Zion National Park. Photo: Wolfgang Staudt
Recent notes from Roads Scholar Kyle Smith, fresh out of Zion.
When I first pulled into Springdale, Utah a dusty little tourist trap of a town just outside the southern gate of Zion National Park I have to admit I didn’t really get it.
Maybe it was the overly adorable names of the shops such as the “DeZign Gallery,” or it might have been the 110 degree weather scorching my skin rendered pallid by the inside life of a New Yorker, but I was immediately glad I would be spending two days in town, opposed to a lifetime.
The more people I met, the more I was confounded by how the cast of characters in town–which would seem a better fit for a John Irving novel than a small Utah town–managed to call Springdale home.
Wearing my Yankees hat, I made fast friends with a New Jersey-born, former Alaskan fisherman who now runs an art gallery in town and lives in a trailer behind it. He offered to close down the shop and take me on a hike the next day in the park, an offer I gladly accepted. Then there were my gracious hosts at the small family run B&B where I stayed.
Kyle, stoked in zion.
The lady of the house who ran the day to day operations (while her husband tended to other family businesses in town), treated me to a surreptitious glass of wine out on the back patio while her husband and kids were off about their days.
Having married into a Mormon family, which she acknowledged was a religion with never-endingly amusing contradictions, she is not really supposed to drink openly, though as she informed me, drinking in the closet is a Mormon tradition as prevalent as publicly refusing alcohol.
“You know why you should always take two Mormons with you when you fish?” she asked me with a smirk, “Because if you take one, he’ll drink all your beer.”
Cooking breakfast while his tiny Pomeranian dog dressed in a rhinestone studded pink scarf yapped about his heels, the chef of the house smiled as he told me that he “stuck out in this place like a 6’2 gay man in a small Mormon-owned town.”
I asked him why he would choose to live in a town like this. He asked me if I had been into the park yet.
As much as I love to shake up the established order of things even I, a white heterosexual male, know better than to flaunt my leftward leanings in hostile (conservative) territory. I asked him why he would choose to live in a town like this; he asked me if I had been into the park yet. I hadn’t.
Getting up bright and early before the afternoon sun could come in to bake me alive, I met up with my hiking guide in front of his closed-for-the-morning gallery to head into Zion for a hike. 3 hours and 5 miles later, standing on top of Angel’s Landing high above the Zion Canyon floor I got it.
Sure, it might be hard to find a good cup of coffee, and you might have to live under the watchful gaze of holier-than-thou polygamists, but damn, you don’t get views like this in Brooklyn.
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This is the first dispatch from Kyle Smith, who is the first ever Roads Scholar. To learn more about the Roads Scholarship, please check out Digital Vagabonding. Big up.
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Zion remains one of my favorite places. If the Mean Bean’s still there, they have great green tea (and probably coffee) and raspberry scones. I went there three times. Great place to meet hikers and climbers getting ready for a day in the canyon.
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I loved Mean Beans as well – thought they had nice, strong espresso.
Zion is still my favorite National Park – nice post.
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I’m so stoked you like Zion ~ it’s one of my favorite National Parks, and Angel’s Landing is one of the greatest hikes! Your experience of looking at Zion from the top of Angel’s Landing is the way I felt when I finally got into the Amphitheater in Bryce.
Cheers,
JoAnna↵ -
Zion and Bryce Canyon are other worldly national parks. I was sad i couldn’t do the river walk when i was there in April…:(
can’t wait for more from you Kyle, great piece.
See you at Burning Man!!!
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I kinda drove through Zion by mistake on my way home to Texas once, but I WILL be back to do it proper. Great post.
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Kyle, I suggest you dive into the heart of Mormonism and explore Mormon Square in Salt Lake City. But be warned, they are going to try to save your soul and make you tithe 10% of what ever you earn for ever.
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My sis just got back from Zion- a park I haven’t experienced yet but look forward to seeing someday soon. I did go to Salt Lake this year, however- those Mormons get crazy. See you soon Kyle!
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Great post! My husband and I settled (for the moment) in southern Utah two years ago after living all over the United States. We are frequently asked by people from elsewhere how we ended up here, of all places. Our response is similiar to that of your fellow hiker. When we are at our wits’ end with the conservative climate, lack of good coffee shops and book stores, and lack of diversity, we simply drive 20 minutes up the mountain to take in a hike and the view of Cedar Breaks National Monument (amoung countless other views) … “oh yeah, that is why we live here!”
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Nice entry, Kyle! If you’re sleeping in the car I hope it was in the park. There are so many “no camping” signs in town I don’t want to know what happens if they catch you in a lot somewhere. That said, I enjoy Springdale a lot. As a veteran of the world of retail in my younger days I know how tough it is to cater to anyone and everyone. I have yet to meet a shop keeper or other resident that isn’t friendly and helpful.
If you’re camping at Zion the town is still very accessible. From the South Campgrounds walk over to the visitors center and simply catch a free shuttle into town. The shuttles operate pretty late and allow you to shop and feast after a great day of hiking.
My favorite eats in Springdale so far is the Pioneer Restaurant. You can get a nice steak and salad there for a good price. Also, as of a few months ago at least, the wi-fi is free.
As with any park entrance town, buy your batteries elsewhere or pay dearly.
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