Can you Hike The Narrows in Chacos? Zion National Park, St. George KOA and Other Life Tidbits

We may have some changes coming our way (more on that soon), but for now we are spending a little less time on the blog and RoadTalk videos and more time soaking in all of the road life that we can. I had all these huge plans to share new videos from our time in Zion and the Grand Canyon (basically the same thing I said last week lol), but those will have to wait for another time! Instead here's a little peek at life lately: including our time in Zion and hiking The Narrows in Chacos. Yes, it can be done!

Instead I figured I would share just a little peek at what life has looked like lately; so here's a little 5 on Friday fun! 

One || Grand Canyon

We got SUPER lucky with this one! When we were on the eastern side of the US we were having no issues finding spots to park. Even if one campground happened to be booked (which wasn't often), there would be another not far away that had availability. NOT the case with the western half of the US of A! To stay even near the Grand Canyon (on the outskirts) meant still being a good bit away from the canyon itself. We really wanted to stay in the heart of the park! We had a window of three days that were open on the website and within the amount of time it took us to verify that those days worked for our schedule (and check to see if we would be able to get a cell signal strong enough the teach from) they were gone. We tried calling; no luck. We waited a day and, miracles-of-miracles, we were able to secure two days at one price and then a third day (in a row), that had to be booked separately at a different price. It was a lot of work to get us there, but boy did it pan out?! The Grand Canyon truly is GRAND!! We had been out west for a while once we planned this and were thinking, "will it really be that much more grand then the canyons and cliffs we have been seeing?!" IT WAS!! 

Related Post: Tips for Booking Grand Canyon RV Sites Last Minute

Two || Zion National  Park 

From the Grand Canyon our next big stop was Zion! We reaaalllly wanted to hike The Narrows! We took a little time off in between, as my knee has been giving me issues and went out on me while hiking at the Grand Canyon, and tried to plan our stop to Zion midweek. We knew it could get crowded on the weekends, but we figured the week wouldn't be too bad considering it was still considered off-season... WRONG! We got to the park, which had a sign saying full, though they must not have had tie to change it out as they still let us drive in, and literally had to stalk a couple in their 70s to snag their spot. While searching for a spot we noticed the 1,000 person line waiting to board the shuttles (the only mode of transportation in the park, as you can't take your own vehicle very far in). We almost turned around, and while I am very glad we didn't, we definitely have a love hate relationship with the park. I despise talking shuttles, because of my tendency to get car sick, plus I just prefer to go at my pace without being reliant on a shuttle schedule. The park is stunning though and hiking The Narrows was completely worth it- even with what seemed like everybody and their mom. I can't even imagine what the park is like during peak season; no, thank you! If you are planning a trip to Zion go off-season during the week! {You can see more of our hike through The Narrows in this youTube video}

Three || Can you Wear Chacos to Hike the Narrows? 

Y'all, this question was bugging the heck out of me! Everything I researched recommended renting special shoes from any of the gear shops near the park. Even when I literally typed "Can you hike the Narrows in Chacos?" into Google it basically told me, "well, no ones stopping you, but it's not recommended." I texted a friend who had done it and even she had recommended the gear. But, being my stubborn self, I was determined to wear my Chacos! I had paid all that money to have them for any and ALL water hikes. So gosh darn it, I was doing it! And ya know what?! IT CAN BE DONE! YOU CAN HIKE THE NARROWS IN CHACOS!! My feet felt secure, I wasn't slipping over rocks any more than anyone else, and I loved the feeling of the cool water on my feet. {**If you are truly hiking off season, when it's cold outside, then yes, opt for the rental gear; otherwise, Chacos are just fine.} Even Babe hiked in some water sandals we snagged for $18 bucks at Walmart. He did say they were as strong soled as he would like, but they held up fine. Even having spent money on new shoes for him they were still less than the $25 cost of rental shoes (per person) from the shops by the park. So, if like me you want to hike The Narrows in your Chacos, you just go right ahead and do it! "Just live your life, yeah, yeah, yeah" 

Four || St. George KOA 

We actually drove into Zion from St. George, which we used as a home base for a few days. We loved this park! St. George/ Hurricane KOA is located right near a beautiful lake, has a lovely pool, and a view of Red Cliffs! With both a putting green and a pool table there were also tons of activities to enjoy without even leaving the campground. There is an old historic homesite that sits on the edge of the property, so that was fun to go take a peek at, while Babe went over to hike in Red Cliffs (sadly, my knee gave out again while hiking The Narrows and I am now taking a VERY LONG break from any hikes over a mile). It may not be a Road Talk, but this is one video I did manage to get finished, so if you would like to see more of St. George KOA you can watch the video below! 

FIVE || IDAHO

Last, but not least, our current location... we just crossed state lines into Idaho!! Y'all?! Have you ever had a state just completely surprise the heck out of you?! I am LOVING Idaho!! What we had planned as a quick stop-through is quickly becoming one of my favorite states! 

We are currently in Twin Falls, Idaho and it is simply stunning. So lush and green! And, they should really call it something like "land of a million waterfalls", because there are tons. And not like, "hike 20 miles to see this awesome waterfall" waterfalls, but literally on a pull off from the highway, cascading down into a valley where a river rushes past a gorgeous golf course and base jumpers dive from bridges. Idaho, I am loving you! I wish we had planned to stay here longer. 

And that's about it for now! 

Off to enjoy just a little more of Idaho before we head to Cali/Oregon/Washington... 

Been to any of those states?! Tips?! 

We are trying to create a bucket list and get as much as possible checked off within a month! 

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