The Narrows and Virgin River Canyon

We awoke to a beautiful blue sky and the sun lighting the rocks outside our window. We have a spectacular view. The lawn slopes down from our room to the little private beach along the Virgin River. Along the sidewalks around the grounds are flower beds and little chairs set up for relaxing. It is a quiet and sweet little place. We ate our breakfast outside on a picnic table (included with the room) and packed our bags for a day in the park.

We walked the short distance from the Cliffrose Lodge to the park entrance and met with a line a people at the entry booth. They weren't in line to buy their passes but in line for the shuttle bus into the park. Since we had walked around the visitor's center last night and saw where the shuttles stopped, we knew how long the line was - very, very, very long. We got in line around 9:15 and arrived at the trailhead at 10:40. The bus ride is said to take about 40 min which means we spent 45 minutes in line before we even got on the bus. Luckily everyone was very patient (even Scott). You could see the number of people who were serious hikers by their gear.

We took the bus to the far end and walked the Riverside Walk first. We weren't the only ones. It was a constant stream of people. About half of them had rental gear and walking sticks for hiking The Narrows and the rest were just doing the Riverside Walk. The walk was easy; paved and fairly level along the Virgin River. At the end, Jeff and Ed put on their water shoes and went a short way in the river. It was knee high at the start but at the next crossing it was nearly waist high. They prudently decided to turn back. We all were curious about the hike and wished that we could do it but knew that it wasn't for us. Even if we had rented the shoes, dry pants, and hiking sticks, walking through knee high (and deeper) water over rounded river rocks would be too tough for us.

We did stop a couple places during our return walk to play in the water, skip rocks, and eat our lunch. Tiger Swallowtail butterflies that flew around us on the river bank. They liked the wet sand and weren't too bothered by people. Jeff and Ed coerced Amy into wading in the river. Even though we didn't go in over our knees, it cooled us down very well. Getting back on shore and drying off in the sun was a treat after the cold water.

We, wisely, chose Smuckers Uncrustables from the grocery store to pack. Easy lunch, no refrigeration necessary. It was nice getting off the trail for those few stops and away from the constant flow of people. It was quite peaceful. The air was cool but the sun warm; perfect weather.

Once we got back to the shuttle we took it only one stop and got off for a quick photo stop at Big Bend. We then rode it to the Weeping Wall and took the short walk to the wall itself. It was a steep and short walk to a beautiful undercut cave and water plants. Back on the bus we rode to the Zion Lodge where we found ice cream and a seat on the lawn under a large cottonwood tree.Read more