Utah Road Trip day 5

It was a very peaceful night and we were up early to hit the road!  These guys gave us a nice good-bye as we left the park . . .

We stopped at the Bryce Canyon Visitor's Center to turn in the Junior Ranger book and then we were on the road again for today's adventure.  We made a quick stop at Red Canyon State Park . . .

It was a quick drive to our stop for today at Zion National Park . . .

It was empty as we entered from the east and it quickly became very crowded.  We stopped to check out Checkerboard Mesa . . .

. . . and after that it was impossible to find a place to stop and park due to the crazy traffic and cars just parked where ever they pleased.  I was already not enjoying myself but continued.  We managed to see the Great Arch . . .

. . . but got right back into the traffic.  Ironically, I thought this was a park that did not allow car traffic in some areas and often shuts down due to crowds and parking lots being full.  The parking lots are super small so cars are just pulled off the road half way which makes it difficult to drive.  All the  hikes we wanted to do as we entered had no parking so we just drove on.  We needed to pick up the Junior Ranger book so I circled the parking lot while Colin ran inside to get it.  It was just crazy! The one great thing was we were staying at the Zion Lodge so we had a special pass to drive to the lodge that was limited to bus only transportation which was fantastic!  So we gave up and just went to the lodge to park and catch the bus to get where we wanted to go.  Our first stop was Weeping Rock . . .

As we waited for the bus, it was so nice to enjoy some signs of fall and leaves changing . . .

Then we continued to Grotto Trail where we saw a lot of deer.  We just stood back and watched them continue about their day.  I was amazed at how they could have cared less we were near by.

We headed across the road to the Lower Emerald Pools . . .

This was by far a very popular and crowded trail but glad we went . . . when you have amazing weather and beautiful views you sort of forget about all the crazy people . . .

Again, there were many trails we wanted to check out but due to some being super crowded or closed or we just were not prepared with gear; we did what was near by.  It turned out to be a perfect day for us.  There are times I forget to just slow down and enjoy the moment.

While it is beautiful at Zion National Park it is super crowded too . . . I thought since it was a weekday in November it would not be that crowded but was I wrong . . . I can not imagine the crowds in the summer.  I just happened to read that on this day in 1919 Zion became a National Park so that was pretty cool!  It was getting dark so we called it a day by checking into our room and having dinner.