Zion National Park

The Narrows

We took the town shuttle to the park, walked into the park, and then took the park shuttle along the Zion Scenic Drive. It became quite clear, why they don’t allow cars to drive this road, there are few parking places, and many visitors. A shuttle leaves every six minutes from each of the stops until well after dark. We stopped at Weeping Rock, where the water seeps out of the rock, providing a mini-climate which is good for ferns and Columbine. You can hear the waterfalls as you approach this pretty grotto. Then we took the River Walk along the Virgin River. Again, we observed significant mini-climates as you walk along: desert, Cottonwood groves, swamps, and hanging gardens. The trail ends at the narrows, where you can continue on, if you like, in the river. That would be a little too much for Mary.

Angel's Landing

We had a picnic in the Grotto and while Mary headed back to the trailer, I had to try the trail to Angel’s Landing. Angel’s landing is a big rock face at the top of the Canyon providing a spectacular view of the entire canyon. I couldn’t believe the number of people on this trail. The first two miles of the trail is almost entirely paved because of the crowds. It also has to be one of the most strenuous 2 miles I’ve ever seen, since you climb from the bottom of the canyon to the top.

The first climb

The final part of the climb is called the wiggles – 10-12 hairpin curves in the trail, they had to blast the rock face to make this trail. At the top is Scout’s Outlook with a great view toward the narrows. From here the trail is rock climbing with chains bolted into the rock to assist you. It’s a one way path, so for each section you have to wait for a group to get passed you. I did about a quarter mile and came upon a great view toward the entrance of the Canyon. The next section of the trail was narrower with 1000 foot drop-offs on either side. There were so many people on the trail, I decided I just didn’t feel up to it, given the crazy things people had already done just to get to here (forging their own paths to get by folks when a miss-step could cause you to fall). Enough for one day, I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the shuttle. We had a good Mexican dinner that night at Casa de Amigos, huge portions with different spices than we are used to and great chips and salsa. 

View from the top