Zion National Park
Zion-Mt Carmel Highway
The Zion-Mt Carmel Highway links the east section of the park to the southern entrance and Canyon Junction. The landscapes are drastically different. The eastern, or Mt Carmel, section is more up on the plateau. It's a slightly more 'lunar' landscape, whiter sand, flatter terrain and more desert-like. The main feature on this side of the park is Checkerboard Mesa, a large hill with a checkerboard pattern etched in to its skin. The highway passes through a narrow 2-mile tunnel, built in the 1930's. At the time of its construction this was the longest tunnel in the US. Oversize vehicles need to pay a fee and have an escort so that they can take up the entire width of the tunnel. Oncoming traffic is forced to stop to let these vehicles through safely. The tunnel truly is magnificent, and an experience to drive through. You literally enter at one side of the mountain and exit on the other. After emerging from the western side of the tunnel, a series of switchbacks take you down the canyon to Canyon Junction, near where the action of Zion Canyon occurs. Along the way is Zion Arch, a natural arch that is etched in to the rock face.
Pa'Rus Trail
A nice gentle trail, paved and accessible to bikes, Pa'Rus Trail sits nestled alongside the Virgin River in Zion NP. It meanders its way along the valley floor, crossing the river several times. It provides stunning views of the peaks that surround the entrance to the park including Watchman and the Patriarchs, whilst also passing several small water rapids in the river which provide a pleasant musical backdrop to a lovely walk (as long as you are walking in the sunshine and not the pouring rain!).
Watchman Trail
The Watchman, a peak, sits behind the Visitor Centre in Zion Canyon, and is named so because it looks down over and 'protects' the valley. The trail provided a great vista down to the Visitor Centre and the valley below. The Watchman is far from a smooth rock face; several 'strings' of rock build up together to create this monolith.
Emerald Pools
A short stroll to the Lower Emerald Pool is rewarded by a small (in summer) waterfall that drops over a ledge from above in to a small (in summer) pool at the bottom. Named the Emerald Pools because of the green of the algae that grows in the pools, the Lower Emerald Pool is fed from above. After a short uphill hike the Middle Emerald Pool appears. A smaller waterfall, more a cascade than a fall, flows in to a slightly larger pool than the one below it. From here, the water flows over the ledge to the Lower Emerald Pool. Feeding the Middle Emerald Pool and thus the Lower Emerald Pool, and after a slightly longer and more strenuous walk, the Upper Emerald Pool lacked a significant flow of water to its upper edge. On the flip side, the pool was significantly larger than those below it, and the water cascaded in a small creek down to the Middle Emerald Pool. The upper pool was more representative of its name, although there was only a small amount of algae. The water in the pool was clear and provided a nice and peaceful setting of morning tea!
Riverside Walk & The Narrows
Arriving on the shuttle bus (mandatory to get up and down Zion Canyon in busy times) at the Temple of Sinawava, the large rock monoliths enclose on this small open space. This area is the beginning of one of the more famous parts of the park, The Narrows. The pleasant stroll along the Riverside Walk, which parallels the Virgin River (further upstream than Pa'Rus Trail), leads to the beginning of The Narrows. The Narrows is classified as a strenuous trail. Entering this area with any risk of a flash flood is asking for trouble. An entire section of the park newspaper, provided to visitors upon entry, is designated to information about this infamous trail. The Narrows is a trail where the Virgin River has carved a spectacular gorge in the upper reaches of the Zion Canyon. The gorge is 16 miles long and up to 2000 feet deep. It gets as narrow as 20 feet wide in places. The catch with The Narrows trail is that there isn't really a trail. Instead, the Virgin River is the trail. You simply follow the river up in to the gorge. This means spending most of your time wading, walking and in places swimming in the river upstream through the gorge. Indeed outfitters in the neighbouring town of Springdale rent out gear specifically for this trail. The gear includes a wooden stick to assist with wading, dry-suit pants and matching dry-boots. To some, this sounds like a real adventure, a fun experience. To me, as the paper explains, it sounds like a swift current, cold and deep water, and contending with slippery rocks. I would rather stay warm and dry and on land than swimming in a river. Somewhat conveniently for me, the day that I had intended to potentially traverse a short section of this trail was the day of rain, and with a possible flash flood risk advised to visitors by rangers, I sensibly decided against attempting any part of the trail.
Hidden Canyon
High up and around many corners, followed by several sections of chain and a few areas of rock ledge walking lay Hidden Canyon. Once again a sensible name as you can't see the canyon from below. Unfortunately it was wet when I embarked on this trail, meaning that I wasn't able to fully explore the canyon after the trip up. I wasn't prepared to take the risk given the flash flood risks associated with rain in this area. A good decision in the end, although the rain stopped originally, about 60-90 minutes after my descent the rain really came down hard. I could have been in trouble had I been up in the canyon. Despite the threatening weather, I was still able to venture a small way in to the canyon to discover vivid orange cliff walls and soft sand that had been eroded from the sandstone walls over a long period of time. It was fun whilst it lasted!
Weeping Rock
Yet another example of water finding the path of least resistance, the rock face here weeps. The water seeps through the rock and drops to the ground below, slowly eroding the rock below it with its constant dripping action. The rock also plays host to hanging gardens of grasses that thrive on the damp conditions.
The Patriarchs
Arguably my favourite place in Zion, and a place I visited and remember from last time I visited in December of 2013, The Patriarchs are 3 tall rock figures that stand across the road and river from the overlook. They are commanding figures, standing next to each other, reflecting the sun in their iron rich rock. Decide for yourself, but I find them mesmerising.
Angels Landing
Alongside The Narrows, Zion National Park is known for the Angels Landing. Statistics plastered on information boards about this trail highlight that 6 people have died in the process of attempting to reach, or return from, Angels Landing since 2004. That's only 1 every 2 years, but still a sobering statistic. The hike is rightfully categorised as strenuous. The description in the paper reads, " Long drop-offs, not for young children or anyone fearful of heights. Last section is a route along a steep, narrow ridge to the summit." It sounds like a delightful hike and definitely something that I should conquer. I set out early, luckily I later found out, and the description was right. The trail climbs a total of 453 metres in the 4.4km uphill route. Included in this distance and height are 21 switchbacks, about 10-15 metres in length. Affectionately known as Walters Wiggles, they were created and later named after Mr Walter who decided that everyone should have the opportunity to see the beauty from above. Just when you think you are at the top, the trail becomes rocky and there are chains in place to assist you in your journey to the end. The path continues up and up, the fixed chains continue and the rocky path gets steeper and narrower. In the back of your mind is the thought that just one wrong foot placement, one slip, and it could be all over red rover! Luckily it wasn't my time, so I made it to the end. Was it worth it? Absolutely! The view was absolutely amazing. The photos don't really do it justice but they come close-ish. From the end point you could see amazing 360-degree views of the valley below you and the rock monoliths that still climb above you. The shuttle buses look tiny, cars even smaller, and the Virgin River looks narrow as it meanders its way down the valley below you. The white rock faces of higher peaks contrast with the red of the lower rock. The sun was out and there was a light breeze, making staying at the top for a while pleasant. It was joy, exhilaration, and a bit of relief, to have made it to the top. Mission accomplished (even thought I was only halfway done with the downhill still to go)! After many photos, and just sitting taking it in, it was time to head back down. I was dreading the downward journey; I'm much more an uphill slog kind of hiker. Pleasantly surprised, the way down, especially the steep and narrow rocky section was fairly pain free. Of most difficulty was dodging the hoards of people traffic that were on their way up. I was so glad that I started early (just before 9am) because by 11.30am it was bedlam on the way up. Steep sections meant that the use of the chain was necessary and you would have to be traffic control, waiting at a flat spot for people to pass on the way up, or others waiting for you to descend at a flat spot. Some people didn't get it and would continue on when you were halfway down. Standing your ground and making them leave the safety of the chain was the best policy and hopefully they learnt their lesson further up the climb. Towards the bottom it was easier to just avoid using the chain and work your way down the slope around the people clinging on for dear life. It drew some gasps but was safer than trying to work around the people. If I had more days here, I would for sure take on this climb again, it was absolutely amazing and a great finish to what was a memorable time not only in Zion National Park, but the state of Utah.