Sunday, April 13, 2008--The Drive to Zion National Park

Sunday we had a short drive, but we knew the last part going into Zion National Park via the east entrance would be exciting.

As we left Glen Canyon Recreation Area, we saw an information center for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It is another relatively new national monument and it is also run by Bureau of Land Management.

We went in and learned that Grand Staircase covers one million acres and it is the last part of the U.S. to be mapped! The area was an ocean at one time. There is a skeleton of an enormous crocodile outside the entrance. In the information center someone is painting a mural of all the dinosaur fossils found in the area. As new ones are found, the dinosaur is added to the mural. It was an educational stop that was unexpected.

We continued on to Zion on highway 89. We turned west on Utah 9. At the entrance to Zion, we had to unhook the Honda as we were 2 feet over the maximum length (50 feet). Bob purchased the permit for us to travel through the 1.9 mile tunnel. The tunnel was closed to traffic heading east as Bob drove through the tunnel with Joyce following in the Honda. The road after the tunnel was one switchback after another until we arrived at the canyon floor.

We chose a campsite in South Campground as the sign said Watchman was full. We found out later that it wasn't full, but we liked our site and decided not to move.

Once we set up camp, we walked to the visitor center to get information on hiking trails. There is a shuttle to take you into the canyon where private vehicles are not allowed. The trails are near the shuttle stops. We decided to ride the shuttle into the canyon to see what was what.

As we rode, we made the decision to get off at the last stop and hike River Walk. River Walk leads to The Narrows. The walk was along a paved path near the Virgin River.

As we walked we saw two golden eagles soaring near the rocks. They must have a nest above the path.
When we got near The Narrows, we found out it was closed due to high water volume coming through the slot canyon. We couldn't even get close enough for a picture. In this picture, The Narrows would be to our left.

Some locals told us that the river runs clear in the summer months, but due to the melting snow coming off the mountains it is filled with silt now.

On the hike back to the shuttle stop we stopped for a rest in the swamp. Even though Zion is located in the desert, there is a swampy area along the trail. Bob and I discussed the odds of seeing an alligator in this swamp.

Once again, as we hiked we were aware of the tourists from Europe and Asia who were enjoying our national parks.

Monday we will hike to the Emerald Pools--Lower, Middle, and Upper.