
Campgrounds
See Campgrounds in Zion.
When we reached the valley floor, we continued on SR-9 toward Zion’s South entrance, South Campground, and Watchman Campground. Our first goal on arrival was to see if we could score a campsite at the last minute.
Just before the park entrance at the town of Springdale, we took a left toward the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. Passenger vehicle parking is on the right. RV parking is to the left.
We got situated in the RV parking, and I took a walk to figure out where to stand in line for a last-minute campsite opening.
The attendant at South Campground told me to come back at noon as that is when they open sites for walk-ins. So I walked over toward the entry at Watchman Campground. It was hard to see the campground from the check-in station, and we don’t like committing anywhere without more information. Since I could only be at one place at noon, I decided to head back to South Campground.
By the time I got back to South Campground at 11:30 am, there was no availability. They already gave away all available sites to other walk-ins. What happened to noon? One group had even called in to have the campground save them a spot as they were driving through the park. I started to walk away, frustrated. But then I overheard two campground employees saying something about a last-minute cancellation they just received. I walked over to inquire about it and managed to snag a site.
Watchman Campground versus South Campground
Before leaving Zion National Park, we drove through the Watchman Campground, so we knew all the options available to make a camping reservation in the future.
Watchman is a nicely manicured campground with newer bathrooms and relatively flat sites compared to South Campground.
Campsites at Watchman have more space between them. At South Campground, we were so close to our neighbor we think the exhaust for our diesel heater was blowing directly into their tent. Our heater used to sound like a plane getting ready for take-off, so we hope we didn’t ruin their evening. Overnight temperatures were too cold not to run the heater and risk freezing pipes.
At South Campground, you could see evidence of water previously running through the campground as it slopes toward the Virgin River. We could only imagine it becoming a mess during thunderstorms or other major rain events. Watchman has a lot of built-in drainages and other landscaping for managing water runoff.
Watchman is more RVer friendly. They offer RV sites with electric hookups, and a dump station is available with potable water.
Both offer group campsites, but we would choose to stay at Watchman as we did on a return visit in September 2019.
We have been to Zion on three different occasions now, with the last time being in January 2020. We stayed at Watchman at that time too.
On each visit to Zion, the National Park Service has been doing work around South Campground. Maybe we will see improvements similar to Watchman Campground in the future.
Dog-friendly sightseeing
See Zion’s Pets page.
The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is a big attraction at Zion National Park. Popular hiking trails like The Narrows and Angel’s Landing are accessible from there and are on my bucket list. However, our visit in March 2019, access to the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, was only available via shuttle, and we had Bruce Leroy with us. No dogs allowed!
See Zion’s Getting Around page for more information about the shuttle system and when the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is open to visiting vehicles.
The Zion National Park guide handed to us upon entering the park, told us the Pa’rus Trail is dog-friendly.
See the Zion Canyon Trail Descriptions page for more information about the Pa’rus Trail.
The 3.5-mile roundtrip relatively flat and paved trail begins next to South Campground and follows the Virgin River, so we didn’t have to drive to a trailhead.
It was nice to get a change of scenery and warmer weather before heading back to deep snow and chairlifts the next day.
Services
Showers & Laundry Facilities
Unavailable inside Zion National Park.
Zion Outfitter – Walking distance from Watchman Campground and South Campground in Springdale, Utah*
We found the facilities to be cleanest and quietest closest to noon.
Grocery Store
Happy Camper Market – Walking distance from Watchman Campground and South Campground in Springdale, Utah*
They have a minimal selection of produce and frozen meats. If you’re trying to stock up for multiple days, it’s probably going to be more expensive than your local grocery store. We stocked up in Kanab and used Happy Camper Market for some last-minute needs.
*Zion Outfitter and Happy Camper Market are in the same plaza and technically within walking distance of both South Campground and Watchman Campground. However, this depends on how much you are carrying there and back, and if you enjoy walking. Depending on your campsite’s exact location, it could be a half-mile or more one way. Some might consider that too far. Instead, you can drive and park in the plaza for up to two hours. Keep in mind, driving or walking to Zion Outfitter or Happy Camper Market means exiting Zion National Park. DO NOT forget your entry pass, so you can reenter without paying additional fees.
Also in the same plaza is Zion Brewery. We picked up dinner to-go so we could enjoy eating at the plaza’s picnic tables in front of the restaurant with our dog.
Dump Station & Potable Water
Watchman Campground – Free to campers staying at Watchman.
Other Options
St. George, Utah – 40 miles from Zion’s south entrance – It is a city with a population of about 90,000 and should have most services you might need.
Cell Service & Internet Access
See Zion’s statement regarding Internet & Cellular Access.
Your experience may differ from our own!
Our wireless carrier – AT&T
Our mobile internet hotspot – AT&T Hotspot on an iPhone and iPad
Watchman Campground – I’ve been able to work reliably from the group camping area and the RV loop.
South Campground – Service was barely sufficient for texting or non-existent.
RV parking lot near the Zion Canyon Visitor’s Center – I’ve been able to send and receive emails and texts successfully. However, I wouldn’t rely on being able to do a video conference call and large uploads and downloads.
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive – I could sometimes send and receive texts shortly after turning onto the road from SR-9 and on the Zion National Park Lodge’s front lawn.
SR-9 between the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and the East entrance – No service.
Human History Museum parking lot – I was able to send emails and texts successfully.
Springdale, Utah – Service was the best here.
Kolob Canyons
After checking out of South Campground, we headed toward a lesser-known part of Zion National Park.
Kolob Canyons is 40 miles from South Campground. There isn’t an entrance station, but we did have to stop at the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center to show our America the Beautiful Annual Pass. Otherwise, if you don’t already have an interagency pass or proof of paying the Zion National Park fee elsewhere, you can pay at the Visitor Center.
Kolob Canyons doesn’t offer any dog-friendly sightseeing options other than the five-mile scenic loop drive. It is the only paved road in that area of Zion National Park. There are no dog-friendly hiking trails. It was still an excellent place to get out, stretch, and take in more scenery before finishing our last leg from Arizona Snowbowl to Brian Head Resort.
