Road Trip Day Twenty-Six

Today was our second day in Zion and one of the highlights of the whole trip. We had some breakfast at our campsite:

Then we filled up our day packs and started out for the nearby visitor center to catch the shuttle bus, catching sight of this guy on our way there:

After being in several sprawling national parks it was nice to be in one where you can get to most of the major sites from a free shuttle. The round trip through Zion canyon takes about 40 minutes to complete. As the bus stops along the way, there is a recorded audio commentary describing the history of various areas of the park. We took the bus all the way to the last stop, the Temple of Sinawava, where the canyon narrows into a slot canyon and the River Walk and Narrows trails begin.

I had read about the Narrows when researching the trip but wasn't sure how much of it we would be able to manage. This “trail” consists of walking up the Virgin River through the slot canyon, and starts at the end of the short, paved River Walk trail. We decided to go as far as we felt comfortable. This turned out to be pretty far, and we spent most of the day on this trail having a complete blast.

Here we are on the River Walk trail:

And here we are at the start of the Narrows:

We saw a lot of people properly equipped from a local outfitter with walking sticks and special river hiking shoes, but we managed OK with sandals and crocs. I was sorry that we had brought our hiking shoes, as we mostly had to carry them in our packs.

Rebecca and Toby decided to stop at one of the many swimming holes and hang out for a bit while Calvin and I pushed on a little further. I was secretly hoping to make it to the Wall Street area of the trail, where the canyon narrows to as little as 25 feet. I'm not sure if we made it but we got pretty close.

Calvin finally caught a lizard along the way, although it didn't seemed too concerned about it:

Sometime after this picture we finally turned around, a fair amount later than the half-hour we had promised Rebecca and Toby. We picked up the pace going back and I managed to trip at one point and my camera went flying out of an unzipped pocket and right into the river. I was worried that I would lose both the camera and all of the pictures from the day. I took the battery and flash card out and let it sit in the desert air overnight and fortunately everything was fine the next morning

When we got close to the beginning of the trail we caught up with Rebecca and Toby. In spite of several hours in the Narrows neither kid was done with the water and we spent another 45 minutes or so playing in the shallow rapids at the end of the River Walk.

Then we got on the shuttle and stopped at the Zion Lodge for a snack and some lounging in the shade of a big tree. We had dinner in our camp and had yet another session of river play in the section nearby before bed.

Tomorrow we head north on the way to the Tetons and Yellowstone.

 

12 thoughts on “Road Trip Day Twenty-Six

  1. Mike Vachon

    Very awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. The only part of Zion I saw was from the car window. Even this virtual visit is better than that!

    Reply
  2. Mike Vachon

    Very awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. The only part of Zion I saw was from the car window. Even this virtual visit is better than that!

    Reply
  3. mom and dad

    Wow, you were RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! Those pictures of Zion are absolutely gorgeous. Now I wish we had taken the
    time to do the Narrows hike, but we have enjoyed it through your eyes. You all look as if you are natural
    travelers – I love the picture of Cal with the lizard and the one with the 4 of you. Have fun at Devil’s Tower.
    Love and Hugs, Mom

    Reply
  4. mom and dad

    Wow, you were RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! Those pictures of Zion are absolutely gorgeous. Now I wish we had taken the
    time to do the Narrows hike, but we have enjoyed it through your eyes. You all look as if you are natural
    travelers – I love the picture of Cal with the lizard and the one with the 4 of you. Have fun at Devil’s Tower.
    Love and Hugs, Mom

    Reply
  5. Kim woodhouse

    I love reading about all of your adventures, sounds like you are all having an amazing trip! Zion does look incredible, enjoy every minute!

    Reply
  6. Kim woodhouse

    I love reading about all of your adventures, sounds like you are all having an amazing trip! Zion does look incredible, enjoy every minute!

    Reply
  7. mom and dad

    Hi Guys,
    All right – who had the pork burrito with mango salsa????? Did you guys see the rock formations that
    look like beehives? Can’t wait to see you all. Love, Mom and Dad
    PS What are you bringing back for wildlife?

    Reply
  8. mom and dad

    Hi Guys,
    All right – who had the pork burrito with mango salsa????? Did you guys see the rock formations that
    look like beehives? Can’t wait to see you all. Love, Mom and Dad
    PS What are you bringing back for wildlife?

    Reply
  9. mom and dad

    Hi Again,
    Can’t wait to see your Yellowstone pictures. Your speeding ticket in Wyoming beats our $44 parking ticket we got the first night in Quebec!!!!!!!! We are still anxious to see you soon. Love ya, Mom and Dad

    Reply
  10. mom and dad

    Hi Again,
    Can’t wait to see your Yellowstone pictures. Your speeding ticket in Wyoming beats our $44 parking ticket we got the first night in Quebec!!!!!!!! We are still anxious to see you soon. Love ya, Mom and Dad

    Reply

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