The Nonsense of W&J

USING OUR AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PASS

Maybe we were naive when we first started traveling four years ago in our RV, but we didn’t know about the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass until we read up on RVing.  Now, we buy a pass every year because we love visiting National Parks while we travel.  However, the America Beautiful Pass has more to offer than just National Park entrance.  We have used it to enter National Monuments, including the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Natural Area in Oregon and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine, Florida.  We have also used our pass to hike in National Forests without paying day fees.  Because we are not yet old enough, we must purchase a new interagency pass for $80 every year.  However, when Jessica turns 62, we will buy a lifetime senior pass for $80.  This year alone (2024) we have visited eight National Parks to date.  We spent several days each in Zion, Yellowstone, Arches, and Canyonlands.  Without the America the Beautiful Pass, this would have cost us a lot of money.  However, the $80 pass covered all of our entry fees for these National Parks.  If we were pulling our RV, the pass would have also covered our recreational fee in the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway where we primitive camped for three days and saw lots of moose!

WHERE YOU CAN USE THE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PASS

We have only used our America the Beautiful Interagency Pass at National Parks, National Forests, National Monuments, and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse Natural Area.  However, there are so many places you can use this pass.  Some National Forests discount camping for half price with the pass.   You can also use it in Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Corp of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife, etc..  You can find links to more information with the Interagency Pass at https://store.usgs.gov/2024-annual-pass.  Also, don’t be afraid to ask if you can receive a discount, for example, on camping on federal land with the pass.  It never hurts to ask!

PURCHASING THE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PASS

You do not need to be an American citizen to purchase and use the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass.  We met a gentleman from Switzerland traveling through the U.S. and Mexico.  He used his pass to enter National Parks and to save on a cabin rental in a National Park.  Purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass is easy.  You can buy one at any regulated entrance to a National Park.  When you pull up to pay, simply ask to purchase the Interagency Pass.  It is a fantastic purchase if you will be traveling the U.S. and visiting National Parks.  You can learn more about the America the Beautiful and other National Park entrance passes at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm#america-the-beautiful-passes.

DON’T FORGET ANNUAL STATE PARK PASSES

Also, if you will be traveling in a state and visiting several state parks, you might want to check out an annual state park pass for nonresidents.  It is a wonderful way to see cool places in states and it is a lot cheaper than paying the entrance fees every time.  We purchased annual state park passes for Washington, Oregon, Michigan, and Wisconsin because we knew we would be checking out a lot of these state parks.  These passes have also saved us a lot of money when traveling.

So, be safe and have fun while traveling.  And, if you are going to any of our gorgeous National Parks, visiting National Monuments, or hiking fees areas in our National Forests, check out the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass.

Hiking the Narrows

Wow!  This is Jessica’s favorite hike to date.  If you ever wanted to hike a river in a canyon with gorgeous scenery and canyon walls, this is a must do hike!  You can hike the Narrows in a day hike from the bottom up, like we did, or rent a private shuttle and hike from the top down, about 16 miles.  For our bottom up day hike, we left a little after 6 a.m. from the visitors center and rode the shuttle to the last stop at the Temple of Sinawava.  We then hiked the Riverside Walk for a mile before entering the Narrows.  The shuttle system in Zion is amazing.  There is a shuttle every 5 minutes and the first shuttle in the park is 6 a.m. – early enough to get to any trailhead and have some great hikes!

The water temperature was a chilling 40 degrees Farenheit.  We started before 7 a.m. and hiked past Floating Rock until we reached a point where it was over Windell’s chest.  We would have to swim to go any further.  Before reaching Floating Rock, we took a right at the fork and hiked a ways down the Orderville Canyon by ourselves.  This was a beautiful side hike with a lot less current and we really enjoyed it.

We hiked over ten miles and it took us about six hours to complete.  It was amazing and we would recommend this hike to anyone.  The current, rapids and crisscrossing the river, in addition to the canyon colors and features made this hike just amazing.  If this is a must do hike for you also, do it!

Virgin River Water Flow

We hiked the Narrows when the flow rate of the river was about 84 cubic feet per second.  The faster the flow rate, the more physical the hike.  When we first arrived at Zion in the second week of May, the flow rate was 124 cubic feet per second.  As we always do, we first hit the Visitor’s Center and talked to a Ranger.  She said hiking the Narrows in the 60-70 cubic feet per second was optimal. She suggested that we should wait till the end of our stay to hike it.  So, we waited until the end of May to plan our hike and rent our equipment from Zion Guru.

We are so glad we waited!  The Virgin River dropped down to approximately 84 cubic feet per second.  Even at this flow rate, the current was pretty strong in some areas. Jessica fell in three times hiking back with the current.  One time she fell and couldn’t get back up.  If Windell hadn’t grabbed her backpack, she had already decided to just ride the current down until the river was more shallow.  But, Windell grabbed her and after several trials of running in the air, she finally was able to stand back up again.

If you are interested in this hike, and would like to know the best time to plan your trip, the USGS updates the current Virgin River water flow rate at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/09405500/#parameterCode=00060&period=P7D&showMedian=false.  You will want to make sure the cubic feet per second is selected under the graph for a comparison on the physical exertion to hike the current.

Renting Equipment

For the Narrows hike, we rented bibs, boots, walking sticks and one dry backpack from Zion Guru .  They are a great resource for renting the equipment and for any questions or concerns.  They also guide many adventures, including canyoneering.  We were the most dressed of the Narrows hikers.  Although we rented the bibs, most of the hikers did not wear them.  They wore rented shoes and many had sticks, but we also hiked with people wearing only sandals or boots and carrying hiking poles.  Although we might have looked a little overdressed, we were glad we rented the bibs!  The river and air temperature was chilly when we started hiking early in the morning.  If we had started the hike later in the day, when the temperature was in the high 80s and low 90s, the bibs might have been too hot.

Enjoy this hike, be comfortable, and do only what you want.  You will not regret it!  Check out the Zion Guru webpage for more information.