Zion’s ‘world famous bumbleberry pie’ started, of course, with a doting Utah grandma

Each year, millions of tourists drive through the small town of Springdale, Utah, on their way into Zion National Park. There’s only one road, so they all pass a big sign that beckons them to the “Home of the Famous Bumbleberry Pie.”

Inside Bumbleberry Gift Shop and Bakery, a steady stream of tourists walk up to get a taste of local flavor. It was Georgian Lacy Musser’s first visit to southwest Utah and it felt like her Zion itinerary wouldn’t be complete without this impossibly purple nectar of the gods.

“It seems like a thing to do here, like part of the experience,” she said.

Calum and Amanda Nelson from California picked two pieces of pie a la mode. The ingredients of the gooey, delectable filling are top secret. But after scooping up his first bite, Calum takes a guess.

“It's like blackcurrant and blackberry and something else,” he said. “The mystery ingredient.”