Zion
National Park
Some
history according to Utah’s National Parks covers how Zion’s massive stone
formations were created. Millions of
years ago the area was actually the floor to a shallow sea, a broad tidal flat,
the delta of a great river and a network of streams and lakes. When volcanoes erupted they left ash on the
area which created the bright colors.
The over 180 million years ago a great sand storm covered the area
which provided the raw material
for the Navaho Sandstone which created the over 2,000 feet high cliffs found in
Zion. The flooding of the Virgin River,
carrying sand, pebbles and boulders carved the canyons we see today. This is
just a very short history of the creation of the combination of beautiful
natural canyons, pools, waterfalls, the Virgin River and the colossally
magnificent cliffs!
The
Park is well developed including Visitor Centers, a Museum, lodging and dining,
along with several visitor services.
Again, due to the number of visitors this Park hosts every year the Park
Service has prohibited individuals from driving through the park. Instead they provide free shuttle service
which allows you transportation to 9 different stops, allowing you to choose
what you want to do or which scenic view you wish to see. The park offers hiking, walking, bicycling,
Horseback riding, bird watching, guided hikes, visual programs and evening
programs to name a few. Of course the
photo opportunities were boundless!
Since
we only planned one day in the park we chose three targets to see out of the
many choices offered. First we chose the
Riverside Walk known as Temple of Sinawava.
This particular hike took us along the Virgin River upstream to the
‘Narrows’ as you can see in the photos above. As we made our way into the canyon
we had 2,000 foot high canyon walls on both sides of us. Talk about feeling really small!!! The Virgin River was a bit high and the
current was extreme. So when we arrived
at the Narrows we could not go any further and we were not able to walk into
the river which is one of the fun things to do on this hike. The last picture above shows the river running through 'the Narrows'.
Our
second choice was the Weeping Rock Trail.
This hike took us to a grotto carved in rock, filled with natural
hanging gardens which are misted daily by the water that drizzles over the edge
of the overhanging rock. This hike again
took us through the forest along the river.
We saw a lot of squirrels and a deer.
But the wildlife in the park stay deep within the park, rarely seen where
old folks like us hike as we don’t backpack into the depths!!! Enjoy the Weeping Rocks below.
Our third choice was the Lower Emerald Pool. This hike was supposed to take us to a pool that was to be Emerald in color … unfortunately it wasn’t Emerald at all; rather it was an icky brown. There was a water fall … however it was pretty small – more like the sprinkling that we saw at Weeping Rock. I’m sure if Zion had a recent rain the falls would have been a bit more aggressive. Anyway, the hike was beautiful through the woods and we enjoyed it a lot.
More
to come soon 😊
Jan 🌷🐾🐾
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