Zion Canyon

Today has been another great day! We didn't get up early, as we had planned; I think it was because of the time change. So, after a leisurely breakfast and time spent making snacks for our trip, we headed out to Zion National Park. It was about 40 miles away. The scenery in this State is fantastic, a beautiful vista whichever way you look. We took pictures but we've only posted this first one. This was taken as we were driving down Highway 9 toward the Park.

We arrived at the Park a little after 10:00 am. For a Friday morning, and the fact that it is still early in the season, there were lots of people heading in the same direction as us. There were a lot of familes and every family seemed to have at least 4 kids. What's up with that? The parking lot was pretty well full when we arrived. The park entry fee is $25.00 per car and is good for 7 days. Naturally we'll be coming back at least once more before we head to Salt Lake City :-)

The Zion Canyon road can only be traversed by shuttle bus, but that's a great way to get around. We took the shuttle to the far end of the road, a distance of about 8 miles. The shuttle is free and you can get on and off at any of the designated stops, which are usually coordinated with trailheads or viewpoints.

The views were breathtaking and I hope some of our pictures can do it justice and give you a flavour of the size and variety of formations.
Underneath a waterfall on the way to the Emerald Pools

The upper Emerald Pool

I couldn't get a picture that would pan all the way up the rock face and still keep Lise in the picture - someday that slab will break away This is at a wider part of the Canyon
We went on two moderate hikes on this trip. We are planning on going back tomorrow and trying a harder hike - Angels Landing. It is 5 miles roundtrip and takes about 4 hours.