We drove north on AZ Hwy 89 from Flagstaff towards Bitter Springs through the Navajo Nation. We passed many Navajo souvenir roadside stands selling their wares. The shop by Bitter Springs is my favorite and I love, love, love the photos on the side of their stand.
We decided to head to Lee’s Ferry in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Marble Canyon, AZ. It is just past the Navajo Bridge. We stopped at the entrance for the obligatory photo with Cathedral Rock.
We headed on to Balanced Rock and explored a bit. The boulder broke off of the cliff thousands of years ago and still stands as a testament to time. But over time it may crumble and fall over.
On we went to the marina and saw the rafters preparing for their Colorado River rafting journey through the Grand Canyon. The area around Lee’s Ferry is quite flat and is known as Mile 0 for a variety of river rafting journeys through the canyon. Due to the Grand Canyon’s deep gorges and canyons there are very few places with the ability to easily put in/put out without the aid of a helicopter or without hiking up or down steep canyons. Lee’s Ferry is well known as a perfect starting off point for long journeys through the canyon.
We drove on down river to the Paria Beach for a lunch break and to view the rafters starting their journey.
It wasn’t very long after our lunch break that the rafters started coming down the Colorado River. We walked out to the beach and watched them paddle by. It was quite hot out and the water looked quite cool and refreshing. Lucky them!
We headed on to Marble Canyon and on to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument to view the Cliff Dwellers houses. The area has a collection of homes built in and around the unique rock formations. You are free to roam around and walk into the structures. The were some Native Americans selling their wares at a roadside stand next to the houses.
We continued on to Utah, via St. George, and on to the Orchards RV Park in New Harmony for a much needed rest and to cool off.
The Orchards at Kolob is a new RV resort along I-15. It is a lovely RV park, nicely manicured, and has some very nice looking artificial grass at each site. The grass was cool to the touch even with the extreme heat which is perfect for animals. The park is close to the Kolob Canyon Entrance of Zion National Park on the west side of the National Park. The RV Park office has restrooms, showers, and laundry and everything is spotless. There are a variety of sitting areas outside along with nice flowers.
RV Park: The Orchards at Kolob RV Resort
Location: New Harmony, Utah (on I-15)
Site: 25 (pull thru – deluxe)
Cost: $76.60
Services: FHU
Comments: Yes, it is right along I-15 which makes for easy on/easy off access and yes, it is noisy. But luckily it was stinking hot so we had both A/C’s running full out which meant we could not hear the traffic. Lucky us! But we did spend some time outside later in the day to enjoy the sunset.
The RV park is a typical RV with rows of sites next to one another. There are fruit trees between every site which, one day, will provide some nice shade and hopefully, some nice fruit. It will really be an orchard then!
It is a nice RV park and perfect for an overnight or for easy access to Zion National Park west side. The staff were efficient, courteous, and even offered us a free bag of us upon arrival. Did I mention it was stinking hot????
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