Oct
6
to Oct 13
Utah Adventure: Zion, Bryce & Best Friends Animal Society
Join MYA for a spectacular hiking & animal snuggling adventure in Utah. We’ll explore one night in goofy Vegas then move on to outstanding Zion National Park & Bryce Canyon National Park. We’ll spend quality time with Best Friends Animal Society and absorb the red cliffs of St George for our last eve together. Adventurers will get in plenty of yoga, hiking, vegetarian food, critter cuddles, and good vibes along the way!
Adventurers will fly into Las Vegas to spend one night to hike, acclimate and goof around. Seventeen miles away from the city is an amazing slice of nature - Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. This site is 200,000 acres of desert, pine forests, waterfall-covered canyons, and sandstone cliffs, yes! Adventurers can take a hike before checking into the hotel to stretch legs and breath in the awesome beauty.
There may be some gambling & cheap drinks in the mix. We will be staying on the strip, old-school Vegas vibes, in pyramid premier rooms with angled windows and two queen beds in each (please know that the rooms can be adjusted if there’s a couple in our mix). We’re hoping the pool area will still be open on the 6th, fingers crossed for the four pools & hot tubs! Luxor also has a fitness area, spa, and casino - adventurers will have plenty of options to keep them busy.
From the over-the-top city, adventurers will move onto an absolute stunner of a property for three nights in Zion. The secluded retreat center allows for nature immersion, hiking, meditation, journaling, yoga, and more. Nestled within and completely surrounded by breathtaking landscapes of Zion National Park, the 10-acre estate offers up traquility with wildlife as the only neighbors. We’ll take in views of Tabernacle Dome, Lamb’s Knoll, Cave Valley, and vast meadows. The night sky is going to be gorgeous!
The villa features a spacious great room with indoor twin red cedar trees and a wood-burning stone fireplace, a lovely gathering spot. The kitchen is full of goodness where Sarah, our cook, will be busy whipping up delicious vegetarian meals. The dining area will be perfect to relish our food together. There are three bedrooms with queen beds, a bedroom with two twins, and a bedroom with bunk beds - plenty of room to spread out. MYA’s favorite amenity of a hot tub will be there, perfectly placed with views for days.
Adventurers can reach Zion National Park trails from the villa and the property also has a walking labyrinth and a statuary path. So much hiking to be done! There are at least twelve trails easily accessible from our location. For relaxing outdoors are three dining and seating areas, chaise lounges, a medicine wheel, fire ring, and a chimayo fireplace. We will extract all of the goodness that we possibly can from our Zion experience both at the homestead and beyond.
Bryce Canyon National Park is our next glorious site, known for crimson-colored hoodoos, spire-shaped rock formations. The Bryce Amphitheater and the rim trail hike have outstanding views even more exemplary during sunset and sunrise.
Our accommodations for one night are close to the park, in pioneer village, a house with five bedrooms (4 king beds & a queen) and if we need a little more space, there are rooms available very close by. Hopefully we can catch some live music during our stay!
The journey will continue from beautiful Bryce to 6,000 acre Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab - tucked into majestic canyons with red rock vistas, surely a magical place. We have secured a volunteer experience, a unique opportunity for a hands-on service project. Best Friends will provide animal interactions for us as well, adding an unforgettable dimension to the experience. Just to make it even more exciting, we will bring a dog to spend the night with us!!!
Our accommodations are at Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile and we’ll have two two-level suites, one of which will have a dog :) The first floor has a living room with a pull-out queen sofa sleeper (no adventurers will need to take that bed), a half bath, and a kitchen with dining area. The upper floor has a full bathroom, twin bunk beds and a king, a slide-out pet bed and two pet nooks for sleeping and snuggling. After returning our overnight guest we can enjoy more hiking…
We’ll head to Red Cliffs National Conservation area, a 44,000-acre protected site featuring vibrant sandstone cliffs, canyons, and diverse Mojave Desert wildlife. We’ll be enchanted by the Red Reef Trail and hope to spot a desert tortoise or a gila monster rambling by. Snow Canyon State Park is within the conservation area and absolutely worthly of our visitation.
