Free Spirit Cabin | Walk to East Zion Trails

FreeSpirit cabin is located on the East Rim of Zion National Park, nestled among Ponderosa, Juniper and Pinion Pine trees, Manzanita evergreen, Scrub oak and sage. Our minimum stay is 2 nights but the most common comment we have received is that people wish they had more time to enjoy the hikes available from the cabin. FreeSpirit cabin provides a "roughing it easy" lifestyle with the opportunity to unplug and enjoy a peaceful getaway. It is a 2-mile drive from the Ponderosa Ranch and Resort down a well-maintained dirt road. Cell phone service is spotty at the cabin. AT&T and T- Mobile seem to work the best. Wi-Fi is now available at the cabin via StarLink. Verizon cell service does not work well at the cabin. The best bet for Verizon is to setup Wi-Fi calling with the cabin StarLink Wi-Fi service. Free Wi-Fi is also available at the Ponderosa Ranch resort, 2 miles back on the dirt road. There are great hikes available right from the cabin. FreeSpirit cabin is a great location to enjoy Zion but is also a great central location to checkout Bryce Canyon National Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There are amazing hiking opportunities right from the cabin. You are welcome to relax outside or hang out in the cabin after a nice long hike. Inside the cabin the kitchen consists of an electric range, oven, microwave, electric drip coffee maker, French press, refrigerator, and toaster. The living area provides an opportunity to sit back and snuggle up with a good book or watch a DVD. The Smart TV is connected to the Wi-Fi so you are welcome to use you own streaming services or the free services available on the Smart TV. Free Spirit cabin is an older cabin, built in 1930 but provides the amenities to enjoy your “Zion Time”.
Water is precious in the high-desert. The cabin has a limited water supply with a water tank that is filled from a well so we conserve where we can. One tip on the shower in the cabin, is that it has a small 5-gallon water heater, so hot water time is limited. The shower head does have a shutoff valve to allow you to turn off the water, soap up and then turn it back on without changing the temperature. The cabin water supply is safe to use but since it is held in our water tank, we suggest bringing bottled water for your main drinking source. Water from the tap is safe and usable for cooking, showering and everything else.
Enjoy world-class hiking adventures along the East Rim trail system of Zion National Park. The cabin is walking distance to the Zion National Park East Rim trail network. Take a hike outside the door of the cabin to Cable Mountain, Deer Trap or East Rim. The East Mesa trail head for Observation Point is just a couple of miles away on the dirt road. FreeSpirit Cabin property is part of the 4,000 acre Zion Ponderosa Ranch resort loaded with amenities. You can enjoy a secluded, rustic, and relaxing stay at FreeSpirit and also take some time to go 2 miles down the dirt road to enjoy activities available at Zion Ponderosa Resort. The resort offers horseback riding, tennis, pool, miniature golf, rock climbing wall for the kids, mountain bike rentals and more.
Birds of prey, mule deer, fox, coyotes, wild turkeys, cottontail and jack rabbits are a common sight. Wildflowers are also throughout the area. Desert Longhorn are native residents of Zion National Park. Enter Zion National Park from the East entrance and enjoy the scenic drive. Enjoy the visitors center and take the free shuttle through Zion canyon to the Narrows. Take a dip in the river on a hot summer day. Experience the world-class rock-climbing opportunities. The options are endless! Zion National Park will have you wishing you had more time to explore this beautiful area. After enjoying an amazing hike in Zion National Park, you can spend some time on the property to relax in the hammock or spend some time on the rustic deck.
Cabin History: The cabin was built in 1931 at the Parry Lodge in Kanab Utah when the Parry brothers were selling Southern Utah to Hollywood for western movies. While at the Parry Lodge the cabin was nicknamed the John Wayne cabin because of his frequent stays there. In the 1970’s cabin # 1 (John Wayne Cabin) along with a few others were moved from the Parry Lodge to make room for their new two-story building. The cabin was moved to Angle Canyon (aka Kanab Canyon). While located at Angel Canyon, the cabin was used as one of the dressing rooms during the filming of Clint Eastwood’s movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales. The land and cabins in Angel/Kanab canyon were later purchased by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. After acquiring the additional land in Angel Canyon, Best Friends decided to build new cabins on site to offer new lodging for visitors. In 2003, the owner of the Zion Ponderosa Ranch, was offered to purchase the cabins if he would be able to move them to a new location. Intrigued with the history of the cabins, especially cabin #1—the “John Wayne” cabin, the resort owner hired a polygamist group from Colorado City, AZ to move the cabin. If all went well the plan was to purchase the additional cabins and move them to lots located at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch area. The first cabin was moved to lot D30 in the Little Ponderosa. This is where the cabin took on its new name of FreeSpirit Cabin. The successful movement of the cabin prompted the owner of Zion Ponderosa Ranch to go back to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and purchase the additional cabins. This is when he found out that, immediately after moving the first cabin, the group from Colorado City had purchased the remaining cabins with plans to move them to Colorado City. Cabin #1 was the only cabin that made it to Zion’s east rim.