Zion National Park is located in southern Utah next to the near the fun little town of Springdale. No matter how many times you visit you can’t help but be awe-struck by the magnificent scenery.
I tent camped for a week at the Watchman camp ground. Every evening the cliffs behind my tent glowed orange with the setting sun. There’s more to the park than Zion Canyon. The canyon is a tiny drop in a 148,000-acre bucket, with so much to see and explore.
The hiking at Zion is exceptional. The eight-mile round trip East Rim trail to Observation Point offers majestic views down-canyon. Kolob Canyons, at the Park’s north-west corner offers a series of parallel fissures guarded by tall sandstone fins that glow a fiery red during sunset. The Canyon Overlook Trail provided incredible photo opportunities – and lots of interactions with mountain goats. A cold IPA at the end of a long hike, before heading back to make a campfire made the days complete.
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In previous visits I had said someday I will return and hike the Narrow. This was the day. The Narrows trail is basically the Virgin River. The canyon is so narrow, the river covers the bottom in most of the which means wading. Most of of the time the water was below my knees, but it was above the waist at a few points. The hike begins at the Temple of Sinawava along the riverside walk, then into the Virgin River for about 5 miles upstream. The towering cliffs, and handing gardens of the canyon wall provide breath-taking scenery.