Zion National Park Review: Staying in a Covered Wagon

In leaving the Grand Canyon, we had the opportunity to exit the South Rim to the East and see a few view points that fewer people get to experience.   This review includes the Desert View at Grand Canyon National Park and the Zion National Park where we’ll share our experience where we actually stayed the night in a covered wagon at the Zion Ponderosa Resort.

Our first stop as we departed was the Desert View Watchtower (also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View) stop.

The Watchtower was designed and constructed by Mary Colter, who also designed Hermit’s Rest and the Lookout Studio at Grand Canyon National Park.  The Desert View Watchtower was designed to resemble an Ancient Pueblo People’s watchtower, but its size dwarfs any known Pueblan-built tower.

The tower provided an excellent viewpoint of the Grand Canyon as well as a look back at older construction techniques and cultures.  The viewpoint offers a visitors center, restaurant, bathrooms, a grocery, and a gift shop.

After Desert View, we drove through some of the most desolate and beautiful parts of the country that we experienced on the trip on our way to Zion National Park through Page, Arizona.  Here’s a video of our travels through this area.

Once in Page, Arizona, we took a short break to catch up on some work at a local Burger King with free wi-fi.  After a quick stop at the Glen Canyon Dam visitor center for some Passport stamps, we made our way over the dam that creates Lake Powell and drove into Utah.  A new state!!

Utah was simply spectacular!  As soon as we crossed the Glen Canyon Dam, I could immediately see why I was so anxious to visit Utah.  I found myself just staring at the beautiful landscape out of the windshield.

Beyond the beauty of the landscape, we had a new adventure in store for us at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch and Resort; a Western Wagon covered wagon as lodging for the night!

This was a new experience for us and a true adventure!  It also provided a nice break from the tent that we called home for the previous two nights.

As a bit of a review, the Western Wagon did provide a double bed in the back with two twins on either side.  The aisle to access the double bed was a bit narrow, so getting in and out for us was a bit challenging.

The shower and laundry facilities were about the best we experienced in any campground during our trip.  The pool was resort quality with two slides and a waterfall created by it’s tiered construction.

This was also one of the few places in the Zion National Park where we were able to barbecue on a grill.  We did not take into account the various burn bans that would be in effect throughout the Southwest and West, thereby eliminating some of our plans to reduce costs by cooking our own meals.

We love to travel to destinations that are off the beaten path. Hopefully this Zion National Park Review, Covered Wagon resort and experience at the Desert View gives you an idea of whether you would enjoy this type of vacation.