Road Trip – Day 5 – Zion National Park
St George, UT to Kanab, UT
8 a.m. Temperature 70 degrees. Warm
We will be visiting Zion National Park on our way to Kanab today.
As the Best Western we stayed at did a complimentary breakfast, we did not have to search for somewhere to eat. No breakfast blog today. Pretty good for a complimentary breakfast, however.
We set off a bit late because of having breakfast first. At this time we were expecting to get caught up in rush hour traffic but it was not too bad. We took I15 north for a few miles and turned of towards Hurricane, La Verkin and Springdale. It was a very scenic drive past towering red rock mesas.
Virgin was a funky little place with Fort Zion, which looked like a kids playground, and an ostrich farm. Rockville is a cute town. I can see how it got its name as there were some huge rocks in peoples’ gardens.
The closer we got to Zion National Park the more spectacular the scenery became. We arrived at the park at 9 a.m. and parked in the Visitors Center. The entrance fee to the park is $25 per car but we used our pass. We were able to get a parking space but the lot was nearly full. There is a free shuttle service from Springdale so you don’t have to bring your car into the park.
There is a different free shuttle bus service in the park. No cars are allowed into the canyon apart from those belonging to people staying at the lodge. It’s a very good service but we would like to pass on a few tips. Get here as early as you can because the buses can get very full. Also, sit on the left side going up. There is a very good commentary but all the sights are to the left. There is no commentary on the way down. There are seven stops in all and there are different trails from each, some easy, some moderate and some strenuous.
We opted to go to the end of the canyon to the Temple of Sinawava where we took the Riverside Walk. It was a two mile round trip and was an easy one. There was a photo opportunity nearly every step of the way. Tom had his tripod but had difficulty using it sometimes because of the number of people around.
The canyon is magnificent. Huge red rock with the Virgin River running through. Hard to imagine such a small river carving out this huge canyon. Along the way we saw deer and squirrels. Feeding the wild animals is not allowed and there is a severe fine if caught.
We also saw hanging gardens on the cliff side. These are supported by water seeping through the sandstone and then running down the face of the cliff face. We were told this process can take 800 years.
At the end of the paved trail there is an unpaved trail which goes for another mile into the canyon but it involves crossing the river and as there is no bridge you actually have to wade through the water. Another tip – if you plan to explore further bring some waterproof footwear. Just be on the lookout for flash floods.
We caught the shuttle bus back down the canyon and got out at Zion Lodge and took the lower trail to the Emerald Pool. There is also a middle and an upper trail. When we got to the pool there was not much of a waterfall but I bet it is really something to see in the spring.
Our route to Kanab was to continue through the park on Highway 9 to Mt Carmel. The first part was uphill with many horseshoe bends to a tunnel. This was built in the 1930s and is 1.1 miles long. It is one way through the tunnel so there is likely to be a long wait. There are no electric lights at all so it is mostly pitch black with the occasional large porthole which lets in light from the outside.
The rock formations look completely different on the other side of the tunnel. Watch out for the Checkerboard Mesa. There is a pull-in to turn into to see this formation.
Before we reached Mt Carmel we saw some buffalo to our right. Not long after we came to the Zion Mountain Resort
and Buffalo Grill, so we pulled in. There were some buffalo close by so I took some photos. We did consider getting something to eat at the grill, maybe a tasty buffalo steak but we decided to drive on to Kanab.
We checked into the Holiday Inn Express at 4 p.m.. After a quick shower and change we drove back into Kanab for a meal at Houston’s Trails End Restaurant. There was a definite wild west theme about the place from the decoration on the walls to the waitresses wearing guns on their hips. We both had chicken fried steak with gravy as it was their number one seller. Wicked but good.
Afterwards we took a stroll round downtown Kanab. A lot of famous movies were filmed in and around the town, including ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ and ‘How the West was Won’. It’s a nice little town.
After all the walking we have done today it’s time to get back for another early night.
September 23 2007 05:33 pm | Further Afield
