Where we stayed at Zion National Park

Our first day at Zion National Park was spent getting a taste of what the park has to offer, checking in at our Airbnb, grabbing dinner and getting some much needed rest before all the hiking we were going to do for the next couple of days. 

We drove down from Bryce Canyon National Park, which allowed us to drive through Zion in the most gorgeous and scenic route (we stopped to take a few photos) before we exited to the town of Springdale. Our Airbnb was located in Rockville which is just one town over. 

There are many many places you can stay at Zion. You can actually stay inside Zion National Park at the Zion Lodge but there are also plenty of lodges at the town of Springdale as well. We just happened to go through Airbnb and found a wonderful place called the Heller Inn. The place is incredibly clean, the host friendly and there is also a host dog on the premise for any dog lovers out there.

When planning our trip though I didn't think through the type of lodging space we would need. I knew I definitely wanted to stay someplace clean but I realized that once we got to our Airbnb, not only was it clean but incredibly chic as well.

Yangkyu and I went to Zion to get all the incredible hiking experience. We didn't go to relax, sleep in and have a comfortable day in. We got up super early to beat the crowds, got sweaty, dirty and tired. While we never trudge in dirty and muddy shoes and clothes to any place we sleep, I think this was the first time where we were super careful not to get anything dirty inside our room and the common areas as well (I mean literally scrubbing our feet clean after coming back from outings, etc. One of the things - and there were many - that I loved about our Airbnb  though was that you are asked to leave your shoes off outside). In that sense, it made our stay a bit on the uncomfortable side but it's also because of my personality where I just get super comfortable if we leave the room messy when clearly it's kept incredibly clean. (There is also a charge if you get red dirt the bed sheets or clothes because red dirt does not come off even after washing).

The other thing that made me realize that perhaps we chose the wrong type of lodging for the kind of stay we were looking for was that the first night we were in Zion it was raining and thundering and lightening like mad. We had planned on hiking The Narrows the following day but due to the weather and flash floods the trail was closed. We still planned on going inside Zion early morning to see what we can do but our host offered other suggestions like staying at the Airbnb and watching movies. Yangkyu and I kinda thought - we didn't come all the way to Zion to stay in and watch movies. We wanted to hike even if it was raining and that was what we ended up doing. We just switched up our schedule and ended up hiking Observation Point Trail and The Narrows the following day.

We also didn't plan on eating breakfast there but we did once and it was amazing. But also very fancy. Yangkyu and I also planned on just getting tacos or something quick to eat for dinner our first night (and every night) but our host had suggested a restaurant to us and we went as a courtesy (the restaurant menu was in the Airbnb and I thought maybe she had a partnership with them and wanted to be supportive as her clients). Yangkyu and I had a wonderful meal and saw the most gorgeous rainbow but it was also a bit on the pricy side. I don't mind pricy dinners but again, it wasn't really something we were looking to do while in Utah. But in the end we decided to consider it as a belated anniversary dinner for us and enjoyed it.

The host at the Heller Inn is incredibly helpful though. She gave us information on The Narrows (rental gear, etc.) and checked the weather for us and just was available to us all the time to be as helpful as she could so that our stay at her place and at Zion would be a good one. And I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. The only thing is, if you plan on being a bit hard core (in terms of getting up early, hiking in all weather conditions, etc.) it may not be the best fit. 

Our last night in Zion we ended up staying at Under Canvas Zion, which was amazing. I'll do a more extended post about it a little later. We stayed inside the Stargazer and while I enjoyed my time, Yangkyu wasn't really all that impressed. And while I enjoyed it, to be honest, I don't think I would stay there again. It was just one of those things you want to experience at least once. Our big thing was that we wanted to stargaze while out in Utah but we didn't get to do that much and we realized that it wasn't the right season to do so. 

Perhaps our next trip out we will be better prepared to choose a place to stay that fits our needs the most.

So lodging was a bit wonky for our trip, but nonetheless great places to check out and consider.