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Utah/Arizona

Rafting, Hiking & Horses: Zion National Park With Your Family

Program No. 20966RJ

Get a new perspective on Utah and Arizona’s national parks with your family as you hike, climb and horseback ride, learning the unique story of these beautiful places.

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7 days

6 nights

17 meals

6B 5L 6D

Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation

St. George

Snow Canyon State Park, Birds of Prey Presentation

St. George

Zion National Park

Zion National Park, UT

Ranch Activities & Exploration

Zion National Park, UT

Antelope Slot Canyon & Glen Canyon Dam

Lake Powell, AZ

Colorado River Float Trip

St. George

Program Concludes

St. George

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At a Glance

Rafting down the Colorado River. Hiking through Antelope Canyon and Zion National Park. Horseback riding and much more at Zion Ponderosa Ranch. Join in the ultimate family adventure as you discover the history and science behind the natural wonders of Arizona and Utah! Hike to the sandstone formations of Snow Canyon and Antelope Canyon, and join a falconer for a meeting with some of his closest feathered friends. Enjoy special opportunities to meet members of the local Navajo/Diné community and taste a "Navajo taco." At the Zion Ponderosa Ranch, try your hand at skeet shooting and other great activities — then enjoy s’mores around the campfire!

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Hiking up to 2-3 miles; optional activities include rock climbing, paint ball, skeet shooting, horse back riding. Elevations of 5,500 feet.

Family Programs

Share your love of learning with your family. These programs are designed for any combination of generations: grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and children.

Best of all, you’ll…

Enjoy all kinds of adventures at Zion Ponderosa Ranch, like horseback riding, paintball, jeep tours and much more!
In Zion National Park, hike on the Pa’rus trail, which runs along the Virgin River, and watch for mule deer and wildflowers as you take in the magnificent sandstone cliffs.
Take a flat water float trip down the mighty Colorado River; then explore the swirly and striped beauty of Antelope Canyon—the most photographed slot canyon of the desert Southwest.

General Notes

This is a Family program for participants, their adult children and grandchildren ages 8 and up.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Martin Tyner

At the age of 19, Martin Tyner was hired as curator of birds of prey at Busch Gardens, Calif., and was soon working in the movie industry as a trainer of big cats, elephants, primates, sea mammals and raptors. He is the founder of the Southwest Wildlife Foundation, a non-profit wildlife rescue and environmental education organization. With the help of his Golden Eagle, Bud, they received a donation of 22.6 acres of property for the development of a permanent wildlife rescue facility in Utah.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Martin Tyner View biography

Phil Moore View biography

Phil Moore is currently an adjunct professor of Geology at Dixie State University. He has been involved with the Southern Utah University Geology Field Camp for several years. Phil taught Earth science for public schools in Hurricane, Utah for 28 years, he is also a semi-professional musician along with his wife Lori, who is also a Road Scholar Group Leader.

Heidi Loveland View biography

Heidi Loveland is a native of St. George, Utah. A graduate of Weber State University, she has worked as a wildland firefighter with the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. She loves traveling the world and has visited every continent except Antarctica. She is passionate about the outdoors, and loves yoga and kayaking with her German Shepard.

Jessica Castleton View biography

Jessica Castleton is an experienced geologist with nearly two decades at the Utah Geological Survey, where she specializes in creating hazard maps and leading educational outreach efforts. With a deep passion for exploration, Jessica has journeyed across nearly all seven continents, with an exciting adventure to Antarctica planned for 2026. When she's not mapping geological hazards or globetrotting, she enjoys teaching yoga and spending quality time with her energetic dog, Pepper.

Suggested Reading List (6 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

Search for a Title

Rafting, Hiking & Horses: Zion National Park With Your Family

Program Number: 20966

Geology

by See list below

Geology – a Golden Guide, by Frank H.T. Rhodes, 1991, St. Martin’s Press, N.Y. Geology of Utah’s Parks and Monuments, Sprinkel et. al. Utah Geological Association, 2000. Contains geology papers on 25 parks and monuments of Utah (644 pages). Written for a geologist. Utah‘s Spectacular Geology, Lehi Hintze, 2005 The geologic story of Utah’s landscapes and how they came to be. A Traveler's Guide to the Geology of the Colorado Plateau, Don Baars, 2002. A comprehensive guide to the Colorado Plateau. The Practical Geologist, Dougal Dixon, Raymond Bernor, 1992 This book is a great introductory guide to the basics of geology. Great diagrams, pictures and is well written. Geology Underfoot in Southern Utah, R. Orndorff, R. Wieder, D. Futey, 2006 A hands on book about getting out among the rocks. Explores 33 sites in Southern Utah. Tells of ancient eruptions, deserts, seas, swamps and movements of massive rock units over eons. Beyond the Visible Landscape, W. Kenneth Hamblin, 2004. A unique book that consists of a series of panoramic photographs taken from the air. Focuses on the fundamental features of the landscape. Contains excellent diagrams & descriptions of the geology in the photographs.

Books about Flora

by See list below

Wildflowers of Southwestern Utah, Hayle Buchanan. 1992. Text covers flowers, shrubs and trees in their various life zones from Zion, Bryce and Cedar Breaks. $7.95 Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan. 1998. A field guide to common wildflowers, shrubs and trees. $19.95 Sagebrush Country a Wildflower Sanctuary, Ronald Taylor. 1992. A field guide to common wildflowers, grasses and shrubs of the Great Basin. $14.00 Wildflowers of the Desert Southwest, Meg Quinn. 2000. A field guide to common desert wildflowers. $9.95

Books about History

by See list below

Heart of the Desert Wild, Greer Chesher, 2000. Award winning book about the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM). It covers a variety of topics from geology to history. The photography and design of this book are outstanding and remains the definitive book on the GSENM. A Roadside History of Utah, Cynthia L. Bennett. 1999. Compelling stories of Utah’s exceptional people. Utah’s History, Richard D. Poll. 1989. A more in-depth and statewide focus on history. Hole-in-the-Rock, David E. Miller, 1995. If you want to learn more about one of the epic pioneer journeys in American History this is the book. It is area related and is a good read for those interested in history. Highway 12, Christian Probasco. 2005. Popular with travelers along Highway 12. It features a unique look at the history, people and their perspectives on this very special corridor. Outlaw Tales of Utah, Michael Rutter, 2002. True stores of Utah’s most famous robbers, rustlers and bandits.

Books about Native American / Prehistory

by See list below

Rock Art of Utah, Polly Schaafsma, 2002. Traces of Freemont: Society and Rock Art in Ancient Utah, Steven Simms, 2010. Archeology of the Southwest, Linda Cordell, 2012.

Geology (specific)

by See list below

Ron Kay’s Guide to Zion National Park, Ron Kay, 1995 A complete guide of Zion National Park by one of Road Scholar’s own instructors. Shadows of Time: The Geology of Bryce Canyon National Park, Frank Decourten, 1994 A book with breathtaking photographs, well written on the geology of Bryce Canyon N. P. and surrounding high plateaus. Water, Rock, & Time: The Geologic Story of Zion National Park, Robert Eves, 2005. This book is so nice you may want to leave it on the coffee table. Zion National Park: Towers of Stone; by J.L. Crawford; Zion Natural History Association, Springdale, Utah, Fourth Edition 2002. Carving Grand Canyon, Wayne Ranney. 2005. A synopsis of ideas and theories that geologists have developed over time about the carving of the Grand Canyon. This story is told in an engaging style that non-scientists will find inviting. Canyonlands Country, Donald Baars, 1993. Geology of Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.

Education

by See list below

The Redrock Canyon Explorer, Irene Brady and Geology Rocks, by Cindy Blobaum & Michael Kline. Two books that are a great starting place for grandparents and educators that would like to get a fun and creative educational tool for their grandchildren or students. $19.95 and $12.95 Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv. 2005. An absolute must-read for parents if we are going to save our children from the Nature- Deficit Disorder. $13.95. Sharing Nature with Children, Joseph Cornell. 1989. A parents and teachers nature awareness guidebook. $9.95.

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Rafting, Hiking & Horses: Zion National Park With Your Family

Enroll with Confidence

Protecting the Environment

At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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