Zion Road Trip - Meals, Activities, and our Airbnb

I took a wonderful road trip to hike The Narrows in Zion National Park. We stayed in Virgin, Utah in an adorable Airbnb with a beautiful kitchen and backyard perfect for preparing and enjoying hardy breakfasts and filling dinners for days of adventuring. I feature the hike, Airbnb, and meals in my video. See below for other activity photos, meal descriptions, and recipes I used. I'm terrible at writing recipes because I cook, mix, and make it up as I go along until the dish tastes good, but I did add some breakfast recipes and provided more details on our dinners. Enjoy the video and photos and I hope it will give you some inspiration for your next road trip. 

Meal Schedule 

Day 1 - Drive From Vegas to Virgin
​Breakfast: Eggs and Toast at Our House
​Dinner: Chicken Fajitas with Black Beans and  Sautéed Bell Peppers

Day 2 - Zion
​Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash with Scrambled Eggs and Fruit Plate
​Dinner: Vegeterian Jambalaya with side of Chicken Sausage and Spam

Day 3 - Check Out
​Breakfast: Ground Chicken, Bell Pepper, Cheese Frittata with Side of Sautéed Squash, Fruit, Pastries, and Leftovers 
​Dinner: In 'n Out when We Got Back to Vegas

Breakfasts

For breakfast I pulled from my repertoire of meal ideas (frittata) and tried a new recipe (sweet potato hash). All of it was a hit and throughly enjoyed. See recipes below. 

Frittata Ingredients
12 Dozen Eggs
Seasoned and Cooked Ground Chicken
Shredded Cheese(s) of Choice (I used a Mexican blend)
1/2 bunch of Cilantro, chopped
1 Stalk of Green Onions, chopped
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, unami powder

Frittata Method 
1) Scramble eggs and incorporate all the ingredients
2) Bake in the 400° oven for 15-20 minutes
3) Slice and serve!

Sweet Potato Hash Ingredients
3 Sweet Potatoes Peeled and Shredded (With Food Processor or Grater)
1 Bell Pepper, diced
1 Lime, Juice
1 Can of Chickpeas
1/4 Bunch of Cilantro, chopped
1 Stalk of Green Onions, Chopped
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, unami powder

Sweet Potato Hash Method 
1) Sauté bell peppers in a large pan until softened, about 5 minutes
2) Add sweet potatoes, sauté for 5 minutes
3) Add all other ingredients and incorporate
4) Transfer to baking sheet and bake in 400° oven for 15-20 minutes
5) Finish under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until crispy on top
​6) Serve

Dinners

Dinner was a bit trickier due to various dietary restrictions. I left meats on the side so I can make the main portion of the meal vegeterian. Chicken or beans could be used as the protein on the fajitas and the jambalaya was vegeterian with chicken sausage and spam on the side. I added leftover eggs and beans to our jambalaya to up the protein for vegetarians and utilize leftovers. I know it's not apart of traditional jambalaya, but I hate wasting food and it added some great flavor. 

Activities

Hiking The Narrows

Selfie at Zion

The main part of the trip was hiking the beautiful and infamous Narrows at Zion National Park. For most of the hike your feet will be submerged in water as you hike up river. I'm very thankful I had my Chacos on because they seemed to be some of the best water shoes you could wear on this hike. Be careful not to stub your toes or scratch your ankles though. We hiked about 1.5 hours then turned around.
We went on a Saturday and it was very, very crowded. I would recommend going during the week to avoid the crowds. Also don't forget to reserve your shuttle passes in advance! You must use the shuttle to access all the great hikes in the park. You can reserve shuttle tickets here at Recreation.gov and get more information on the shuttle Here.

Gunlock State Park

Got the last available picnic table to enjoy lunch at Gunlock

Chilling in the water at Gunlock

On our way to Virgin, Utah from Las Vegas we stopped at Gunlock State Park to enjoy and the cool water. We got lucky and scored a picnic table under a shade structure. There are few picnic tables, so I recommend bringing your own chairs and tables in case there are none available when you visit. 

Click HERE for more information on Gunlock State Park and to purchase your day pass. Day passes are $15. 

Virgin Trading Post / Fort Zion

Wagon at Fort Zion

Make sure to stop at this souvenir shop / cartoon like ghost town to feed the animals, take some cute photos, and ​purchase souvenirs. 

Little Jamaica Waterfall 

Sitting on the pool ledge at Little Jamaica

On our way back to Las Vegas we stopped at Little Jamaica, a waterfall with a manmade pool. It's about a mile semi-steep hike down from the dirt parking lot. Once you're down there though you'll be able to quickly jump into the Virgin River to cool off. Make sure to use this address, 717 Farm Rd, Littlefield, AZ 86432, to get you to the parking lot. If you use what Google Map provides you it'll take you to a deadhead road of farms. 

Airbnb

Kitchen looking into living room

We booked this adorable, spacious Airbnb in Virgin, Utah. The photos on the listing do not do this place justice. It was spacious enough for 6 people, had a large yard with gorgeous views, and a great kitchen space to whip up meals. 

Click HERE for more information on this Airbnb.

Frontyard View

Backyard View