Zion- The Power of Water

Thursday we made our way back to the Riverside Walk at the top of Zion Canyon at the Temple of Sinawava stop.  In one day the river decreased dramatically.  The flowers along this easy, paved and wheelchair accessible trail are simply beautiful. 

The Zion Shooting Star is just one of the many flower species that has made their own adaptations to Zion’s canyon.  Although this flower is not exclusive to Zion, some of it’s features are different from other areas in which it is found. 

The Rock Squirrel causes the most injuries in Zion and they are persistent.  As I was capturing a picture down by the river, I felt a nudge on my side,  turned and saw it was a squirrel!  Unfortunately too many people think they are just cute and feed them, but one bite will cause significant harm.

Mule deer forage along the riverbanks where the foliage is green, unafraid of hunters.

The soundscape changes around every bend, from babbling brooks meandering through the Navajo Sandstone to the roar of the Virgin River. 

This canyon was created by the forces of water and continues to nourish all who come near.

Camping in the National Park allows one be be amidst the wonders that inspired the designation.  Ranger programs provide insight into the cultural history and present day challenges.  Summertime signals programs that focus on children, whose wonder for the natural world is like a sponge.  One, two, three, four ranger led programs were experienced including the Wayside Wanderers, where Caleb used a GPS to find waypoints along a trail for the ranger to highlight.

Meanwhile, Chris hiked a more strenuous climb up to Scout’s Lookout and the West Rim Trail.

Switchbacks and steep incline along with warnings of long drop-offs kept Caleb and me on the canyon floor.

Our stay at Zion is coming to a close as we travel on to see more of God’s natural wonders.  Our view from the front porch has been spectacular!

We’re headed North.  Can you guess where?  Here’s a few parting shots of the grandeur that Zion offers.

 

 

 

 

 

Zion National Park- Riverside Walk to Weeping Rock

 

Today was a lovely overcast day which made for cool hikes.  We started with the paved Riverside Walk, viewing waterfalls, hanging gardens, the roaring Virgin River and the towering Sandstone cliffs.

Monkey flower and Columbine were in full bloom hanging from the glistening rock faces in this hanging garden.  You had to look up to see the flowers cascading from crevices and dripping with cool water.

The Riverside Walk ended at the entrance to The Narrows, a slot canyon accessed by the Virgin riverbed.

But the heavy winter snows have the river flowing at 632 cubic feet/second and that trail is closed.

We have seen some wild turkey and Mule deer along the park roads, but most prevalent are the bold Rock Squirrels! 

A quick ice cream break at Zion Lodge refueled the hikers for the short Weeping Rock trail.

Once rested back at the trailer, we decided to hop on our bikes and ride the Pa’rus Trail, which happens to be the only trail accessible to bikes.    Another wonderful day in one of our nation’s treasures.

Zion- Emerald Pools & Rock Slides

Our first full day at Zion National Park was both awe inspiring and exhausting!  We all slept in and got a late start.  In the summer, a shuttle bus system is used to move people up and down the canyon.  So we walked down to the visitor center to catch the next shuttle and hopped off at Zion Lodge.  We hiked to the Lower Emerald Pools.

Water cascaded down the face of the sandstone cliffs into pools below.  We were misted along the trail and graced with the beauty of Columbines and other flora growing in the moist conditions.

We were energized and continued on to the Upper Emerald Pool.  That was until we realized that “upper” meant we had to keep ascending up sandstone steps in the heat of the sun.  It warmed up to the upper 80’s today and our faces were crimson like the Penstemon growing in the cliff face.

Well at least Caleb and I were hot, Chris was just fine and ready to hit another connecting trail.  As we descended, the mist of the lower emerald pools was  wonderfully refreshing!

Following our hike, we boarded the shuttle and rode it up to the top of the canyon at the Temple of Sinawava before riding back down to the visitor center.  We took it easy this afternoon in preparation for our guided ranger tour this evening.  We met our ranger and boarded an interpretive bus, this time for an in depth look at the canyon.  Our first stop explored the Sentinel slide area, which has dammed the river and taken out the road…more than once!

We stopped along the canyon to learn how the park service is managing it’s goal of preserving the environment as well as providing recreation opportunities to the public.  Cottonwood trees, which we are familiar with, play an important role in the canyon.

Our next stop was the Great White Throne.  Highlighted in the evening, this sandstone cliff towers over the roaring Virgin river below.  This area combines the past, present and future of Zion.  Ancient Puebloan graineries are visible as well as Cable Mountain, which was used to lower harvested Ponderosa Pine to the valley floor.  The sandstone rock faces are open to rock climbing for those technically skilled and the top of the Angel’s Landing trail can be viewed, with hikers appearing to be the size of ants.  Peregrine Falcons and California Condors call this area home in the summer months.  Then a distant rumble was heard over the rushing of the Virgin river.  Not many noticed, but Chris and I looked at each other and said, “Did you hear that?”.  We loaded the bus to head to our final stop the Temple of Sinawava.  The air filled with a white cloud of dust and the bus came to a halt.  There’s been a rockslide, and it may still be active, and it’s blocking the road.

The thick cloud of dust obscured the massive cliffs.  Limbs from Cottonwood trees floated down the river beside us.  The main fall was around the bend, just out of sight, but another driver reported sharp boulders up to his knees in the road.

After waiting for direction and hearing reports that a front end loader was necessary to clear the road, we were all ready to walk down to the closest shuttle stop to go back down the canyon.  But the shuttle driver took over the driving of our interpretive bus and started backing down the canyon to a turn around location.  Yikes!  We were close to the river's edge of the road, then almost in the ditch near the cliff face, and seeing that backing was not this driver’s forte, Chris started helping him out from the back of the bus.  We got safely turned around and then they unloaded us onto a shuttle to go the rest of the way. An unexpected turn of events on the interpretive tour is a perfect example of the changing face of Zion National Park.