Family Glamping Near Zion National Park
September 30, 2021
If you are traveling as a family, glamping is a must-try. Typically, the phrases luxury and children do not belong in the same sentence, but glamping provides the best of all worlds. Parents can relax and be pampered, while children are entertained and educated. If you are planning a trip to Zion National Park with your family, do not miss the Zion White Bison Resort. Your kids will love the adventure, and you will love the pampering. Start your trip to Utah’s Mighty Five off right, and book a stay for a Western adventure. Family glamping is a must-do for any family on the go.
Outdoor memories among family create meaningful, lasting bonds…
Zion White Bison Resort was founded on this belief & provides the perfect family glamping destination.
Skip the hotel room for a family glamping adventure
After spending restless hours packed in a car, a hotel room is often an end-of-the-day nightmare for parents with children.
“Don’t run.”
“Stop jumping.”
“Don’t talk too loud. We have neighbors.”
“The ice machine is broken.”
“Don’t lick that remote!”
You know the drill.
Contrast this suppression and stress to the wide-open spaces of glamping, where kids are encouraged to explore trails, build fires, go fishing, and spend some time with a buffalo or two. Imagine the difference.
“Get out and run.”
“Climb that hill.”
“Start a campfire.”
“Pass the marshmallows.”
“Count the stars.”
A hotel room, even in the greatest of locations, forces you to observe nature from BEHIND a window or wall, rather than AMONGST the stars or NEXT to a river. BIG difference.
Hotels are common, but the concept of glamping has taken the world by storm and is changing the vacation industry. Whether you are in a tree hut in Africa or a covered wagon camping in Utah, glamping takes a family vacation to a new level. And glamping near Zion National Park can be both luxurious and adventurous.
Like a great hotel room, keep the luxurious accommodations for yourself and crank up the adventure and fun for your kids. In a hotel, your grandest exploration may be finding the ice machine on your floor. Switch that dirty ice bucket for a fishing pole, a hiking stick, or an astronomy lesson. Now that’s living.
Skip the hotel room that looks like the other hundred rooms on the same floor. Don’t find yourself retreating behind hotel black-out curtains, only to turn on cable TV and wait until morning. Break the mold. Give family glamping a shot.
Explore luxurious glamping over stressful camping
Although adventurous and exciting for your children, glamping removes the stress for adults. It’s the best of both worlds. We all know the ordeal of camping: cram 1000 random items into the back of a car, knowing that we are going to sleep in a claustrophobic mummy sleeping bag in a tent that will leak in the elements. Yet, we do it. Why do we do it? Because we love making memories with our kids…and eventually our memories fade, and we lose all common sense and do it again.
We battle bugs, cold hotdogs, and lack of sleep in an effort to create lasting memories. While every family should give camping a try, it’s okay to justify a different experience every once in a while. This is where glamping takes center stage.
Imagine all of the great memories and adventures of camping–plus the luxury and decor of a beautiful resort hotel. Quality beds and sheets, private bathrooms, hot tubs, campfires, pickleball, swimming pools, hiking trails, and fishing spots to name a few. Now imagine these things at your fingertips, knowing that you are only responsible for your swimsuit, a toothbrush, and clean clothes. Leave that old tent and camp stove in the garage. That changes everything.
Here’s the magic formula: family glamping removes the work and increases the relaxation factor while multiplying the adventure. That’s a math problem as parents we can get behind.
Glamping takes camping up a few notches on the glamour scale. Well actually, it puts camping on the glamour scale. Picture beautiful bedding, luxurious decor and interiors, and privacy and relaxation. Now, plop those room accommodations right in the middle of one of the most beautiful settings in the world. This combination results in a luxury resort near Zion National Park that is sure to please all family members.
Experience history through a Western adventure
Let’s face it. Mention the word history to most kids, and they visualize dusty books, old people, and life without cell phones. Most kids can’t even comprehend 1988, let alone 1888.
Family glamping allows you to turn back time and climb into the pages of a pretty fantastic history book.
Too many, especially kids, history is just a series of old photos or clips from black and white movies. Glamping families can explore a glimpse of history and better understand lessons learned from that period in time. It is living, sleeping, and vacationing in a new and exciting way.
Reading history books is one thing, stepping into its pages is another. Perspective is a priceless gift, and glamping gives these opportunities to children through shared experiences.
Best of all, the lessons are stress-free for parents because the resort provides great accommodations and adventures. You provide the excited kids!
Whether you leave the resort during the day to hike and drive through Utah’s national parks, or you spend the afternoon taking advantage of resort amenities, families love their sleeping accommodations because the adventure does not end when it’s time for bed. To kids, the most anticipated part of the day is climbing into the back of a wagon, watching the stars through a teepee’s peak, entering a cliffside bedroom, or hunkering down in a warm and cozy cabin. Your bedtime story for the evening can begin with… ” Once upon a time, there were amazing groups of people who traveled and lived in the Western United States…”
Covered Wagons
One of the most historic times in American history was the great migration West; this movement brought dreams of open land, new freedoms, and gold. Over 300,000 pioneers crossed the country, most by covered wagon. They followed the Oregon, Santa Fe, and Mormon Trails.
While these descriptions, historical references, and images are interesting, pause for a moment, and imagine taking your children back in time to experience these amazing lifestyles and time periods. Discuss the tragedies and triumphs found along our country’s pioneer trails, and then climb inside your own covered wagon and sleep under a similar canvas that carried so many pioneers to new lives. Who knew that you could still experience covered wagon camping in Utah? That’s adventurous.
Teepees
Perhaps the most iconic symbol of the Plains Indians and their nomadic lifestyle, the teepee represents traditions of spirituality, oneness with nature, and practicality. Teepees were a protection from the elements and provided a sense of community as these nomadic tribes followed the great buffalo migrations across the country.
Let your children hear stories of the Great Plains tribes–their sacredness for the earth and their ability to move everything they owned at a moment’s notice. Not only can you sleep in a teepee, but you can also visit a buffalo herd and better understand this powerful and once-sacred animal. That’s powerful.
Cliff Dwellings
During the late 1190s, the Ancestral Puebloan people (also referred to as Anasazi) began building and living in pueblos beneath overhanging cliffs – commonly referred to as cliff dwellings. The location provided shade from the smoldering Southwest sun, but also warmth in the winter months due to the heated rock. During the day, the Ancestral Puebloan people would farm the mesa tops but retreat to the protection of their cliffside homes in the evenings.
Step back in time and sleep with your children in a world so far removed from their electronics and entertainment venues that they may never be the same again. Connecting with the Ancestral Puebloan people is a rare gift and an unbelievable lesson. That’s magical.
Log Cabins
Log cabins dotted the American Frontier as the country expanded West. Built with old-growth trees, logs were prepared and carefully fit together to form strong, safe structures. The gaps between the logs were filled with sticks, rocks, and mud. This method kept out the weather, bugs, and heat.
What kid would not want to stay in a log cabin next to a river overlooking a buffalo herd? Although luxurious, the atmosphere provides all the adventure and historical significance that kids usually only read on a Wikipedia page. History blurs to reality, and black and white photos take on new meaning. That’s inspiring.
Find nature in the night sky and towering cliffs
Zion National Park has been certified as an official International Dark Sky Park. Step outside your door to view the evening sky at its best. Once again, this is an example of where the school classroom meets glamping adventure. Talk about the stars and see the sky free of light population and pollution.
Utah boasts more dark sky locations than anywhere else in the world. Southern Utah has 18 parks alone. Take the time and explore the Milky Way and feel the great vastness of the universe before your eyes.
Nature is an arm’s length away because you are vacationing in it rather than near it. Take a stroll by the river; catch a fish in the pond; build a fire, and kick up your feet. The kids can get dirty and explore because you have a private bathroom in your room. This alone is a game-changer for families. Gone are the camping days of baby wipes, buckets of water, or a freezing camp shower. Let’s not even talk about those non-flush toilets!
Not only are you staying in a one-of-a-kind sleeping quarter, but you are also located in a geographic playland complete with rock formations, erosion examples, and towering mountains. The area is dotted with amazing rock shops with experts on every type of formation. Kids and rocks–that’s always a perfect combination: gather them; climb them; study them; collect them.
Did you know that the area surrounding Zion National Park was once covered with exploding volcanoes? Volcanic remnants and rocks remain throughout the area even today. By just driving through the area, families can better understand sedimentation, lithification, uplift, and erosion. You can rarely witness such geologic features in one location.
Take advantage of the distance between Zion & Bryce Canyon
We all know that location is an important part of vacation planning. Finding luxury resorts near Zion and Bryce can be challenging. Although these national parks are two of the most famous destinations in the world, southern Utah is still relatively remote, especially near protected land.
Zion National Park is just minutes away, and families can explore the area for hours. Hike the Narrows in the morning and catch an evening hike to the Grotto or Emerald Pools. Because Zion and Bryce Canyon are not far apart, it is possible to hike the morning in Zion and drive the scenic route to Bryce Canyon for an evening hike and sunset.
Bryce Canyon National Park is only 1.5 hours from Zion National Park, making travel between the two parks a breeze. Not only is the distance short, but the scenery is amazing. Kids will love the chance to search for local wildlife, including deer, bighorn sheep, turkeys, and buffalo. Take your time between the two parks, and stop for short hikes and photo opportunities along the way.
Bryce consists of several hikes and beautiful overlooks throughout the park. Very different in geography and elevation than Zion, take advantage of this convenient distance and do not visit one park without seeing the other. You will not regret the time spent or the drive. Be aware that Bryce Canyon sits at an elevation of 9,000 feet, so the winter months will bring snow and cold weather. To many, this is the best time of the year to visit. The formations and canyons are beautiful with a dusting of snow.
If you do not know the definition of a hoodoo before you visit Bryce Canyon, you will after. Hoodoos are unique rock formations, and this national park boasts more hoodoos than anywhere in the world. The extreme overlooks and vistas are unlike anything you have seen before. Utah’s landscapes are diverse and ever-changing. In one day, you can drive through hoodoos, red and white towering mountains, pine tree forests, and volcanic lava fields. You can experience sunshine and snowstorms in a matter of minutes.
Begin new family vacation traditions with family glamping
Vacations are unique to each family experience. For some families, vacations bring memories of long stretches of highway and motel shenanigans. For others, they consist of theme parks and big cities. But for most everyone, vacations are a reason to spend time with family and friends creating life-long memories.
In recent years, the travel industry has shifted and expanded in new ways. Quarantines and lockdowns have made us look at how we vacation and forced us to think outside the box. What is the result of this pivot? America’s national parks filled to capacity as families returned to their roots and realized the beauty within our own country. The shift in tourism has changed the way that we spend time as families and also as a country.
The concept of glamping fits into this new vacation scenario. Families are embracing life and better understanding the importance of time spent together. They are also embracing nature and spending more time outdoors due to safety concerns. As much of the world has shut down, the camping and outdoor industries have increased in business. In many cases, we have reconnected with family, but we have also reconnected with nature and longed for the ability to travel once again.
Glamping meets all of these needs and more. When your kids are asked in school about their favorite vacation memory, give them an adventure worthy to report. Children grow quickly, and time slips through our fingers; don’t waste a moment. Zion glamping adventures are ideal for young children and teens alike.
Take a new look at vacation traditions. Glamping has impacted travelers across the globe. What used to be an adventure in the family station wagon and drive-up motels has evolved into an opportunity to travel throughout the world and become one with nature, all while maintaining luxurious and unique accommodations. Zion glamping may begin a new way to vacation for your family. Grab your kids, and give it a try. You may look at camping in a whole new light.
Try something new. Create new family memories where your children can explore and learn within nature…and where parents can actually relax in a luxurious environment under the stars. Reconnect. Rejuvenate. Relax. Your kids will thank you for stepping outside the hotel box into an authentic Western adventure.
Book your family glamping adventure with Zion White Bison Resort today!