Enticements for the eye, a map to my Zion adventures
Getting closer... This scene is along the road leading in to Zion National Park. I arrived early in the morning of April 8th, and spent 2 and a half days happily wandering in the park. My journal contains descriptions of my days:
Red rocks smiling, 4/8/07
Chasing lizards, hiking Angel's Landing & part of the West Rim Trail, 4/9/07
A deer surprise, from Court of the Patriarch's back to the edge of the park, 4/10/07
If you're curious about where I was hiking, take a look at this Zion Canyon map.
And for a couple of related blog entries, see Food, fabulous food, and Zion curiosities.
Ah, Sunday morning, still early, and I'm in the park. I hopped in the shuttle at the visitor center and jumped back out again at the Temple of Sinawava at end of the road. My first wandering point was the Riverside Walk, heading towards The Narrows.
Photos from this walk are at the beginning of the gallery
Walking loops, changing trails.
Amazing flowers kept jumping in front of my camera. I wish I could tell you all of their names; instead I can only point you to a park service web page that lists all of the plants found in the park.
My photos are scattered through all of my Zion photo galleries, but you can find them easily by using the keyword zion+plants.
emerald poolzion national parkutahwildflowershikingzion plants
Emerald Pools... I wonder where the name came from because the pools of water weren't really emerald. I walked in the opposite direction of most people, heading out on the Middle Emerald Pool trail, and returning via the Lower Emerald Pool - which is where I captured this dropping water.
Photos from this trail are in the gallery Walking loops, changing trails starting with this picture.
Canyon Overlook trail started with a drive through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. I was greeted by a dog waiting for his motorcycle-driving owner as I headed out (and up!) this trail. The view at the end was of the valley floor, far off in the distance. More beauty.
Photos from this trail are in the gallery Walking loops, changing trails starting with this picture of a very friendly dog.
My first stop on Monday morning was the Court of the Patriarch's, an observation point just a short walk from the road from which I could stare at these amazing monoliths. Photos are at the beginning of the gallery A last morning's walk, Court of the Patriarch's & south.
Angel's landing - a trail I've learned to love even without experiencing the end! The end of this trail follows a steep narrow ridge; my imagination tells me that there is a very good chance that even if I made it to the end of the trail that I might not have the mind-set to return. So again, I skipped the end of the trail, but continued further along the West Rim Trail. See that narrow spot in the center of the photo? Thats not the end of the trail, and yes, I did hike there!
Photos can be seen in the gallery Up & up... Angels Landing & West Rim Trail.
After traversing the beginning of Angels Landing, climbing in direct sunlight, the trail flattens and edges along Refrigerator Canyon - brrr! And then the trail heads up once more, heading up through Walter's Wiggles (you'll see a photo of that from the top looking down towards the end of my hike).
Photos can be seen in the gallery Up & up... Angels Landing & West Rim Trail.
Before I switched trails and headed out the West Rim Trail, I took another look at the start of the end of Angel's Landing. This steep trail falling off of the edge of a very tilted rock isn't even the section that concerned me; that one is a section that is (supposedly) only 30 inches wide. Hmmm... I think I'll skip it again!
Photos can are in the gallery Up & up... Angels Landing & West Rim Trail.
Indian paintbrush, red flowers cropping out of red rocks, beautiful...
Plant photos from all of my Zion galleries can be pulled together by using the keyword zion+plants
west rim trailwildflowersindian paintbrushzion national parkutahhikingzion plants
As soon as I turned onto the West Rim Trail (from Angels Landing) I started to share space with the lizards and birds instead of people. It seems that most people don't stray from Angels Landing - but that's not a complaint from me. I enjoyed my quiet walk.
Photos of the West Rim Trail start here, still within the gallery Up & up... Angels Landing & West Rim Trail.
A stark environment, following a trail that's not always visibly a trail... There were several spots in this area sporting a sign bearing a drawing of a hiking boot. For those areas where the trail on the ground wasn't obvious, the signs allowed me to stay in focus. Getting lost is not part of my agenda for today.
Photos of the West Rim Trail start here, still within the gallery Up & up... Angels Landing & West Rim Trail.
Lizards scurried across the rocks, jumping from one hidden spot to another, scurrying, running... It took me a while to realize that they were very willing to pose for me; all I needed to do was to crouch down with my camera in hand, and wait. Information on the creatures that stopped to chat with me can be found on a park service web page that lists all of the animals that call Zion their home.
My animal photos are scattered through all of my Zion photo galleries, but you can find them easily by using the keyword zion+creatures.
west rim traillizardszion creatureszion national parkUtahhiking
Ah, Walter's Wiggles! This very steep and switchbacked trail was built a long, long time ago (I think back in the 1920s), but it was resurfaced in 1985.
From the National Park Service's frequently asked questions about Zion's hiking trails, "Walters Wiggles was resurfaced with 88 cubic yards of concrete, and the concrete for this job was hauled onto the site by helicopter. This took 258 flights. WHEW!".
This photo within the gallery Up & up... Angels Landing & West Rim Trail marks my return voyage on the Angels Landing trail.
Hey - can we play? This inquisitive little chipmunk came out as I was heading down Walter's Wiggles. I again crouched down, quietly watching. Other people tramped right on by, never stopping to look. When other people were about, my little friend darted under a rock to hide. Once I was alone again, he came out to play once more.
More of the wonderful creatures of Zion can be seen by using the keywords zion+creatures to wander through my photo galleries.
angels landingchipmunkszion creatureszion national parkUtahhiking
Ah, a picture I couldn't take as I was slowly heading up the tilted and switch-backed bottom of Angels Landing... It's much easier to get a picture of the trail looking down from the top (and not up from the bottom).
This photo within the gallery Up & up... Angels Landing & West Rim Trail marks my return voyage on the Angels Landing trail.
Weeping Rock, wet, wet... Water weeps out of the rock, water that has been hiding within the rock for many years. The weeping is the porous Navajo Sandstone layer and hitting less permeable clay or mud-based rock layers.
For more detailed information, check the National Park Service's geology fieldnotes.
Photos from this trail are in the gallery Walking loops, changing trails starting with this picture.
Late day, the setting sun decorates the rocks, bright light and shadows...
Photos from my evenings in Springdale can be found in the gallery On the edge of the park.
Clouds flying above rock formations, highlighted by the setting sun...
Photos from my evenings in Springdale can be found in the gallery On the edge of the park.
Early morning on my last day in the park brought me back to the Court of the Patriarch's once more. Still beautiful, high peaks bathed in sunshine, shadows lurking along the base...
Photos can be found in the gallery A last morning's walk, Court of the Patriarch's & south.
Elusive reflections, chasing the sun... I walked down the road in shadow, the sun attempting to reach me by using the Virgin River to paint reflections of the sky.
Photos can be found in the gallery A last morning's walk, Court of the Patriarch's & south.
Looking to the north, the valley floor remained in shadow as the sun slowly rose higher in the sky.
Photos can be found in the gallery A last morning's walk, Court of the Patriarch's & south.
Can you imagine how difficult it is to capture photos of wildflowers when they are swaying in the wind? My camera was ready to play, macro lens attached, I was ready to play, but the wind wouldn't stop. You know me though, I took pictures anyway, and some of them are actually in focus.
Plant photos from all of my Zion galleries can be pulled together by using the keyword zion+plants.
I'm not sure who was more startled, me or the deer. I was heading down a small side trail - looking to the side to see if any early spring flowers were hiding from me - when I heard a crashing noise up ahead. I looked up to see this deer staring back at me. What an awesome sight!
More of the wonderful creatures of Zion can be seen by using the keywords zion+creatures to wander through my photo galleries.
Memories of my Zion wanders, taken from my April 8, 2007 blog entry:
Red rocks smiling...
Walking, feet moving over and over and over... Eyes seeking interesting sights, a moving river, red rocks, sand, narrow trails, tiny new flowers, bugs, birds... A dark tunnel with occasional windows overlooking the valley, dark, dark, light, visions of Zion, quickly turning dark once more.
Layers of rock, different colors jumping out of each layer. Flat trails, steep trails, narrow trails with steep drop-offs.
Early morning gray skies changing, clouds moving, blue skies emerging, highlighting red rocks. Cool morning air warming through the afternoon, evening winds sometimes bringing scattered raindrops. Wind, skies darkening, time to wonder what tomorrow will bring...