Big Horn Sheep of Nevada & Zion

Our favourite campground of the whole camping experience was at a Valley of Fire in Nevada. The campsites are first come first serve and set out between the red rock formations throughout the park. We were surprised in the evening when the big horn sheep appeared in the valley behind the campground and calmly sauntered through the campsites. We found great hiking trails in the park, hiked through a slot canyon and the girls found lots of rock formations to climb and caves to play in. The big horn sheep were back to visit in the mornings and evenings.

From Nevada we travelled to Zion Canyon in Utah. The rain/snow kept us from completing our target of hiking Angel’s Landing but it didn’t stop us from exploring the River and Emerald Pools hiking trails

The cold temperatures and rain in Zion sent us out on a mission to find warmer temperatures- we headed for Arizona. Deciding to take the “scenic route” we took 89a instead of the main interstate to head into Arizona. The elevation along this route took us by surprise and about an hour into our route we found ourselves over 8,000 feet of elevation and in the middle of one of the worst snowstorms I’ve ever been in- driving a motorhome as strong winds and blowing snow reduced the visibility, it was almost impossible to find a shoulder of the road to pull over. Faced with a decision to try and find a place to turn around, or continue on, we decided to carry on slow and steady and began to descend out of the high elevation about 5 miles down the road. It was such a relief to see the end of the snow, and the trip rewarded us with stunning views of the Vermillion Cliffs and a scenic stop at the Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon. A pair of California Condors put on a show while we took in the amazing views off the foot bridge.We stopped in Tuba City, Utah for the night and waited for sunrise to attempt one more trip through elevation to pass the south rim of the Grand Canyon and come into Flagstaff, Arizona.