There – you’ve made the best decision of your Utah adventure.

Our stay at Sunset Canyon Ranch was the highlight of an amazing week visiting Zion/Bryce. I’m not going to gush over all the details, because everything about our wonderful hosts and their fabulous cottage was tremendous.

It’s really more of a house, though. With a full kitchen (including exotic spices and a flour sifter), laundry in near-silent machines and a big screen TV to create inch envy amongst the macho. The master bedroom is huge (with a king bed in luxury linens) and the living room allows even the tallest to stretch out fully after a day on the trails. Equally important the patio seats eight, because you really won’t want to spend too much time inside: the setting is special.

The Ranch is down in a canyon, right beside the river. It is an oasis of lush growth, horse pastures and fruit trees – surrounded by scrub desert in all directions. Just sitting outside we saw humming birds, insect-hunting bats and a gorgeous red fox. We couldn’t have felt more privileged, more lucky to be there.

Location is ideal – say 30 mins from the Park’s Main entrance (I don’t think people staying in Sprindale at LaQuinta can get there any faster riding the shuttle bus.) Quite honestly, your time at The Cottage will have you reconsidering entering Zion through the main gates – which can seem more akin to a day at DisneyLand than a day in nature. So right out the driveway (instead of left) you are in the Park in 2 minutes – not the main valley, but you’re not on a paved hiking path either. Stop and climb Lamb’s Knoll or, wow – go 20 minutes up the road and it is breathtaking. Should you return around sunset, well, get out the tissues. As Vickie said “The views are enough to make you cry.” It is spiritual and, yes, I did tear up.

We cooked-in every night, sometimes on the BBQ. Wore fleece to eat breakfast outdoors in the cool dawn light (even though the Park got up to 95’ by afternoon) and packed lunches for the trail. The Cottage allowed us so much freedom, afforded us so much pleasure that we’re talking of going back just to stay there.

Finally, if you are fortunate enough to get a few minutes with Hank – ask him about true success in life and the water in Lake Geneva. His age may be politely unmentionable, but over a life filled with curiosity and humor he has accumulated more wisdom and great tales than most of us will ever gather.

And – oh, yeah. Book The Cottage Now.