Liberty Vacation Rentals
Home
About
Listings
Film Crews
Gallery
Contact

Tag: water

  • Tubing the Virgin River

    Tubing the Virgin River

    Toobing Down the virgin river

    Exploring Zion National Park

    Get rewired at Zion National Park. Bounce, spin, tumble, slide, trek, swing, flow, lounge, stretch, hike, walk, cruise… Zion will definitely rewire the mental stasis of “it’s just a big rock formation.”  My mother often tells me when my anxiety starts to increase, “Hang up the phone and go for a run.” Although she will never say, go jump off a rock or climb, especially one at an incline of some 70 degrees and 1500 feet above the already 5,000 feet above sea level. But… She will always tell me to have fun. So far our visits to Zion have been super fun! Many have consisted of hiking The Narrows. Once I made it to the infamous Wall Street… Three attempts up Angel’s Landing, lastly reaching the summit… Exploring the park in the snow (when hardly no one is there)… A slow and steady hike to Observation Point… A misty day under the Weeping Rocks … The day after a rock fell onto the Upper Emerald Pool path blocking the trail… Back-flips off the rocks into the secret waterfalls on a hidden trail… Ultimately one of our favorites… Tubing down the Virgin River.  

    Outfitting Zion Visitors in Springdale

    We moved here to the southern Utah area in 2016. I found an outfitter group, called Zion Outfitters, that rented inner tubes from their location in Springdale UT. You start the 2 mile float-trip at their location, and their truck picks up the used inner tubes at a park, below.  A shuttle stop is close by the exit location on the river.  The Zion Outfitter pickup for the inner tubes stops around 18:00 while the ZNP and Springdale shuttles stop around 21:00 (times vary with seasons). Each year I called to see if they were allowing tubing from their location. Each year, I was turned down due to low water flow. After a long wait and massive snowfall in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, THIS WAS OUR YEAR!!! 

    Water Flow and Water Fall

    Two visits in one week, it has to be good. With so much grand landscape and epic views of Zion, flowing with the snow-melt in the tributary of the Colorado River just seemed to be something we had to explore. After all… Utah is the state where “life [is] elevated.” We had to get a piece of the action fast. Unfortunately we only had one week to go with the flow. So we did… twice. Once it drops to 60 cubic feet per second, Zion Outfitters stops renting the inner-tubes.

    You will spend most of your time getting stuck on the rocks in the river when the flow is slow.  Our second visit the flow was 65. It was nice but I got off the tube and walked around the rocks so I could follow the flow better. I’m not sure how much the water was flowing in the river our first visit was incredible fun. I had a blast getting bounced around the banks like a pinball spinning right and left. Stay alert! Some areas have fallen trees and branches placed just enough in the channel they will definitely carve some grooves in your skin.

    Another super fun aspect is the small “waterfalls.”  On an inner-tube the small “waterfalls” can turn you over onto a rock.  Not cool for lack of helmet head. The helmet is not necessary because you can actually stand up on the riverbed for the most part of the tubing area (guessing one foot to six feet). While having super amounts of fun on the river, it’s sometimes harder to really pay attention to everything going on around you.

    CLICK HERE for YOUTUBE VIDEO

    The view of Zion is so spectacular. I get caught in its elegance of natural wonder so many times I forget to watch for the next set of rapids. Falling into the river is not that bad unless of course, you fall into the rapids and hit your head on one of the rocks or an elbow! On one trip, our friend had her elbows placed on the outside trim of the inner-tube so she hit her elbow hard enough we ended up with a hospital visit.

     

    Jeni

    The first time I wore an UPF50 long sleeve shirt but the second time I did not. I am writing this two weeks after our last adventure and I still have pretty bad rash on my forearms from using my hands in the water to navigate. The first time I kept the lining of the tube inside and it left a bad rash on the back of my legs. The water was very cool, even in June, July, August, and September. I advise wearing a rash guard, if you have one.  

    Never Enough

    Visitors miss out when they are limited to one long day at ZNP. Since we live in the area, we are going at least once twice a month during peak season and a few times during the off peak season. Seriously… The best trip thus far to Zion (even though we still love The Narrows) has been tubing in the Virgin River.  Don’t forget to swing on the rope swing and maybe hang out on the beach.  You are required to wear closed-toe shoes when you rent the tubes. I wore water shoes, my partner and my friend wore regular tennis shoes.

    Bathing suits are fine and welcomed. Here’s the biggest downfall:  the water flow is limited to a certain time of year. This year toobing the Virgin River at Zion Outfitters was active only a few weeks from the end of June until the first of July. Snow on the Rocky Mountains was pretty amazing this year. So it took a while to start melting. Sometimes the water flow is not great enough to rent the tubes. Although, you are welcome to bring your own float or inner-tube and go with the flow. It may just be a leisurely float down a few feet of river run but it’s super refreshing to be in the water and it boasts some miraculous views of Zion National Park that will definitely leave a lasting neurological change to connect you with the way it used to be. Have fun! Get some sun! Stay connected! Stay refreshed!

    CLICK HERE for YOUTUBE VIDEO

  • Swimming by the Glen Canyon Dam

    Swimming by the Glen Canyon Dam

    A free and fun jaunt down to the lake’s “secret” swimming area is fun for any water baby. Turn toward the Hanging Gardens hiking trail, right by the bridge over the dam. This will be the second left after crossing the bridge, if you’re going south, and a quick right turn, before you reach the bridge, if going north. Of course, if you miss it, just turn around at the visitor center. The road will meander down for about a mile, to an unpaved parking lot with a public restroom. Some swimmers also follow a “tops optional” policy in this swimming area.

    [envira-gallery id=”550″]

    After you park, simply walk carefully down the slanted, sandstone canyon walls, until you reach the water. This is a great place to swim from late spring to late fall. If you’re a polar bear, the good news is that the water never freezes over, even in winter. This is because the heat of the sun insulates the canyon walls, transferring heat into the surface of the lake. Many swimmers will find the top three feet of the water much warmer than below.

    WARNINGS: This area of Lake Powell is beautiful, but adds a small amount of danger, as the water is over 400 feet deep, and no lifeguards are on duty. Be on the lookout for occasional debris or broken bottles, and if you have a heart, please pick up any trash that was left behind by less savvy visitors. A new threat is now in the lake as well: quagga mussels. These invasive clam-like growths, can be sharp and growing on the rocks. Just keep an eye out for them when entering and exiting the water. Braver souls may want to swim across the canyon and cliff dive. Watch out for rocks under the surface of the water when jumping in, and beware of jet skis and boats, if you are swimming far away from the beach area.

    CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

  • So Many Hiking Trails – Zion Canyon

    So Many Hiking Trails – Zion Canyon

    One of our absolutely favorite canyons to visit is the magnificent Zion. Its massive and naturally air-conditioned environment with unique terrain is unlike any other. Various forms of wildlife exist inside, including turkeys, deer, moose, chipmunks, mountain goats, and many birds. Occasionally, you may look on the canyon walls, and see professional mountain climbers scaling up and down.

    This canyon is unlike many others in the area, as it features a lodge with hotel rooms, usually upwards of $200 per night, for two people. Because we’re just over a one-hour drive away, JennMarie and I like to go for day trips at Zion on a regular basis, and many of our guests do, as well.

    The Narrows hiking trail is actually a wet and wild experience. You’ll be trekking through the Virgin River, as it flows through Zion. Highly recommended, for healthy and agile explorers.

    When visiting, you may park at nearly any shoulder off the main road, which zig-zags through the canyon, or you might also park at the visitor’s center. Hop aboard the free shuttle to travel to many of the hiking trails. Popular trails include: Angel’s Landing, Emerald Pools, the Narrows, Observation Point, and Weeping Rock. Check out these great photos, here on our blog, as well as the video link of Weeping Rock, below. The sun light coming through the clouds, as drip water seeped in front of us like a veener, led to some beautiful video.

    In early September 2018, Utah experienced a couple days of massive, monsoon rain, which caused flash flooding and rock falls in Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. Such rainfall is rare, but will render some trails unsafe. The park received nearly 3 inches of rain in three hours on a Wednesday night. Now, many of the hiking trails have re-opened.

    [envira-gallery id=”689″]

    REMEMBER: Hike on days when flash flood warnings are not in effect, to keep your risk to a minimum. Keep your balance when going up in elevation. Pack snacks and water. Get food, drinks, and beer at the cafeteria in the lodge. Take your trash with you as you hike in the trails, and don’t feed wildlife.

  • Kayak Into Antelope Canyon

    Kayak Into Antelope Canyon

    On busier days, multitudes of people come to visit Antelope Canyon, and whomever has promoted the walking tours has done an excellent job, as sometimes there are tourists turned away for lack of space. Perhaps, waiting for an hour or two for an opening, and then being squeezed in with a crowd of 25 people isn’t your idea of a great time? And perhaps you have the energy and endurance needed to get a good 2 to 3 hour paddle on a kayak? If so, do we have an idea for you…

    [envira-gallery id=”541″]

    Use your national parks pass to enter into Antelope Marina, just north of the walking tours on road #222, east of Page, Arizona. After you park in the lot, go down the ramp to the docks (and be early). You should be able to find single, double, and perhaps triple kayak rentals. You are able to rent them for a half- or full-day and then go west and south (left on the map, as a bird’s eye view) and then you’re entering the water-filled part of Antelope Canyon.

    After paddling for about an hour, you should be able to park your kayak to the dried area of the canyon (perhaps some mud, at first) and then walk into it for much longer than a walking tour would allow. This area of the canyon is more remote and doesn’t have restroom or drinking water, so pack snacks and stay hydrated. If renting a kayak, be sure to give yourself up to 2 hours to return to the docks.

    Rates are subject to change, but ask us for a brochure when you check in at Liberty Vacation Rentals. We still recommend this travel tip to all our guests, and they all tell us that it’s even better than just doing the walking tour.