If Bryce Canyon was fantastic, Zion was astounding and almost, but not quite, as awe-inspiring as Glacier. We headed out to Zion with eager anticipation of the sights and trails and were not disappointed. Zion is an easy drive from Kanab and, once there, all the driving is done by shuttle-drivers. So that part of the day was relaxing. The crowds were less so. Both Bryce and Zion have been packed with people. Parking spots are hard to find and we paid $20 for a spot today. Many of the visitors were young Europeans in their 20's.
Zion was unlike Bryce in that it is viewed from from the canyon floor. But visitors have to get to the valley first ... and that means a descent down a twisty and turny road. Its a road not unlike the Road to the Sun except the lanes are far wider. The turns provide ever-changing and stunning views throughout the descent. Even a mile long tunnel has an occasional opening to the outside world. Since I was driving, I didn't get many photos of the descent, but the dashcam captured its flavor.
Once on the valley floor, though, I took way too many pictures to post here.
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| Court of the Patriarchs |
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| The Beehives |
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| Virgin River |
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| The Narrows |
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| Angel's Landing |
Yes, there are people on top.
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| Blind Arch |
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| The Organ and the Great White Throne |
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| The Watchman |
We did all or portions of 4 hikes today. The first was a short 0.1 mile Court of the Patriarchs trail to an observation area. The second was the Riverside Trail, a 2 mile round trip to the start of the Narrows. The third was the 1.3 mile Lower Emerald Pool Trail which lost its connection to other trails due to a rockslide. The last was the Zion Canyon Overlook Trail, of which Susan and I only did about 0.1 mile. At mid-day, we lunched at the Zion Canon Lodge.
The Lower Emerald Pool Trail include an area where we walked behind a small waterfall. It was refreshing on a warm day.
As already mentioned, Zion requires the use of a shuttle through the valley. Our shuttle driver pointed out a condor flying overhead. Condors were not even on my dream list of potential sightings so I made sure that I got a good view. It was pretty high but I did manage a photo through a ceiling porthole of a moving bus. It was a huge and beautiful bird.
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| Condor |
The last hike was also on the way out of the park. These hikers caught my attention.
But the excitement wasn't yet over. Marcia yelled that she saw something moving near a ledge on a mountain to our left. It was a flock of 15 bighorn sheep. I whipped the car onto the opposite berm and we sat there for 15 minutes as they crossed the face of the mountain.
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| The ram |
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| Ram and ewe |
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| Group of 10 sheep |
Susan’s quote of the day: “We got the Mac Daddy." The big ram among the bighorn sheep was the subject of her prideful boast.
The highlights - A condor sighting.
The regrets - None.
Today's total miles - 85
Today's miles from start to destination - 0
Today's miles on side trips - 85
Today's miles driven by Paul - 85
Today's miles driven by Susan - 0
Today's hours in car - 2
Total Miles Hiked - 3.3
Cumulative total miles - 5,250
Cumulative miles from start to destination - 3,668
Cumulative miles on side trips - 1,582
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 4,663
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 587
Cumulative hours in car - 105 1/2
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 25.0
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