June 2019

The cliffs and canyons of Zion National Park were carved by the Virgin River for over a million years. Mormon pioneers first discovered the park and saw the sculptured rocks as the natural temples of God and called the canyon Little Zion after the city in Jerusalem. Unlike the Grand Canyon that is viewed from the rim looking down, Zion Canyon is usually viewed from the bottom looking up.

We visited the park with my sister Linda and her son Tyler and his wife, Kristen, and their two children, Owen (8) and Morgan (5). We were fortunate to have two full days to explore the park and we made the most of it! On the first day we all piled into the CRV and drove about 20 miles from our campground to the park entrance. After parking at the Visitor Center, we hopped on the free shuttle bus that runs all day throughout the park. One of the first things you see is the Court of the Patriarchs, named Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, after Old Testament figures.

Tyler and Kristen set off to hike the famous Angel’s Landing trail while Linda and I took the kids on several shorter hikes. Our first hike was to Lower Emerald Pools, a 1.2 mile hike leading to a pool and waterfall.

After that we hiked a trail along the river and stopped to skip stones and climb a tree. The kids are so much fun to be with!

We hopped back on the shuttle bus and stopped off at the Zion Human History Museum to check out some of the exhibits and watch a short orientation film about the park. Then we met up with Tyler and Kristen at the Visitor Center. They enjoyed Angel’s Landing but didn’t make it quite to the top because Kristen made the mistake of looking down when they were on the steep, narrow ridge and decided it would be best to turn back.

The next day we all took the shuttle bus to the furthest stop, the Temple of Sinawava, and hiked the Riverside Walk (2.2 miles) to where The Narrows hike begins. Unfortunately high water levels prevented us from accessing The Narrows. You can see how fast the water is flowing at the bottom of the stairs and the water temperature is 38 degrees!

Our final hike, to Weeping Rock, was just .4 miles but it was steep and provided some of the best views of the day.

We decided to have lunch at the Zion Lodge and played out in the front lawn under the huge tree until our table was ready.

After lunch we walked the Pa’rus Trail back to the Visitor Center where our car was parked, stopping to skip some more stones along the way. So beautiful!

Our two days in Zion National Park were unforgettable. I only wish that we would have been able to walk a little of The Narrows trail but that will have to wait for our next visit. This is a park you must see!