Zion National Park

Today we left the RV park with the car and drove through Hurricane on Rt 9 to Zion National Park. At Zion, you are at the base of the formations looking up. The park has a great shuttle service which eliminates much of the traffic as well as the pollution other vehicles would create.

We decided to ride to the end of the shuttle run and work our way back. We got off at various locations throughout the park. This canyon was formed by the Virgin River as it meandered through the rock. The name Zion is a Hebrew word meaning "refuge". Our first stop was the Temple of Sinawava where we ate our packed lunch and took a few photos.

Next we wanted to explore Weeping Rock. Water from the surface travels down through the porous sandstone until it meets an impenetrable shale layer. The water then moves horizontally and drips out of the rock or "weeps". In extreme cases a little waterfall is formed. We had to walk up the narrow, paved path to an overhang where the water was leaking out of the rock. It was pretty amazing!

Next we walked to the Emerald Pools along a rock path that took us 1/2 mile from the shuttle stop. We saw some beautiful vistas along the way. There was a waterfall pouring over a rock overhang and then into one of the Emerald Pools. The water we saw was not an emerald color, but the pools get their names from the green algae the populates the water in the summer.

This is a very well thought out park and it is easy to get around with the shuttles. The spectacular red rock walls (which some brave soles were actually climbing) and the shapes and enormous rock formations made this a "must see" for us. As we were leaving the park, the clouds were casting dark, ominous shadows on the rock formations. A nice ending to our wonderful day!