The park is set up so that use of personal vehicles is minimal The primary canyon is very narrow with 300-400 foot walls of red rock so, to limit traffic, they have set up a great shuttle system. It is free, stops at every interesting spot on the way, and a new one comes every 5-10 minutes- time enough to jump off and take photos before the next one comes, or the option to spend as long as you want at any location.
Dale and I took in the great movie at the museum location, than set out on the shuttle. We opted to go the the end of the line and work back. My nephew (Tim) and his family were meeting us later for lunch. The views were incredible! The red cliffs, with their sheer faces carved by wind and water, hang over you as you drive the canyon. Many of the distinctive features have religious names, given years ago by a minister traveling through the area. The name Zion itself means "heavenly place". We got off at the Temple of Sinawava (an Indian name) to take the Riverwalk trail, which follows the river deep into the canyon where it is too narrow for roads. At the end of the trail, you can walk in the river to an area called the "narrows", where the 2 walls of the canyon come together.
After meeting Tim, Jen, Lexie and Austin, we had a great lunch at the Zion Lodge (yes, the food was good...) we took the trail to the Emerald Pools. There are 3 pools, named for the green algae which grows there, at successively higher elevations. The trail is cut under an overhanging cliff, where water from the upper pools spills over the edge- sometimes as a waterfall, sometimes more like it is raining in that one spot. In this desert park, many non-desert plants and animals take advantage of the moisture. We saw Columbine in bloom, moss and other moisture-loving plants- not to mention the pollywogs in the pools!
We than headed for the "Weeping Wall", a very unusual feature in a desert location. Rain and snow melt soak into the top layers of the sand stone, following gravity until it reaches bedrock, where it travels laterally. It than drips through cracks and fissures in the wall of stone, allowing a "hanging garden" to grow. It takes many years for the water to follow this route- some has been tested and found to be 4000 years old!
We had a great day in this incredible location, made all the better by spending time with my family. Thanks, guys, for being available on short notice!
We planned to head to Bryce Canyon the next day, which gave us an opportunity to see more of Zion. In order to reach Bryce, we had to drive through the southeastern corner of Zion, through a mile long tunnel built in the '30's. The rock on that side is quite different- lighter in color with creams and oranges rather than red. The rock, known as "slick-rock", almost appears to be melting down onto the road- no sharp edges, everything smooth and rounded. The drive back through the park after seeing Bryce was incredible- the view of the valley was one of the most impressive entrances to a park we have seen thus far. We also were treated to a great view of a bighorn sheep, making his way across the rock face. Overall, a very impressive park! Bryce Canyon was very different- more on that in the next blog!
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