Modern Cali Mom | Motherhood + Lifestyle Digital Content Creator Lifestyle Road Trip San Diego to Zion.

Road Trip San Diego to Zion.

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020| DrisanaDrisana| 54 Comments | 6:02 am
Categories:

Go where the Wifi is weak

With Covid we had to cancel our annual family vacation earlier this year and that broke my 4 year old’s heart. We look forward to this trip every year. I knew we had to find a way to make it up to her. Being outdoors is our favorite thing to do, so when I looked at our bucket list and saw Zion on there I went to work on research. I quickly learned that it was only an 8 hour drive from San Diego. I then started putting my pitch together so I could convince my hubby to jump on board an 8 hour road trip with with two toddlers. He knows how prepared I am, so he went for it right away. He too had Zion on his bucket list so it wasn’t that difficult convening him! I knew that this family road trip from San Diego to Zion was going to be one for the books and my daughter would love it.

There’s no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this.

We had done a road trip in the past, so I felt really prepared to travel with the kids from San Diego to Zion with no problem. I think planning well with snacks and activities while setting expectations VERY low will really help you on the trip. We did research on things to do and places to stay and our goal was to make it to Zion the same day with minimal stopping. I knew I had 4 days to spare that included driving and seeing all that Zion has to offer.

  • Happy trip vibes!
  • Mr. Bear is Joining us in Zion!

Go where you feel most alive.

Our first stop was to the Seven Magic Mountains. This desert art features seven painted boulder totems that are up to 35 feet tall and also painted with very vibrant colors. Such a cool art piece that is definitely worth the drive. This was our first stop and it took us 4.5 hours from San Diego to arrive here. Our plan was to eat lunch and then let the wiggles out at Seven Magic Mountains and get back into the car and make it to Zion Ponderosa by that afternoon. We took the opportunity to eat lunch in Jean which was 8 minutes from the Seven Magic Mountains. Planning on where to eat and gas stops are important ahead of time, so please take note. We got gas, ate lunch , explored the magic mountains and hit the road to Zion.

Here is the video I did of us exploring the Seven Magic Mountains Video .

Never stop exploring.

When doing research on where to stay in Zion we heard wonderful reviews about Zion Ponderosa. This resort is a 4,000 acre ranch style resort on the border of Zion National Park. They have tons of activities on the resort itself and there are deer and turkeys all over. This is perfect for my kids since they love animals!

Activities to do at Zion Ponderosa

  • Bungee Trampoline
  • Canyoneering
  • Guided Hiking
  • Jeep Tours
  • Horseback riding (pony rides for kids under 8)
  • Stargazing
  • Range shooting
  • Pool (with water slides, huge plus for the kidddos!)
  • Farm (goat, horses and turkey)
  • Minatare Golf
  • Kid’s Camp
  • Paddle Boarding
  • Yoga
  • Ziplining
  • Zion Hiking Shuttles (SO important especially right now with COVID. Zion shuttle tickets are required and if don’t get one of the limited ones, having shuttles from this resort will be key!)
  • And more
  • The Jeep Tours were spectacular!
  • Sunset Jeep Tour views are amazing!
  • My little babe had such a fun time riding the pony!
  • Paddle boarding mommy + me date.
  • Took this snap after our Radio Tower Jeep Tour (those views though!)

We dedicated the first couple of days to exploring the ranch because there is so much to do! I definitely recommend at least 4 days on the ranch in order to get to have enough time to do plenty of activities and actually take in the beautiful that the resort has to offer.

I definitely recommend the jeep tours at Zion Ponderosa through East Zion Adventures . They have some amazing tours that get you some amazing views you that wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. The tour guides are so educated in Zion information and so lively! Here is a fun video of our jeep tours: East Zion Adventures Jeep Tours Video .

The last day we saved it for Zion National Park Adventures. The drive up to Zion gives you chill because it’s honestly SO beautiful. Your jaw will be in awe of just how amazing this place is. Alongside your drive through the national park you see beauty all around you. We parked on the side of the road multiple times, but one of my favorites was when we came across the Checkerboard Mesa viewpoint. My daughter says she believes that this is exactly how Mars, the planet, would look like. Take a look here :Checkboard Mesa- Zion National Park Video . We are not avid hikers, so we stuck to the two easy to moderate hikes which are The Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald pools and The Grotto Hikes. Zion is pure magic everyone. Definitely should be added to everyone’s bucket list. I definitely recommend those two hikes if you have little or unexperienced hikers. The thing I love about this place is that you don’t have to hike miles and miles to get beautiful views. You can easily capture great views just standing on the street level of the parking lot. lease also note due to COVID you must have a shuttle park in order to reach the main hiking trails. Please see Zion National Park Shuttle + Ticket Info for more information on hiking trails. Lucky for us Zion Ponderosa had a shuttle that we purchased tickets from. There is so many beautiful spots for the young kiddos to explore. I highly recommend traveling here to get into nature and explore the beauty of Zion.

  • This view though!
  • My hiking crew!
  • “Not all who wander are lost”

Thank you Zion Ponderosa for a wonderful stay. We had such a wonderful time exploring everything that Zion has to offer. We can’t wait to be back soon! Xo, Dris

Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.

Please follow and like us:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

54 thoughts on “Road Trip San Diego to Zion.”

  1. zion was one of my favorite family vacations to go to. It makes me miss traveling remembering my trip and all the beauty out that way.

  2. Thanks for sharing how spectacular this place is! I will be adding it to our bucket list for sure.

  4. This looked like so much fun! I love how much there is to do there and even for the kids.

  5. There is no doubt that the fabulous reputation of Zion National Park is so well deserved. Such amazing and beautiful nature to explore, I can definitely see why you and your husband agreed on this for a trip. Looks like your daughter had a wonderful time and the list of things that can be done at Zion Ponderosa is truly impressive. Hope to be able to check this out one day as well.

    1. Yes, I hope you do one day as well. It’s breathtaking in real life. It gave me chills driving through the National Park.

  9. I love this! Our family took a couple of big road trips when I was a child and I still remember those trips fondly today. I’m sure that your toddlers will hold onto the memories of this trip in the same way. I’ve never been to Zion before but it is on my bucket list. All of the pictures that I’ve seen look incredible!

  11. My mom loves Zion! I haven’t been there yet, but I would love to visit. I can’t wait to have some much needed vacation time next year.

  12. “There’s no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this.“ wow I love what you said here..there’s really so much beauty out there, so much places to see and appreciate! Zion really is one of the best places for family vacations. I would also love to try the zipline and stargazing.

  13. I love road trips, specially in the summer. This looks like a beautiful and great place to visit and relax !

  14. I’ve never been here before, but it looks absolutely beautiful and so much fun! You look like you had an amazing trip with your family, your photos are great!!!

  15. I have heard about Zion National park but never been there. IT looks so nice and entertaining and it seems that you have had so much fun. I would like to go there one day.

  16. I’m glad you were still able to take a vacation with your family. It looks like a lot of fun, and some great outdoor activities!

  17. I have seen so many people go to Zion national park and take so many nice pictures. But I never knew that the park had this much to offer! You guys look like you are having so much fun! Glad you didn’t let COVID cancel your family adventures! Zion seems like a great place to visit, I will for sure put it on my list! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thanks! Didn’t run into too many people so it worked out perfect and everyone was respectful with their masks and social distancing 🙂

  18. Do those colorful stacked rocks have a name? They look so cool!!! I love seeing your happy family. What beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing

  19. I guess we all had to cancel something this year 🙁 but you are lucky to have such an amazing place nearby. Nevertheless, I hope you’ll be able to travel where you really want to go asap – and me, too 😉

  20. This would be a perfect road trip for us. Looks like so much fun and gets your body moving

  21. This looks like an absolutely incredible road trip. All the photos you took are fabulous! I would be super interested in the farm, ziplining and stargazing.

  22. Your toddlers seem to have had such a great a time. Such beautiful nature to explore and your photos are so beautiful. Glad you found a destination where your toddlers had a super awesome time. Hope you get to go to your annual family vacation destination soon.

  23. awesome…..annual road trip with my family are normal occasion for us….coz of pandemic we need to cacel it..i hope that goverment restrictions would ease up before the end of the year.so we can cope up with our plans before year end

  24. Your kid’s smile are so adorable! Kids are amazing in the sense that it doesn’t really take much to make them happy, even though they didn’t get the vacation they wanted they seemed to very much enjoy this trip.

  26. Glad you had a wonderful vacation! Your travel photos are very inspiring, and now I am adding San Diego to my travel map 🙂

  27. Taking kids to national parks is so rewarding, I’m sure they will cherish those memories for years to come.

Comments are closed.

Related Post

error

Want to see more Modern Cali Mom content, join my community!