Living Las Vegas

Real Life in the Shadow of the Strip

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Top Vegas Hotels: Bellagio, Luxor, Rio

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To the Megaliths and Beyond

Here’s a great irony. Las Vegas, the city best known for being fake, is surrounded by some of the best natural scenery in the Western Hemisphere. Oh, I know you’ve been told Sin City is an unnatural blight in the middle of the most unattractive and inhospitable landscape to be found on the planet, but trust me, you’ve been misinformed. True, it’s in a desert, and true, it gets a bad rap for trying to be a boomtown in a place that shouldn’t even support tumbleweed, but it’s all a big ruse aimed at keeping Las Vegas sinful. Not only is it the city where you can indulge your degenerate fantasies (and smoke indoors), it’s within a stone’s throw of properties so truly priceless you can’t even dream about buying them.

National parks and monuments, that’s what I’m talking about. If you’ve got a weekend, and Las Vegas is your starting point, there are no fewer than ELEVEN such preserves within your easy reach. Here’s the list: Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Death Valley, Mojave National Preserve, Capitol Reef, Cedar Breaks, Canyonlands, Grand Staircase Escalante, Arches, Great Basin. This list doesn’t even include a myriad of state and county parks, many of which would be national parks if God had stationed them in Pittsburgh.

They’re all awesome, and they’re all worth visiting in autumn. For no particular reason, I picked Zion, which is easily attainable from Las Vegas, even if one day is all you have to invest. I, on the other hand, had a whole weekend. I headed north on Interstate 15 just before daybreak. Well before noon, I had entered the holy space of Zion National Park.

I don’t use the phrase “holy space” lightly. Although Zion is definitely an outdoor wonder, driving into the valley is like is like entering an amazing interior. So separate is this awesome red stone valley from its surroundings that people are often struck dumb when they first lay eyes on it. I’m not exaggerating. They really do speak in whispers until they get acclimatized. Just stop at any roadside viewpoint, and you’ll see what I mean. It’s so stunningly beautiful, momentary speechlessness is a common reaction.

In summer, Zion is such a popular destination that the National Park Service has instituted a tram to take people on the “scenic drive,” a road through the canyon built in the 1920s when SUV was an unknown acronym and tour vehicles were smaller and fewer. The tram service stops running on October 31st, however, and that makes November a groovy time to visit. The aspens on the valley floor are clothed in brilliant yellow, and autumn rainstorms often cause seasonal waterfalls to burst forth from the canyon walls.

I stayed at Zion Lodge, which, like the road through the valley, was built in the 1920s. It’s been expanded and improved in subsequent years, but it still offers a graciously rustic atmosphere. If you like modernity, you can stay in the newer hotel buildings, which have large, nicely appointed rooms and suites. I opted for one of the older “Western cabins,” each of which has a fireplace made of native red limestone. The fireplaces are no longer equipped to burn wood, but a flip of a switch brings a gas-fueled fire to life that’s almost as good. The cabins are equipped with two double beds apiece and very nice bathrooms. Each one has its own porch.

Several trailheads begin within walking distance of the lodge. On my first outing, I crossed the Virgin River on a steel bridge and chose the path to the Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. The trail climbs up to a mesa and then twists back into a canyon where waterfalls run year-round, filling ponds that richly deserve their gem-inspired name. The trees on the valley floor and the megalithic canyon walls changed color as the sun moved through high clouds. Later, I walked to the Grotto picnic area and drove the scenic drive to the Sinawava Temple at the end. Several trails begin here, but the rainy weather made the fireplace back at my cabin seem irresistibly appealing. Even so, I paused at Weeping Rock on my way back to the Lodge and made the short climb to the waterfall. My timing was perfect. The sun burst out of a cloud just before it dropped behind the canyon walls. Rainbows hovered around the cascade, and the aspen leaves looked like they were made of gold.

I ate dinner in the dining room at Zion Lodge, a pleasant experience that cost about $25. Breakfast and lunch are also served in the dining room, and an espresso bar downstairs has sandwiches and coffee from dawn to late at night.

Before heading back to Las Vegas, I drove along Highway 9, another road built in the ’20s that winds through the park and on out to the town of Kanab. Its most amazing feature is a mile-long tunnel with arched windows overlooking the canyon. Beyond the tunnel lie more astonishing rock formations including the other-wordly Checkerboard Mesa.

A weekend is enough to benefit from Zion’s restorative powers, and I’m already planning a winter visit. The aspens will be bare, but red rocks look beautiful capped with snow.

What's it like to live in Las Vegas? You'll find answers here! Living Las Vegas features news and views from nine local writers who call Southern Nevada home.