Zion from Springdale

I was impressed with Zion the moment we entered the eastern entrance, but I wasn’t quite ready for the tunnel that led down to the main section of the park. See that small hole in the center of the photo? That’s a window in the tunnel.

thetunnel

Since you’re not allowed to stop in the 1.1 mile tunnel, it was impossible to get a picture from there, so you’ll have to take my word that it was a memorable tunnel, even more so if you’re slightly claustrophobic.

After the tunnel it’s a rapid drop into the valley below.

thecanyon

The campgrounds in the park were full, and I got one of the last camp sites in a nearby campground, probably because I was camping in a pickup not a bus-sized RV. It was by far the most expensive campground we stayed in our trip, but it was acceptable because the setting was beautiful.

Not only were there upscale shops,

espresso

but there were restaurants where you could eat on the patio at the end of October.

eatingdinner

Walking back to our camper after dinner we could look over the top of buildings and see mountains glowing in the sunset.

midsunset

Even if it was short-lived. In the few minutes it took to get to a better viewpoint, the glow was already half way up the mountain.

endsunset

Still, if we had camped somewhere else we might not have seen it at all.