ZION NATIONAL PARK

April – May, 2019

We have been on the road for almost a year – it doesn’t seem possible – and we have been blessed to see so many beautiful and amazing, unusual and incredible places all across America.  Hands down the BEST we’ve seen so far is Zion National Park.  Seriously, put a trip to this geologic wonder on your bucket list.  There is no other place on earth like it. We have spent countless hours in conversation trying to figure out how to adequately describe Zion to people who have never experienced its beauty.

We first visited Zion NP a couple of days after we first arrived in Kanab, went back with Graham and Leigh when they were staying in the Park for a get-away weekend they had planned for several months; again when friends from Bath, PA were in the area for a few days while on vacation, and then a 4th time because we wanted to hike to Angel’s Landing and maybe see nesting condors.  And, of course when given the choice of driving through or taking a route circumventing the drive through the Park, we just had to enjoy our favorite sights one more time.

We visited when the day began warm and sunny, and we had our day shortened when a driving rain fell.  We hiked about with Mother Nature’s full blessing and cooperation, and we carried forth while a light rain kept us company.  The weather did not dampen our love for being in the Park nor lessen our amazement at the majesty and beauty of Zion NP.  The colors stay vibrant and tend to change with the weather, but even at its worst, it is a hauntingly beautiful landscape.

We found out that waterfalls and graceful run-offs were an unadvertised benefit of rain in the Park!

 

Every one of our adventures into Zion NP was as exciting as the first.  We were transfixed by the magnificence of the majestic monoliths reaching to the heavens, and we understood why the native Paiute people referred to the land as “straight up earth.”

Zion’s multicolored polychromatic pastel hues of orange, green, red, pink, purple and blue have no equivalent to any rock formations we have previously encountered.  The sandstone hillsides we saw in the Valley of Fire State Park just north of Las Vegas were spectacular, but the enormity of the dynamic and powerful projections in Zion are breathtaking.

You can enter Zion National Park from either the east or south.  The east entrance is definitely the more spectacular, dropping over 1000 feet into the canyon, driving down the steep roadway, around several severe switchbacks, and through the 1.1 mile Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel to reach the floor of the canyon.  All along the trip there are pullouts and parking areas thoughtfully placed for photos and hiking opportunities.  From the south you enter the Park through the town of Springdale; a boutique community of motels/hotels and RV parks, small shops and restaurants all in place to host visitors to Zion NP.

The majesty and beauty of Zion NP begins once you pass the entrance from the east or when you enter the city of Springdale from the south – no fooling!

Prior to going through the tunnel (or just after if you come from the south entrance)  there’s a wonderful one-mile round-trip hike up to the Canyon Overlook, and just east of the trailhead there’s a parking lot.  On one of our planned trips to the Canyon Overlook we were joined by Desert Big Horned Sheep who came down the slope for their breakfast.  Check it off of the bucket list!!

The Canyon Overlook Trail is actually very challenging, and the heights can be dizzying as there are portions of the trail that are very narrow with severe drop offs.  The kid in Brian couldn’t resist seeing if the canyon would echo, and he made a few friends “hooting” back and forth as we hiked the path.  The trail winds up, down, around and sideways to the summit, but it is SO worth the effort!  We made the journey every time we were in the Park, and we were spellbound each and every time.

Even with a hint of bad weather, the view from the top of Canyon Overlook is pretty special.

The drive through the tunnel can be a little claustrophobic at 25 mph; there is no stopping and it is very, very dark.  However, once we were back in the sunlight, the adventure was just beginning.  We “oohed” and “aahed” our way into the canyon and to the Visitor’s Center parking lot.

Despite the fact that we reached the Park by 8am, the lot was nearly full. The Rangers at the Visitor’s Center were very helpful and provided suggestions and a guide to some of the best features of the Park.

There are 15 primary hiking trails in Zion NP.  3 trails were closed due to rock slides, and/or impassable trail conditions were a result of the amount of rain that had fallen this Spring, and 1 trail was reserved for horses.  The most famous trail in Zion NP is The Narrows – a 9.4 mile round trip, most of which is spent wading in the Virgin River.  The Narrows was closed to visitors as the water run-off had increased the flow of the river in The Narrows to over 40,000 cubic feet per second.  We were told that’s the equivalent of 40,000 basketballs hitting you dead-on every second – each basketball’s volume about 1 cubic foot.  Talk about being swept away!  While we were in the Park we did hear a couple of “booms” which turned out to be the Park Service using dynamite to break up large rocks embedded in the trails.

Hiking distances vary from 1/2 mile to just about 10 miles round trip.  Distance doesn’t tell the whole story, however.  Add a change in elevation, and there’s a great difference between a 5-mile hike with a 50-foot elevation change (easy – most people regardless of age can complete the hike, and the trail may be paved making it accessible as well) and one with a 1,488-foot elevation change (rated strenuous; iconic world renowned trail).  And yes, we did hike 4.3 miles up the West Rim Trail, and managed the 1,488-foot elevation change to reach Scout’s Landing.  Scout’s Landing is the trailhead for the Angels Landing Trail, a 1.1 mile round-trip trek that requires the use of an anchored chain “rope” as well as the necessary arm and shoulder strength to complete the hike – the slope is just too steep to not use the chain rope or not have the needed strength.  But rain the day before and an intermittent light drizzle the day of our hike made the sandstone too slippery and hazardous for us old folks.  We had taken this trail for the challenge, and we also hoped to see nesting condors rumored to be at the top flying in the thermals.  Great hike with ever-changing weather; unfortunately no condors.

To access all of the hiking areas within the Park a free, hop on/hop off shuttle takes visitors to each of 9 stops.

There are multiple places to camp, or visitors can stay at the beautiful Lodge or small cabins that provide all the comforts of home. We were entertained on the shuttles by a host of narrators describing the history of the Park and the geology and formation of Zion.  We also heard from Ben, a Paiute native whose voice was so familiar, we assumed it was the same Park Ranger who was our guide when we had visited Pipe Spring National Monument on the Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation.

Despite the thousands of people from all over the world who come to the Park every day, we never felt the crush of crowds or had to wait too long to use the facilities.  We were overjoyed to discover that Zion NP is truly one of the happiest places on earth…it is a magical place.  Visitors and employees alike smile and have kind words for each other; on hikes and while hanging out on the front porch of the Lodge, we observed the renewed closeness and joy of families and friends, missed during the frenetic pace of daily life and electronic entertainment.  We engaged in and heard conversations connecting people to people, and genuinely developed a feeling of internal peace.  Didn’t matter what the weather conditions were – this is what we saw and experienced.

Guests are also told repeatedly that personal safety is their responsibility.  Footing can be challenging at times as the sand from the rocks is everywhere, and when it rains it can be quite slick underfoot. Overlooks, near drop offs and cliff edges bring heightened awareness on some of the more moderate/strenuous hikes. We took our time and stopped when we needed to catch a breath.  We were also warned to be aware of the threat of thunderstorms and lightning and a range of varying weather conditions including flash floods. We have learned to dress in layers and to carry our rain ponchos as temperatures in the park can chamge so dramatically.  Preparation and common sense are key.

Rain did not discourage people from hiking or just sitting on the porch of the Lodge in a rocking chair. The Virgin River, which runs through the Park, was swollen, rapid and muddy.  In front of the Lodge there is a large grassy area where groups of tourists and families congregate for lunch or just hang out and get some sun.  The Spring flowers were just starting to bloom and the newly budding leaves on the trees looked lime green.

 

Zion NP is such a peaceful place in the world, and it’s easy to understand how the ancestral Paiutes came to embrace this place as sacred ground.

Jim and Roma, our friends from Bath, PA were on vacation in Utah, and after a whirlwind tour of Arches, Moab, Canyonlands National Park and Bryce, they travelled to Kanab in order to visit Zion NP.  We just happened to be in the neighborhood!  As we had discovered, they also found that Zion was their favorite National Park.  Roma commented that she hadn’t felt so relaxed in a long time, and she speculated that it was the clean air and all the extra oxygen from all of the trees! Can’t say for sure that’s why everyone seems so carefree and at peace in Zion, but she may be on to something.

Driving through the Park one last time brought Barbara to tears.  She guessed that the Park re-awakened her deep-rooted connection to the Colorado mountains of her youth and young adulthood (or at least until this flatlander entered her life!)

It was difficult for both of us to see Zion National Park for the last time…this trip.  We will be back.

Barbara and Brian