Camping near Zion is a great way to get up close and personal with the incredible landscapes of the national park. From your glamping tent at Zion Wildflower Resort, you’ll enjoy stunning views of the desert. Listen for wildlife at night, and peak out your tent flaps at an amazing display of stars every evening.
The untouched natural beauty of Zion is one of the things that draws more than five million annual visitors to the park. Unfortunately, all of those visitors can have a big impact on the park.
It’s up to each individual visitor to do their part to protect the national park during their visit in order to preserve it for future generations. If you’re planning a glamorous camping adventure in Zion, keep reading. We’re breaking down what every visitor can do to protect the park during their visit.
Always Pack Out Everything You Pack In
If you plan on enjoying some of Zion’s incredible hiking trails or simply want to do some sightseeing, one of the most important things that you can do is to pack out any trash that you pack in. This includes not just plastic and paper garbage, but food scraps as well.
Tossing out a single apple core after enjoying a trail snack might not seem like a big deal. But this introduces an unnatural food source to wildlife. And with thousands of visitors making their way into the park every day, those food scraps and other garbage can pile up quickly, tainting the natural beauty of the park.
Whether you’re visiting a national park, state park, or your local park, properly disposing of your garbage is one of the first rules of enjoying the outdoors.
Toss Trash in the Correct Place
Packing your trash off the trails is only the first step. After packing out what you pack in, the next step is to properly dispose of your garbage.
It’s important to understand what items can be recycled and what can’t, so you can ensure that you’re recycling as much as possible. While recycling might not have an immediate impact on protecting Zion National Park, doing so is essential to protecting our natural world in the long term.
One important part of recycling is actually understanding what can and can’t be recycled. Most people know that you can recycle things like plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, and aluminum cans. But did you know that you can’t recycle plastic shopping bags, plastic wrap, styrofoam, or soiled paper products such as food wrappers?
Cut Back on Emissions
Even if you plan to spend most of your time hiking in Zion, it is still possible to further cut down on emissions during your visit. Thanks to the Zion Canyon Shuttle, you can explore the park and access its most popular trails and overlooks without driving your vehicle around the park.
But you can also take this tip one step further by staying in Springdale at a hotel on the Springdale Shuttle Loop. That way you could leave your car at your hotel throughout your stay, and utilize the two shuttle systems to quickly and easily get around. Plus, you’ll never have to worry about finding parking!
Flanigan’s Resort is conveniently located on the Springdale Shuttle Loop, making it easy to roll out of bed, hop on the shuttle, and get to the park without ever getting in your car.
Don’t Feed the Locals
It’s common to spot wildlife like rock squirrels and mule deer while camping near Zion. Unfortunately, both species, as well as some of the others that you might see in the park, have become used to human contact. This means that they may sometimes wander close to high traffic areas, or even for animals to approach tourists.
If this happens, it’s very important to never approach, feed, or harass the wildlife that you encounter, no matter how friendly they may seem.
Not all wildlife feedings are intentional. Leaving food scraps or garbage behind attracts all kinds of wildlife. They may eat the food or trash, which can make them ill, or harm themselves on the packaging. In the same way as reaching out to feed a rock squirrel a bit of food builds dependence, leaving trash for animals to scavenge causes them to lose their ability to find for themselves.
Stay on the Trails
Another essential way to protect Zion’s delicate ecosystem is by staying on marked trails. Wandering even a few feet from a hiking trail can damage plant life and disturb animal life.
When trails are crowded, it can be tempting to stray. But instead of potentially damaging the delicate ecosystems of the park, head to some of these overlooked trails to get away from the crowds.
Protecting the Park While Camping Near Zion
Whether you’re camping near Zion or staying in one of our luxurious Bungalows, doing your part to protect the park is a must. From packing out your trash to staying on designated trails, these tips are essential during your Zion Wildflower Resort stay.
Ready to get back to nature with a glamorous camping adventure? Now is a great time to book our luxury camp in Zion. Check out our glamping tents today to start planning your next stay.
