Didn’t get enough of fall color this year? There’s still time in Utah’s Zion National Park, where fall comes late and Zion Lodge in Southern Utah’s Zion National Park is offering discounts on its rooms, cabins and suites at the same time.
From now through Nov. 30 the lodge will offer its “Fall into Great Deals” rates at a discount of as much as 24 percent off the regular-season rates.
The “Fall into Great Deals” rates include breakfast for two and lodging for one night. For stays Sunday through Thursday nights, rates begin at $134 per night for motel rooms, $144 for Western cabins and $154 for suites. Rates are slightly higher on Fridays and Saturdays. The rates do not include taxes and are not available Nov. 22 to 24.
The “Fall into Great Deals” rates can be booked online at www.zionlodge.com using the promotional code FALL or by calling (303) 29-PARKS (303-297-2757) or toll-free at (888) 29-PARKS (888-297-2757).
Fall color changes in Zion National Park typically begin in late October and can be enjoyed throughout the month of November.
Temperatures in the park are usually in the mid-60s during the day and drop to the high-30s in the evening. Cooler temperatures are conducive to many of the park’s activities such as world-class hiking and climbing, backpacking, bicycling, birding and canyoneering.
Centrally located in Zion Canyon is Zion Lodge offering 82 rooms and 40 cabins plus a restaurant and gift shop open year round. Built in 1924 by the Union Pacific Railroad, Zion Lodge was designed by famed architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. A fire in 1966 destroyed the original lodge. It was rebuilt in 100 days, and a 1990 remodel restored its original look.
The cabins were built in 1927 and are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Renovations were performed in 2010 to restore their original look and feel but with modern materials as well as plumbing and electrical components and systems.
While colors in the park are changing, the lodge’s operations are green. Earlier this year Zion Lodge became the first hotel in a national park — and one of just three properties overall — to receive the Green Seal Lodging Standard prestigious Gold certification for Hotels and Lodging Properties. The Green Seal certification means that a third party — Green Seal — has verified that the lodge’s environmental programs have been effectively implemented.
The standards have been created to help stimulate improvements in waste minimization, energy conservation and management, management of fresh water resources, waste water management, pollution prevention and encourage organizational commitment to programs like environmentally sensitive purchasing.
Among Zion Lodge’s environmental practices are using renewable wind power for 100 percent of the lodge’s electricity, purchasing only EPA Energy Star-approved computers and other equipment, installing three photovoltaic solar arrays, purchase of a 200-gallon solar thermal system serving an on-site commercial laundry and saving on glass waste by serving beer on tap and eliminating bottles.
— Submitted by Mona Mesereau
