Day 13 – May 27 – Zion National Park, Utah

After checking out of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, we headed to Zion in Utah. I was with Yves and Josh’s car, who would be joining us for the trek.

What I really appreciate about road tripping across America is that different places offer completely different scenery, weather, and people, it constantly feels like a new world.
Utah is one hour ahead of Las Vegas, and as soon as we crossed the border, the scenery changed dramatically, it felt like we had been transported to Mars.

The landscape is all Navajo Sandstone — ancient sand dunes compressed into towering walls of rock over 180 million years ago. The iron in the rock gives it that striking red, orange, and cream coloring that makes the whole canyon look like it’s glowing. It is so breathtakingly beautiful that photos and videos simply do not do it justice. This is one of those places you truly need to see in person to understand.

When we arrived at Zion National Park, entry was covered by our America the Beautiful Pass. Thankfully, parking was easy to find this time and we didn’t have to wait long. As usual, the park was outstanding — clean toilets, souvenir shops, and plenty of rest stops throughout.

We waited for Lewdan and the rest of the group to arrive while taking in the scenery. The plan was to take a shuttle bus to explore different trails around Zion. This is what makes National Parks in the US so special — they are so vast that you can bike, hike, walk, drive (where permitted), or take a sightseeing bus. Having Yves and Josh with us was a huge help, since they had been here before and recommended a different approach to our itinerary.

We first went to Weeping Rock Trail. I absolutely loved this trail — the jagged, clay-like rock formations surround you on all sides, and you can see a stream winding through with stunning mountains as a backdrop. We asked my mom and aunties to sit this one out so they could rest while we hiked. When we reached the end of the trail, we took so many photos — they all looked like desktop screensavers. What a sight! This park is easily one of my favorites in the US.

After the awesome trek with family, it was time to get on the road. We said goodbye to Yves and Josh.

On our way to Arizona, we stopped at the Zion Scenic Drive viewpoint and took it all in. Standing there, the scale of it hits you differently. These weren’t just pretty cliffs — they were 180-million-year-old fossilized sand dunes, stained deep red and orange by iron oxide, rising thousands of feet above us. It genuinely felt like standing on another planet. This was, by far, one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

When we reached Arizona, the timezone shifted — Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, so in summer it aligns with Pacific Time, meaning it felt like we gained an hour back. The sunset was noticeably later; it was still bright outside at around 8:30 PM.

We first stopped at a Rodeway Inn & Suites, thinking it was our booked accommodation, only to discover we had rebooked to a different hotel — one much closer to Lower Antelope Canyon, where we were headed the next day.

The receptionist we spoke with over the phone was Native American, and it was a reminder that we were now in Navajo Nation territory — one of the largest Native American reservations in the US, spanning parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. The Navajo people, or Diné as they call themselves, have called this land home for centuries. It was a humbling reminder that this stunning landscape has a deep and rich history long before it became a tourist destination.

On our way to our new hotel, we stopped at a Pilot gas station – one of my favorites because they have larger convenience stores than most.

Knights Inn, Page, Arizona.                            USD 104 / PHP 6,243 – for 3 people

We checked in at around 9:20 PM local time, hungry and exhausted. Most restaurants and stores were already closed. The room was spacious with two double beds, we were conveniently on the ground floor, the bathroom was decent, and overall it was a perfectly good stay for one night.

Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant

Just a 5-minute walk from the hotel, we found a Mexican restaurant and honestly, I was thrilled. We had been eating fast food most of the trip, so this was a welcome change. The place was spacious and colorful, filled with Mexican memorabilia, well-lit, and had a lively, authentic vibe. The staff were friendly, there was even someone celebrating their birthday while we were there. Since we were a party of 7, an automatic 20% gratuity was added to our bill. They still accommodated us even though it was nearly closing time, which we were very grateful for.

I ordered the carne asada for USD 25.99 / PHP 1,577 — a skirt steak cooked medium rare to perfection, served with pico de gallo, guacamole, and jalapeño, along with a choice of flour or corn tortillas. The meat was incredibly tender and the portion was generous. It was a great meal overall.

I loved the food — though it seemed like I might have been the only one who really enjoyed it, haha.

We headed to bed soon after because tomorrow was the big one: Lower Antelope Canyon!