About 40 miles northeast of St. George lies an amazing example of the glory and fury of Mother Nature. Here, where the high plateau of central Utah descends towards the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, the Virgin River and its various tributaries have carved a narrow canyon deep into the mountains. Water is the tool that has been carving these stunning shapes and towers for eons. Flash floods are common and often come unexpectedly as distant thunderstorms high in the mountains can send cascades of water rushing through the narrow clefts in the rock. Visitors to Zion Canyon are warned at every turn to be aware of the weather and keep an eye on the water as the narrow canyon, particularly upstream from the accessible area of the canyon floor, can completely fill at a moment’s notice. The pictures tell the story.
Ten miles northeast of St George, Hwy 9 darts east off of I-15 winding up and around the Virgin River as we climb towards the mountains. It is early morning and the sun both highlights and hides the brilliant colors of the landscape under a frame of jagged rock piercing the sky.
The river creates a band of life through the land, this time of year the naked branches of the trees filter the view as the entrance to the park nears.
Followers of the blog know that I often wax poetically about the joys of retirement and the benefit of being able to travel in the “off-season.” Today’s visit is a classic example of those benefits. During the tourist season visitors are not able to enter Zion Canyon in their own vehicle. Instead tourists park outside the park in and around the little town of Springdale and ride a “free” shuttle bus up the scenic drive into the heart of the canyon. I note “free” in quotation marks because it now costs $30 per vehicle to enter the national park (paid on the shuttle.) I have visited Zion later in the spring before and the shuttle is actually a great way to visit. It stops at various points on the drive and you can get off and on at will. Most visitors (including me) see only a small percentage of the park, the Virgin River Canyon. This is a hiker’s paradise (particularly one in good physical condition as getting up the canyon walls can be quite strenuous.) The scenic drive heads due north off Hwy 9 into the heart of the canyon and allows visitors to see the first 6 miles of the canyon, the rest is inaccessible to vehicle and you must actually walk in the river to progress further because the canyon is so narrow (I know it sounds far-fetched, but you’ll see the picture!) The combination of my limited photography skills, shadows from the morning sun and glare from the sun in the southern sky made taking some of the pictures difficult – I’ll apologize in advance for any awkward shadows or glare from the sun but here we go. Welcome to the glory of Zion Canyon.
Turning north off Hwy 9 the view is of a valley that is bordered by towering walls of multi-colored stone on all sides.
Rearing to our left is a massive formation dubbed the “Court of the Patriarchs.”
The canyon narrows significantly as the river makes sharp turns to and fro.
The road ends at the Temple of Sinawava parking lot. It’s early and I manage to snag a parking spot for the Lunch Box. Augie will have a spectacular view looking towards the entrance to the canyon 6 miles to the south while he waits for me to survive (!) my hike…
Leaving the parking area, I begin traversing the Riverwalk, a relatively easy hike of about three miles round trip that follows the east bank of the river as the canyon increasingly narrows.
The climate changes dramatically from the mountains at the top of the cliffs to the floor of the canyon. It’s about 65 degrees outside of the valley, probably closer to 45 along the river. I’m chilly! As the snow melts into the sandstone of the rock, the resulting moisture “weeps” down the canyon walls. Later in the spring ferns and other plants will grow in the damp cracks in the walls but now, in late winter, the moisture drips and forms small streams at the base of the cliffs. The canyon wall was so tall that I couldn’t get the entire height in one picture. Imagine the picture on the left on top of the picture on the right and you can see the water weeping down the wall, forming a small pool under the arch and then exiting as a rippling streamlet heading under the path to the river on the other side.
I’m not kidding when I tell you that the canyon narrows…
The Riverwalk ends at just past the remnants of an ancient rock fall.
I step out onto the rocks to take a picture looking north up the canyon that shows why the path stops. The river is low this time of year so you can continue to hike up the canyon as long as you don’t mind your feet in and out of freezing water. Most of the moisture in the high country is still locked up in snow, it won’t be long until the base of the canyon is wall to wall with cold, rushing snow melt. Hikers are advised to wear special shoes (not the “normal” wet shoes) and dry suits if they plan to explore further (that’s not me!).
I turn around and now head back south towards the parking area. The following pictures are now looking south down towards the mouth of the valley.
Arriving back at the parking area, the views open as the valley widens a bit.
The mouth of the canyon is in sight as the walls gradually get even farther apart.
Turning right on Hwy 9 and heading west back towards St. George we pass through a couple of small communities that primarily serve the tourists who come to the area. To the far west snow-dusted mountains above St. George frame the sapphire sky.
It’s always important to keep the world in perspective. Nature’s glory is balanced by the wonders created by man, and the Virgin River Valley is no different. Sitting next to the highway is a local recently man-made edifice, Fort Virgin (no historical significance whatsoever), a haven for tourists in need of refreshment and souvenirs. Unfortunately for me, it’s closed for another month until the “real” tourist season begins. Here’s a monument to the glory of man…?
And with that, our visit to Utah’s Dixie comes to an end.
Next up: There’s more than one kind of neon in the desert around Las Vegas…
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