After Moab we went further South, (bad idea) it was even hotter! We stayed a couple days at Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah and visited nearby Zion National Park. Sand Hollow State park was a great camp spots, the full hookups spots were big and far apart, the bathrooms were large and clean, and the lake in the park is warm with a deep blue color, surrounded by red sandstone formations. We spent one day lounging around the lake, we pulled the truck right up to the lake shore, turned on the radio and enjoyed the warm water. All around the park were signs warning visitors of “Swimmers Itch,” a bacteria in the water that gives you an itchy rash, but there were other people swimming and boating around the lake so we figured as long as we washed off right after swimming we’d be okay. While I was cautious about not getting entirely into the water, Paul swam around like a fish, needless to say he was itchy from head to toe for the next two weeks!

We had heard that Zion National Park closes their gates to traffic when the visitor center parking lot is full, so we got up with the sun and headed into the park early. Already crowed, we parked in the packed lot, and got right on line for the park shuttle bus. Zion does not allow driving in the park during summer months to cut down on the traffic and parking issues, so you need to take a shuttle to certain parts of the park if you want to see them. The Zion shuttles run all day and probably stop by every 10 minutes, it’s actually a really nice way to get around. We took the shuttle all the way to the last stop and did my favorite hike of all times through The Narrows. The Narrows is a narrow section of canyon that the Virgin River runs through, the entire trail is a hike through the river.  We decided on a hot day, hiking up The Narrows would be perfect, and it was.

By the time we finished hiking The Narrows it was mid-afternoon and very hot, we ate lunch back at the visitor center and decided to take a drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. You can read about our Grand Canyon adventures here.