Sunday morning started early, but not as early as we had planned, so by the time we dropped off Derby to be boarded until Monday it was past 9:30am. From the drop off, we took another side route as was recommended by our dog caretaker. It was a side road up Kolob Canyon (SW of Zion’s entrance) that left from the town of Virgin and entered a back section of the park where no tourists were. This area offered some spectacular red-rock cliffs and canyon drop-offs on both sides of the road…a very worthwhile detour.
Derby looks a bit suspicious about where we’re taking him
Susan with some rock formations on our scenic drive
Horse farm (left) & Some cacti (right)
One more shot before heading into the park
Then, after arriving in Springdale at 10:30am, we had to shuttle through town, walk through the official NP entrance, and catch the Zion Park shuttle for a slow ride up the canyon to our goal hike trailhead. During the peak season, which for Zion is most of the warm weather months, no cars are allowed up the canyon where most of the best hikes are. This is a good thing since it greatly reduces noise and congestion, but it does take some consideration when planning your day.
Either way, we arrived at the Zion Lodge around 11:30 and started on the easy Grotto trail which is just an easy stroll up the canyon to the next bus stop…this was the warm-up. From there we eyed Angel’s Landing, one of the more notable (and sometimes infamous) hikes before heading the other way at the trailhead. Our trail was the Kayenta trail. This trail climbs up along the lower slopes of the canyon and follows the river back south before joining the emerald pool trails. This trail offered some nice views, but was very exposed to the midday sun, so was HOT.
Route options (left) & Tree on our trail (right)
Jeff trekking
Susan posing
At the intersection of the emerald pool trails, I took the high road to the upper pools, and Susan took the low road to the lower pools to wait for my return. The upper path is very uphill over what are basically stacks of rocks all exposed to the sun. It is a 1 mile round-trip. I would say it is worth doing if you want a challenging hike, but not if you want a reward. The lower pools are far more scenic than the upper. After hitting the “peak” I scrambled back down and (eventually) found Susan along the trail. Reunited, we visited the lower pools and their associated waterfalls before returning to Zion Lodge down the easy Lower Pools trail.
Susan on the low road
The upper pools (left) & The lower pools (right)
View on our walk back to the car (left) &
A squirrel who has been fed by humans too much (right)
From there, we shuttled back to Springdale to a sports bar for lunch and to catch the UK vs. UL game. No more will be said about that abomination.
Once fed and out of the midday sun, Susan and I explored Springdale shopping a bit (not much jumped out at us) before heading back into the park for a short, guided evening walk with a park ranger. Our group was pretty small…a family of 3 from Chicago, a young lady from Florida on a solo road trip, us 2, and an Indian couple currently working in New Mexico…so it was pretty casual. Ranger Amy, our guide, hit us with knowledge of how the rock formations in the park formed and the origins of the names of the cliffs and peaks. It was very informative and Amy was knowledgeable on the subject. An interesting tidbit gleaned from the tour is that the “sand” that forms the tall cliffs of zion is currently believed to be from the ancient Appalachian Mountains that was eroded and carried to the west along a huge prehistoric river. So, you could say Zion is the Appalachian mountains rebuilt in Utah. During the hike, the sun was starting to set so it was cooling down which brought out the native mule deer. We saw at least 20 either during the hike or on the shuttle ride back to the car.
Our guide, ranger Amy
Some deer along our stroll
Once at the car, Susan had unfortunately started to feel the effects of the day’s effort and was getting a headache. We drove home, grabbed dinner, and got to bed as quickly as possible hoping to start early the next morning for an aggressive hike (the aforementioned Angel’s Landing).
Alas, this was not to be since Susan’s headache persisted into the early AM hours. While she slept, I explored Cedar City with a morning run. Then we drove south to pick up Derby and determine the day’s altered plans. We decided to salvage the day by making our way home and looking for scenic side trips. This first led us to Cove Fort for a very brief visit. We would have taken the official tour, but were told we’d have to either let Derby melt in the car or to carry him for the duration of the tour…both options being suboptimal.
From there we continued north along the Wasatch Front (the mountains that are visible from all the Utah cities other that Logan) to Nephi. Here we hopped off the interstate and picked up a scenic route into the mountains that rounded the highest mountain in the front, Mt. Nebo (11,900 ft). The road climbed up a neighboring peak to 9500 feet and offered some stunning views of the mountain, the Uinta mountains that lie behind, and the valley below including Utah Lake.
Scenery on the road (left) & some of the Wasatch range (right)
Jeff on the mountain
Susan and Derby at an overlook
Mountain doggy
At the summit (left) & Some white pines
Utah Lake
Derby loving the drive
Family picture!
Emerging from the scenic route in Payson we found traffic…yay. After nearly an hour delay we were underway along the chain of cities back to Sardine Canyon and the Cache Valley. We arrived home just in time for dinner and satisfied after another solid road trip.
Home, sweet home
Back to work tomorrow…
