Day 11 - Zion National Park

Coming from the east, we entered Zion Canyon through a long road of winding path through sometimes otherworldly terrain. Eventually we got to the hand cut, 1.1 mile long tunnel, that brought us into a side canyon from the main Virgin River canyon. Driving through most of the park is restricted, so we drove to the visitor's center and picked up the bus to the upper end of the park.
An easy hike from there brought us to a narrow slot with the rock walls rising thousands of feet above us. The sun shone prettily through the golden leaves of the cottonwoods as the river flowed in pristine clearness. Absolutely gorgeous with the background of red cliffs.
After lunch, we trekked another popular trail to see the middle and upper emerald pools. A 2.5 mile round trip trail took us up and up, through various sandy rocks with various vegetation, including some vast swathes of prickly pear. Tiring, but well worth the work to see both these pools. Heading back, the canyon is so deep and enough time had passed, that where we began in sunshine, we returned in deep shade.Read more