Zion National Park: March 19-22, 2012

For Spring break I journeyed with my dad to Zion National Park in Utah.  There were many activities available but we didn't plan much specifically before arriving as we were unsure about the weather in March.  We ended up doing many of the best day hikes and then did a short backpacking trip into the desert.  We flew into Las Vegas and had a nice drive to the park.

Upon arrival we drove down the scenic road and stopped to take many pictures.

There was some fresh snow and there was a slight chill in the air.

The color of the road is indeed special.

Virgin River

Our rental car was imported from Detroit!

On day 1 we did several day hikes.  Here is a guide to the many day hikes available at Zion National Park:  Zion Hiking Guide

First we did the Lower and Upper Emerald Pools which are numbers 5 and 6 in the guide.

We began by crossing the river.

The waterfalls with the ice were very impressive.

Looking out across the canyon.

At the upper pool

After returning to our car we drove north to the end of the road at to do the Riverside walk, number 13. We had hoped to do the narrows but were informed that the water was too high at this time of year.

Next we did the Canyon Overlook Trail, number 15.  There was a nice wooden walkway with a railing for safety.

The view was very impressive!

On the hike we also saw a big horn sheep.

After completing our hikes for the day, we went into town and found some amazing food!  Later that evening, great light fell on the mountains.

Our campsite on the morning of day 2 at the South Campground.

Today we experienced warmer weather.  We intended to go to the top of Angel's Landing but we heard there was still some slippery ice on the final ascent some we weren't sure how far we would go.

This trail is very well maintained and much of it was paved. The view down the valley was majestic.

Refrigerator Canyon

We made it to the famous Walter's Wiggles and they still had some ice.

The views from Scout's Lookout

We took a break to eat some and assess whether we wanted to attempt going to the top of Angel's Landing.  We saw some people initially starting up the cables but were going very slow. Our decision was that it was probably too dangerous to risk so we went for a short journey up the West Rim trail.

After returning from the West Rim Trail, we re-assessed the situation on Angel's Landing.  The temperature had warmed and additional ice had melted so we decided that we would make an attempt.

There were a few slippery spots, but there were cables in almost all the sketchy places except one or two where we slowed down and took our time.  From Scout's Lookout the top actually looks closer than it really is, because we had to go up, then down, then finally back up again.

The classic view from the top!

The classic Zion view

Looking back on the summit ridge

Here is the middle before the 2nd part of the ascent.

We had minimal difficulty with our descent.  There was one spot where we had to turn around and slide/slowly step down backwards.

Descending Walter's Wiggles

Back in the valley we found nice reflections of Angel's Landing. Look closely in the photo above to see the deer.

Later that evening we drove to see some of the high country.  We found this beautiful evening view and later a significant amount of snow.

On Day three we slept in a little and decided we would leave for a short backpacking trip.  We were unsure what would be available this time of year.  After waiting for the ranger to finish lunch, we acquired permits for the desert section which the ranger informed us would be best during this season.  We started from the Coalpits Wash trailhead with our destination being Campsite #5.

 I had never done any desert hiking, so this was a new and rewarding experience. We hiked to campsite #6 and then followed wash to the left to campsite #5.

Given the short distance to our destination we were there quickly.

The views were still quite large, even in the desert!

I climbed up a little higher from the campsite to find these views!

That night we decided to sleep out under the stars.  It turned out to be quite cold and my sleeping bag managed to get wet.  I didn't sleep that well, but it was a great learning experience about the cold desert nights.

The next and final day we looped back a different way passing campsites 4 and 3 until we rejoined our former route at campsite #6.  We hiked back to our car and it was time to head to the airport to fly back to Michigan.

Seeing Zion at this time of year certainly had its pros and cons.  The temperature were cool and the snow made for unique scenery.  The weather and season also limited our ability to do some of the famous activities at Zion such as the Narrows, West Rim Trail, and Kolob Arch.  In the future I would like to do the Zion Traverserse and the Subway.