Day 12, Zion National Park, UT - Oct 1, 2008 - Zion National Park, Utah, United States

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UT After another early departure and a one hour drive, we arrived at Zion National Park northwest of Kabab. Zion National Park is an approximately 3,000 foot deep canyon with sheer cliffs on either side. The drive into the park was via a series of switchbacks, the likes of which we have never seen, and a mile long tunnel which was not wide enough for two lanes of large vehicles. They stop traffic for the large vehicles to travel through. Back to Zion, many of the features are named after biblical figures, not by the Mormons, but by a reverend/explorer that visited the area shortly after it was named a national park. We arrived at Zion Lodge, then took the shuttle to the Grotto, Weeping Rock, and Temple of Sinawava where we did the Riverside Walk trail. Along the way we noted the Great White Throne formation.

White Throne

After lunch, we stopped by the old Zion Lodge and did a hike to Emerald Pools. Water coming out of the mountain has been found to be up to 400 years old, filtering through the rocks all that time. Returning to the Lodge, Donald had his picture taken beside the old, old cottonwood tree on the lawn.

Donald on the Lodge Lawn

While at Zion National Park, we also saw the Sentinel, Altar of Sacrifice, and East Temple, all over 7,000 feet.

On the way out, we stopped to look at Checkerboard Mesa which has both horizontal and vertical planes. Once again, photos do not do justice to the “sheer” dimensions of any of the geologic features.