Zion National Park

We got to Zion not knowing much about the park, and not really sure what to expect.  We entered the park from the east along Zion-Mt Carmel Highway and drove through spectacular rock formations.  The park is characterized by its towering red sandstone cliffs, crackled mesas, and slot canyons. Almost everywhere you look in Zion, there are unique patterns in the rocks and cliffs that surround you.

Matt explores the Checkerboard Mesa

Mountain goats along Zion-Mt Carmel Highway

Some of the sweeping rock formations on the eastern side of the park

Eroding sandstone 

Wildflowers

 

Sunset along Zion-Mt Carmel highway, from the base of Checkerboard Mesa

We camped for three nights in Watchman campground, which was nicely shaded by a forest of Cottonwood trees along the Virgin River.  They blew their cottony fluff everywhere, though. Little did we know that this would only be the first of many encounters with these little fluffy seeds.

Cottonwood fluff

For the most part, we hiked in Zion canyon, a 15-mile long canyon that cuts through the southern end of the park and contains most of the popular trails like the Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, and the Narrows.  We also drove up to the Kolob Canyons area, which was much less crowded and has some nice views of cliffs and canyons.

Waterfalls over the hiking trail up to the Emerald Pools

Lower Emerald Pools

Sunset along the Virgin River

Red cliffs at Zion

Kolob Canyons overlook

One thing we noticed about Zion was the hoards of tourists and hikers, much more than any other park we've visited so far.  We arrived right around peak season, so it was to be expected.  Many people flocked to the park's most famous attraction -- the Narrows.  This hike involves wading and/or swimming up the Virgin River to see the tall, narrow canyon walls.  If we had another day or two in the park, we would have done this hike, too, but since you need to get special gear from local outfitters, we decided to save it for our next visit.  

Zion is probably the first park that we left feeling like we still hadn't fully explored.  We need to come back again for the bigger hikes like the Subway, the Narrows, and Angel’s landing.

All the pictures can be viewed here: flickr