This year, Cec and I found ourselves celebrating Christmas alone for the first time...well, ever. What's a couple of avid roadtrippers to do when coming to this realization two weeks before Christmas? Dress warmly and head to the high desert.
Complicating matters was the Trump Shutdown which landed a few days before Christmas and severely restricted availability at all national parks. We decided to make the leap and head to Zion National Park, which, as the third most visited national park in the United States, is a complete zoo in the summer. If there ever was a time to experience the beauty of this place sans crowds, this was our chance.
Peace and quiet sometimes comes with a price, and sometimes you have to pay up front. We had to run the gauntlet that is the I-5 S and I-15 N corridor on Christmas Eve. Lines to get into the rest stops. Lines to use the bathroom at said rest stops. Hour-long traffic jams heading into Vegas. It was a spectacle.
We rolled into Springdale, UT around 10 in the morning. Due to the government shutdown, there was no park ranger to take entrance fees. Only Loop B at Watchman Campground was open -- first come, first served. We scored a great spot at the back of the campground along the Virgin River. Our gamble had paid off.
We took Neska for a walk along the Pa'rus Trail. Mule deer were out and about. Low clouds shrouded the upper canyon, which sits over 2,000 ft above the canyon floor. Snow began to fall.