Having half a week of vacation in November-December turns into quite a conundrum, because there aren't too many place to go where the weather is nicer than in Boulder. I'm not saying the weather's great, but it seems to be cool, dry and free of snow. Not enough snow in the mountains for skiing and a bit cool for biking. The desert seemed to be the best answer with crowds gone for the season and cooler weather than the blistering summers. We flew into Cedar City about an hour outside Zion and took the scenic drive to the Cliffrose Inn, a stone's throw from the park entrance. We got a screaming' deal on this place due to the late season rental being priced at about a third of the summer rate. Summer does seem like a nice time to visit though, crowds, 100+ degree temperatures and ridiculous lodging prices.
Anyway, our accommodations were quite nice, walking distance to the park entrance and several restaurants, nice views of the Watchman and a large steaming hot tub about 50 yards away. We were a little scared when we stopped for dinner and we were the only diners. However, our meal was good and our server informed us that few people visited the park this time of year and many restaurants would close in another week. It's a theme we'd see replayed throughout our visit.
Having arrived in the evening, we were pleasantly surprised by our surroundings in the morning and I had to restrain myself from stopping every 5 minutes to shoot photos on our way into the park. Our first spectacular vista, not far from the entrance.
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| Court of the Patriarchs |
Our first day was spent grabbing the low-hanging fruit, short hikes with spectacular views, roadside vistas, etc. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive traces the Virgin river for about 10 miles along the base of the canyon while spectacular rock formations shoot steeply from the valley floor. We were surprised by how small the valley was and couldn't imagine huge crowds packed into this beautiful, compact area. In fact, you may only drive passenger vehicles along this stretch of road starting at the end of October. We walked the Riverside path until its end along the Virgin River where one enters The Narrows. More on that later
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| Virgin River |
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| The Pulpit at the Temple of Sinawava |
The trail to Emerald Pools led us to a few big muddy puddles, but Maddie had some fun climbing the Swiss/Cheddar cheese rock.
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| Views along Emerald Pools trail |
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| The Watchman as seen from the Cliffrose Inn |
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| Sunset lights the rocks behind the Cliffrose as seen from the hot tub |
After some dinner, we rested and departed for a hike up to Angel's Landing the following morning. Em was hesitant to hike this one with Maddie due to steep drop offs, but we did fine and the girls turned back before things got to harrowing on the final ascent. The park has placed metal posts and chains along the final climb to Angel's Landing and for good reason. I believe this is was probably the most dangerous hike I've seen in the national parks. My heart was in my throat for the final half mile as I clung to the chains while climbing the exposed rock. The only time I can remember being more apprehensive on a hike was off-trail while summiting Kahili on Kauai (the pointed mountain visible from our house). Grey weather made for obscured views and poor photos at the summit so I was quick to retreat and damn happy to make it back to Em and Maddie.
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| Angel's Landing |
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| View from atop Angel's Landing |
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| The Troll Hole |
We descended Walter's Wiggles back to the trailhead, a definite quad buster due to the steepness of the trail. You can see Em and Maddie a few switchbacks beneath my vantage point in the picture below.
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| Walter's Wiggles and Angel's Landing pic poached from the internet |
After surviving Angel's Landing, a few gross Utah beers were in order. Utah is not well known for their beer, save a few. With Em and Maddie needing a day to rest, I planned a hike through the Narrows for the following day. The Narrows are known as the defining hike in Zion and the source for many of the slot canyon pictures you see. Hiking entails stomping through the river (40 degrees) over slippery moss covered rocks while wearing a drysuit, neoprene booties and big river-walking shoes. Temperatures were to be in the 30's the following day and I was welcomed to the Narrows by snowflakes. A beautiful day to be slogging through waist-deep, nearly freezing water. To make matters worse (or more annoying, anyway), my wide-angle lens malfunctioned on the first shot in the Narrows. Every photo required me to shut of the camera and turn it back on. Sadly the light that day was grey and flat, so I couldn't do the Narrows justice with what I captured. A few decent ones below.
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| Sunset from Zion Canyon Scenic Drive |
Maddie and Em spent the day in more pleasant conditions, checking out displays at the Visitor's Center and reading in the warmth of the condo.
After grabbing morning coffee, we drove to a different area of Zion up Zion Mt. Carmel road through the tunnel with peek-a-boo views cut through the rock. We spent some time walking along the Canyon Overlook trail and playing around on the rocks.
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| The daily wake-me-up (hot chocolate) |
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| Fresh snow on the mountains |
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| Maddie, the budding photographer took this one |
Next, we hiked the East Rim trail, but ran out of daylight before getting any views into the canyon. Notably, this was designated as the final hike with the kid carrier. It nearly brought tears to my eyes. Almost 4 years ago, Maddie was beginning to hold her head up, a requirement to ride. Now, after covering close to 1000 miles together on Kauai, the Big Island, Oahu, Lanai, Molokai, Alaska, New Zealand, Kings Canyon, Rocky Mountain and now Zion... I can't believe it's over. I can't believe I'll never hoist that thing onto my back again with Maddie kicking and excited to get a snack. Crazy.
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| The Final Ride |
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| The First Ride |
On the drive back, some bighorn sheep were watching us pass by.
We enjoyed our last night then picked up a big breakfast the following morning and started our drive to Bryce Canyon for the day. Much of the park was closed due to the recent snow and the higher elevation of Bryce, but we still got to see some sweeping panoramas of canyons and hoodoos.
Our drive to the airport got a little complicated when we made a turn toward Cedar City and realized the pass was closed due to snow. We made it to the airport on time despite taking a roundabout route, then our flight was delayed. When we arrived in Salt Lake City, our flight was cancelled, but luckily immediately rescheduled. Arriving in Denver with icy temperatures and a good 6 inches of snow on the ground, we were pleased to see a nail in our rear tire. Luckily, it held air until we made it home. Amazing that we even made it.
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