Zion National Park Apr. 18-21, 2004 [Zion Gallery] [Back to Photo Page]

Zion is an ancient Hebrew word, originally used to describe a dry rock place of holy sanctuary in ancient Israel. The towering cliffs and deep canyons of Zion National Park give dramatic testament to the twin forces of uplift and erosion. Someone said Zion Canyon is "Yosemite Valley in Technicolor", but there are many differerences between them. Both are deep, steep-walled canyons, but Yosemite was carved by glaciers, and Zion is the result of millions of years of erosion by Virgin River cutting through two-thousand feet of an ancient layered sea bed. But there is at least one thing in common: both parks are worth visiting again and again.

Getting there ...

From Bryce Canyon to Zion was a pleasure 90-mile drive. Unfortunately we forgot to give Linus some car-sickness medicine, and Linus felt sick when we entered Zion boundary and finally threw up at Checkboard Mesa.

The Second Day ...

• Checkerboard Mesa
  

  Checkerboard Mesa is an icon of Zion's east side. It is a bold example of what the erosive cycle can achieve. This checkerboarding occurs only on north-facing slopes, and its uniformity is not yet fully understood, but most probably is the result of a cycle of freezing and thawing.

When we got to the canyon valley, everyone agreed to come with me for sunset (we had the permit to drive to Zion Canyon Scenic Drive because we will stay in the Zion Lodge for the next few days). We stopped at the bridge across Virgin River on the Scenic Drive. However, I missed the best light because I was running under the bridge to search for a good spot.

The Third Day ...

• Sunrise
  

  I drove to a bridge across Pine Creek on Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (recommended by Robert Hitchman's Photograph America Newsletter). However, it was cloudy and nothing really happened ( I stayed in the car most of the time because there were too many mosquitoes). After I went back to the hotel room, Linus was already awake and made some noise. I took him to walk along the Virgin River on the lower Emerald Pool Trail which is just across the Zion Lodge.

• Emerald Pools
  After breakfast, we were all ready to go out to expore Zion. Our first destination was the Emerald Pools. We took the Lower Emerald Pool Trail, and continued to Upper Emerald Pool, and went back via Middle Emerald Pool Trail. The lower Emerald Pool trail (0.6 mile one-way) is an easy paved walk. Beyond the lower Emerald Pool (0.4 mile to Upper Emerald Pool) is a more difficulit climb on a rocky trail, but Linus and Iris handled it pretty well. Upper Emerald Pool is a nice little pool surrounded by steep, tall canyon walls with a waterfall. It's a perfect resting place after about an hour of hiking.

  
  

  
  

• Zion Museum - Pa'rus Trail - Visitor Center
  After a short lunch break, we took the shuttle bus to the Zion Musuem which has the best views of Zion ranges in its backyard. We also watched an introduction video to Zion. We then took the Pa'rus trail to the visitor center. Linus complained about the trail which was too easy for him. After spending some time in the visitor center, we walked out of the park entrance and have a nice ice cream break.

• Sunset
  I went back to the bridge over Virgin River alone after we had dinner. This time I had plenty of time to shoot all angles around me.

The Fourth Day ...

• Sunrsie
  I went to the bridge across Pine Creek again and hoped to have better luck than yesterday. It turned out to be a beautiful day. After a few shots at the bridge, I rushed to the Zion Museum to get closer to the mountains. I think I have had the best morning moments I can have in Zion.

• Canyon Overlook Trail
  

  Canyon Overlook Trail is on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, just east of the 1-mile long tunnel, and ends with a spectacular view of lower Zion Canyon. There are a few steep dropoffs along the trail and we had to watch our steps carefully sometimes. At the end of the trail, there is an area with some rocks and sand for Linus and Iris to play. Linus liked this trail so much that he wanted to walk again when we were back to the trailhead.

• Watchman Trail
  We chose the Watchman Trail for this afternoon because Linus wanted to have something more challenge when we took Pa'rus trail yesterday. With 2-mile round trip and 368-feet ascent, the trail ends at viewpoints of lower Zion Creek Canyon and town of Springdale. Both Linus and Iris thought it was a piece of cake to hike. But most of the trail is very exposed to sun without much shade available, so I won't recommend it if someone wants to hike it on a hot summer day. Linus began to like to take pictures with my Canon G2 along the trail. I think he took a few very good shots.

When we drove back to the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, we saw many wild turkeys along the way.

 

The Last Day ...

• Sunrsie
  

  I took Linus with me to Zion Museum again for the sunrise. I tried not to use graduated neutral density filter today to get a more contrasty effect of sunlight and shadow. Linus liked to look through the view finder and also liked to frame a few shots. He remembered all the names of the mountains displayed on the illustration board, and kept refreshing my memory all day.

• Riverside Walk
  

  We took the shuttle bus to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive in the morning after checking out from the Zion Lodge. Riverside Walk is an easy trail (2-mile rounf trip) that follows the Virgin River upstream from the Temple of Sinawava to Zion Canyon Narrows. It is defintely the most popular trail in the park with a lot of visitors becuase of its accessibilty. But only a few tried to walk further into the Narrows.

We walked to a beach along the river side and stayed there to play for a while. The sun rose high up to the sky and the light began to shine into the canyon. We can see the sun light move fast across the river.

• Weeping Rock
  We took the returned bus and got off at Big Bend stop which sits at the center of a few famous rock formations including Angels Landing, the Organ, and the Great White Throne. There were quite a few climbers on some of these steep walls. We walked from the Big Bend to the Weeping Rock which is a rock alcove with dripping springs and hanging gardens.

Going Home ...

After lunch (pizza + chicken salad + chicken curry) at the Zion Lodge, it's time to go home. It's about 2.5 hour driving back to Las Vegas. We stopped at a McDonald's at Hurrican because we saw it has a very big playground. We arrived at Las Vegas early although there was some traffic on the highway I-15 in downtown area. We had a fast dinner at Burger King in the airport (I think we had the same thing last year when we visited Grand Canyon). We were all amazed by Utah's unique and magnificent canyon worlds. Linus and I have been talking about our next dream destination, Arches, even before we left the Utah Boundary.

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