Zion Ghost Tours Southern Utah To Ghost Towns

By Karina Frost


Places for vacations can be quite difficult to pick. The beach is overrated and probably foreign travel may not be on your agenda. Zion ghost tours southern Utah in the vicinity of a historic national park however sounds like a plan. Beautiful weather and amazing canyons grace the landscape of Zion National Park.

Silver reef is one of the two known ghost towns in Southern Utah. Silver reef was mining a mining town with silver deposits plentiful there. Despite a fire in 1879 that destroyed most of these buildings the residents rebuilt it. Facing a drop in the price of silver in 1884, the mines were closed and it was and consequently the town was also relocated

Grafton is another town in southern Utah located just at the southern entrance of Zion Park. It offers a glimpse into the life of the ancient settlers of the town. It boasts of historic homes coupled with green pastures and a beautiful view of these banks of Virgin River. The town has been used as a setting of several Hollywood movies.

There are many tales that explain the how the town came into existence. The year was 1859 when the original settlers decided to settle on the southern Virgin River banks. The Mormon pioneers as they are often called put up cotton missions as directed by their Prophet Young. The river was mandatory for their survival but it also brought catastrophes.

It is said that in 1862, there was rain fall that lasted forty consecutive days and the river water became too big and washed the town away. The town had to be moved just about a mile north for remaining residents to survive. Later, they built industries for spinning cotton and silk although the town was abandoned in 1920s.

The 1862 flood coupled with attacks from hostile communities in 1866 led to abandonment of this town eventually. What was left was an old church, a cemetery and a few old houses. The cemetery however is one of brilliant attractions of Grafton as it is a story of sad state of affairs in the 1800s.

A tour to the ghost towns is quite an experience even for the young ones. There is plenty of space to stroll, take pictures and admire the life that was in past few hundred years. Due to the nature of these roads, however, a 4WD drive is advised. It may be tempting to go by yourself but it would be for your own good to have a tour guide. This place is vast and you may not know which route to take.

A guide shows you around, entertains you and gives you more information about the ecology, geology and history of this area. There are several tour guide operators in the area. You may want to choose the best based on their customer reviews in their websites. The tours are limited to a certain number of people per trip so it is prudent to can in first and book in advance.




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