Dinosaur tracks and Zion NP

The Dino (Tracks) Museum in St. George did what it promised. There were hundreds of dinosaur tracks to admire, some of them very well preserved. Including a print that is the most accurate in the world. You can see the limbs, muscles and even the claws and skin. The entire museum is scientific and specially prepared for children. You learn what you have to be able to do to become a paleontologist and what job profiles there are. You can see baby dinosaur tracks, tracks of running and sitting dinosaurs, one of the largest stone slabs with connected tracks, etc. We were impressed by the amount of behavior that could only be seen from dinosaur tracks.

St. George is only 30 miles from our campsite near Zion NP and so by early afternoon we were at the campsite with a pool where the kids didn't want to go out.

Beforehand we also went shopping to stock up on the essentials. Since we are not Mormons, we also bought a 6-porter beer. At the checkout, the lady wrapped the beer in two plastic bags faster than we could see and quietly explained to us that she had put the beer in the corner. Alcohol is generally only available from the age of 21.

Nevertheless, as a European you are a little surprised. There is no wine or even higher alcohol to buy in the supermarket in this area. On the other hand, folders for shooting exercises with machine guns and pistols are posted at the campsite.

We have therefore instructed the children when they bring us beer from the fridge to hide it under their bodies 😉 You never know.

In the evening we grilled again before going to bed.

The next morning we set off for the national park early by our standards, i.e. around 9:00. It is said that it will be very hot during the day - but in retrospect this fear was unjustified. It stayed pleasantly warm with a maximum of 32° - but mostly much cooler because we were hiking in the shade.

We were really impressed with Zion NP. An oasis in the middle of an inhospitable scree desert. The Native Americans who lived there and later the Mormons who settled there were probably similarly impressed. Unfortunately, there was a cyanobacteria warning for the river that flows through the canyon, which is why we shouldn't swim in it. But there were also some springs that bubbled out of the rock walls where the children were able to build their dams after the initial disappointment.

The “main attraction” of Zion NP are the so-called Narrows, narrow spaces only a few meters wide between high, steep rocks. Unfortunately, we couldn't hike all the way back with the children because we were soon waist-deep in water and in some places Julius and Konstantin would only have been able to get there by swimming. That being said, the Narrows are apparently a very popular attraction with young (cool) adults, who were disproportionately represented in this NP.

We therefore focused on other hikes, which in retrospect were just as beautiful because there was less going on and you got to see more of the beauty of Zion NP. This NP is absolutely worth recommending.

Tomorrow we're going to Las Vegas so that the children can learn something about gambling in addition to the benefits of alcohol 😉. By the way, we are no longer in Utah, but in Nevada.