We drove a couple of hours to Springdale, pretty much three years and a week after our last visit, when we found out our planned Utah Trail was not going to go to plan! However it’s a great opportunity to return to Under the Eaves B&B and enjoy the warm Southwestern hospitality of our hosts Mark and Joe.
Before we checked in, we hiked the Watchman Trail, a three mile round trip to the red rock platform in the middle of the photo, in front of the Watchman Rock which stands sentinel over the south entrance to Zion. It was very warm and sunny, and nice to wear a pair of shorts again!
The canyon was called Zion by early Mormon settlers, and chosen as the name for the park over the Paiute name of Mukuntuweap which means ‘Straight Up Land’. At the Grand Canyon, we were at the rim looking down, but at Zion you are at the bottom looking up, unless you hike one of the strenuous paths to the rim. We took the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the park, and took the riverside hike for a mile or so.
At this point, the trail, if you can call it that, is called The Narrows and the only way to continue, is to cross the river and continue up the narrowing canyon, eventually walking up the river bed. Outfitters in town will rent you special shoes to get wet in, but at this time of year the water is pretty cold, so we turned about!
We stopped at several viewpoints and took pics of the huge canyon walls, including one at the Court of the Patriachs where the peaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all loom over 2000m above.
Next day, we had planned to hike Angel’s Landing, an iconic climb of almost 500m to a viewpoint, including the use of chains towards the end, to pull oneself up the face, but somehow, just didn’t feel in the mood! Instead, we chose a more gentle walk, still with great views …
… Emerald Pools …
… then along the river back to town where we saw climbers …
… The Towers of the virgin and plenty of wildlife.
We planned a final hike on our way out of Zion, an overlook trail, but the parking area was tiny and full so we had to drive on past some fall colour and the Checkerboard Mesa.
Zion canyon is spectacular and worth a visit, but it has felt one of the busiest parks as there is less space in which to disperse the visitors, and hiking options are limited. Springdale however, has good restaurants and quirky shops and we wouldn’t have missed staying at Under the Eaves again, where we felt very much at home.
Next stop, our eighth and final park …
The Federal Shutdown has rather affected the itinerary! The National Parks are closed until further notice, as are all trails and hiking routes, with apparently a $150 fine for being found in a National Park, although not sure who will see you when all non-essential staff are on furlough! We will have to wait and see whether everything will be back to normal in a few days or not, but one way of looking at it is that we don’t know what we are missing! In the meantime though, there is plenty to see without the National Parks, even though they were meant to be the focus of our trip. State Parks are open, and many are linked with great scenic routes, so we will just have to make the most of things.
Off Travelling Together 