Feeling a little tired from yesterday we decided to do a couple of shorter walks that involved a bit more driving.
The first was the overlook trail. We headed up just before sunrise. It’s a drive across most of the park and through a tunnel built in the 1920s
The walk is only a mile or two and the view is quite specctacular. Although I think maybe the view looking out from the initial rise before Walter’s Wriggles yesterday might have been better? (Controversial, I know)
Then we drive all the way out of the park, onto the highway and back into the park at a different spot to visit Kolob Canyon. This is the park of Zion that is a bit less frequented, which is part of why we came.
I thought Kolob was better than most of the views yesterday. The trail runs alongside a huge set of ranges like giant teeth of all different shapes. There’s one in particular which has a hanging valley inside it. The walk keeps changing views into the lush valley that is sat up high in the mountain. How cool is that!?
And the final view is down into a long green plain and out to more distant mountains and valleys
We were going to do two more trails, but time and energy got away from us. So, the last trail of the day was the Narrows.
The Narrows (as the name suggests) is where Zion Canyon narrows down into a mostly river trail. It’s pretty cool, but extremely popular. When we arrive mid-afternoon, it is jammed with people.
For the first mile or so you can wade ankle or knee deep between beaches. After that it’s all wading all the time. People hire waterproof boots and waders to go further down, but we didn’t have the time. Instead, we went barefoot into the river. It’s pretty fresh, but also soothing for sore feet!
I think you can go as far as 16 miles or something. That seems a very long way, but if we’d had the time, I think it would have been fun to go further, for the adventure and the scenery, but mostly to try and get away from some of the people
Zion has been very cool.
Tomorrow morning we’re off to Bryce Canyon!
