Zion National Park

I took a two week trek to the southwest USA with Exodus. It was a really good trek. Exodus organises treks all over the world, this was my fifth trek with them. I met up with the tour leader, Jen and the other 8 trekkers in Las Vegas. For two weeks we would travel together across the southwest in a minibus (named Cadwgan) staying at hotels along the way.

The first journey, from Vegas in Nevada to Springdale in Utah took us across the desert, the scenery tremendous, the landscape very bare except for shrubs and Joshua trees, the geology amazing with lots of mini grand canyons.

Springdale is a lovely village, situated at the entrance to Zion Canyon surrounded by high red canyon walls.

Geology

Zion National Park is home to dramatic canyons, with walls stretching to 600m (2000ft). My first feelings were of awe at the magnificent geology, absolutely stunning and the reason I had chosen this trek - how could it get any better? Zion Canyon is formed by the force of the north fork of the Virgin river, which continues to erode at a rate of 3cm per hundred years. The river has eroded its path through the red Navajo sandstone which gives the canyon its red walls. Below the sandstone is a different rock - the Kayenta Formation, which is made of siltstone and mudstone. This rock causes rockslides as it is easily eroded and undermines the Navajo sandstone, which eventually slips.

Trails
I went on three hikes at Zion, the first fairly short was to the Emerald Pools. This is a series of waterfalls and pools and provided a good introduction to Zion NP.

The next trail was Angels Landing, this is described as strenuous, takes about 4 hours and has long drop-offs. It follows a well marked trail and ends at a summit high above the canyon with great views. The last part is narrow and has handy chains. We started early, which meant that the route was fairly quiet and in the shade. The path is very good, it's difficult to see at first where it's going, but soon it can be discerned going up a steep cliff. It then goes through “refrigerator canyon” before ascending Walters Wiggles. Initially I wasn't sure about the chained section but decided to give it a go and see how far I got. It was great fun (I don't suffer from a fear of heights) and I got right to the top.

The views were stunning, right down into the canyon and across to the other side. It was a good spot to have lunch, watch the chipmunks and enjoy the sun. It was easy to get back down, thankful that we had started early because the late starters were having to climb in the sun. I went really slowly, taking lots of photos.

The final trail I took was the Riverside Walk, which was easy and followed the Virgin river from the end of the road at the Temple of Sinawava to the narrows, the point where the river enters a narrow canyon and to continue you have to get your feet wet. I didn't, happy to boulder hop to takes some photos.

Wildlife

October was a good time to visit because of the cooler weather and relatively less people. The wildflowers were good because there had been a lot of rain, but I'd like to return in the spring when there are a lot more. There were lots of butterflies and damselflies along the river, chipmunks everywhere and lots of lizards.

Zion National Park Amenities

The park is very well organised with free guide leaflets. There are also two free shuttle buses, one from Springdale to the park entrance, the other from the entrance to the road end at the Temple of Sinawava. There is also a very good gift and book shop.

Impressions

A wonderful place - out of this world! Dramatic red sunsets, red sandstone cliffs, great trails and wonderful scenery. One to return to.

Here is a link to my Zion photos on flickr