Zion National Park, Utah
May 13-18, 2010
Zion National Park was designated in 1919 as Utah's first national park. Zion is known for its incredible canyons and spectacular views and attracts 3 million adventurers from around the world every year. The Zion Canyon was shaped over millions of years by the uplifting of the earth and then erosion by the Virgin River and its amazing to imagine that a body of water can cut and mold such gigantic canyon walls. The scenery is almost unreal, so comanding and beautiful that its hard to take it all in. The hiking is sublime and we were rewarded around every corner with jaw dropping views. A truly amazing park that everyone must experience.
Our Accommodations - Mosquito Cove
The best entrance into Zion National Park is via the small town of Springdale and the town itself is really quaint and cute. There were several private campgrounds in the area and two campgrounds located within Zion Park but these were full when we arrived. We were lucky to find a free Bureau of Land Management (BLM) campground called Mosquito Cove located just a few minutes drive to the park entrance. It was actually a nice area with sandy ground and lots of trees for some shade.
Oscar's in Springdale
We highly recommend eating at Oscar's in Springdale. It was fantastic and we ate here almost every meal!
Emerald Pools Trails
As our first hike in the park, this was a fantastic introduction to Zion!
The Emerald PoolsTrail meandered through the Zion Canyon where it eventually lead to three separate waterfalls and pools. The best of these was the Upper Emerald Pools. It was so pretty and so serene and a great place for a picnic lunch.
Weeping Rock Trail
Weeping Rock has what they call "vertical hanging gardens" which are lush vines and flowers hanging down from the canyon walls. Continuous rain and snow travel through the small cracks in the canyon walls and cause small trickles of water falling down like rain, hence, the name "weeping rock".
Angels Landing Mountain Trail
Angels Landing was a challenging but fantastic hike. Angels landing is a mountain that gains 1500 feet in elevation as you traverse its trail. Eventually you get to a zig-zag switchback called "Walter's Wiggles" which takes you up a steep ascent to a flat sandy area which provides excellent views down into the canyon and is a nice place to rest and have some lunch.
Mount Carmel Highway - Outlook Point
The Mount Carmel Highway has a wonderful stop called Outlook Point. The drive takes you through the original tunnel built in Zion in 1930 and as you can imagine, cars were a lot smaller back then so the space is tight. The trail was short but leads to a nice overlook into Zion Canyon.