Trip Report: Installment #5

Here is the final installment of my May 2007 trip report. These are the final two days of my trip, May 30 %26amp; 31, and include the following:

May 30---Hike through the Virgin River Narrows to Big Springs and back; spent night in Springdale

May 31---Hike to Observation Point, mouth of Hidden Canyon, and Canyon Overlook; flew out of Las Vegas late at night

The two main hikes detailed in this installment were undoubtedly two of my favorite hikes during the trip and also rank as two of my favorite hikes anywhere I have traveled in the United States. I will be leaving for Virginia and Maryland in a few hours, so feel free to make any comments or ask any questions you have during my leave. If there is something you would like me to do in addition to the reports, let me know and I will be happy to try. I plan to make a list of bests and worsts of the trip (although, there really were not many bad parts) and may also make a ranking of my Top 10 favorite hikes of the trip or something similar.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the reports %26amp; I cannot wait to write another one next summer! It has been a very long process creating these reports (I%26#39;ve spent over 30 hours working on them) but I have also discovered some very interesting facts about the places I went that I never would have known if I had not researched them on the internet. For anyone who has kept up with all of my installments and read through each, thank you very much for taking the time to see exactly how our trip went---it was definitely an AMAZING trip!!!

Trip report to follow...

Sean

Trip Report: Installment #5

Day 10—Wednesday, May 30, 2007—Virgin River Narrows to Big Springs Hike

Today we had planned one of the country’s most popular, scenic, and adventurous hikes: the Virgin River Narrows. We got a fairly early start after eating some breakfast at the Best Western. We drove straight to the Visitor Center where we hopped on a shuttle bus that would take us through Zion Canyon to the trailhead. The first stop on the shuttle route was the Zion Canyon Museum. The museum had been the park’s visitor center several years ago and was recreated into a museum. The route then took us on the bridge over the Virgin River. This spot is one of the most popular with photographers at sunset. The view of the setting sun painting the Watchman a brilliant orange and the surrounding an almost purple hue attracts several photographers each evening.

As we entered the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive one of the first shuttle stops along the way was the Court of the Patriarchs Viewpoint. The Court of the Patriarchs is a collection of three peaks named after prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. On the right is a peak named after a Mormon prophet, Mount Moroni, which is the red peak that partially obstructs views of Jacob. Continuing up Zion Canyon, the next main shuttle stop is Zion Lodge. Like the Grand Canyon Lodge, the Zion Lodge was designed by Gilbert Underwood during the 1920s. In 1966 the lodge was destroyed by fire but rebuilt in 100 days. On April 12, 1995 a landslide downstream from the Zion Lodge dammed the Virgin River. In only two hours, the Virgin River carved 590 feet of the only road through Zion Canyon, leaving 450 guests and employees stranded at the Zion Lodge. A temporary one-lane road was constructed within a day to allow the trapped visitors a way to exit, and by May 25 the road was reconstructed.

Zion Lodge is also the trailhead for one of the most popular hikes in the park: Emerald Pools. The trail leads hikers to three pools, Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pools. Lower Emerald Pool is in a lush alcove where twin waterfalls drop over a cliff from Middle Emerald Pool. Shallow streams cross the trail at Middle Emerald Pool, and wonderful views of Red Arch Mountain and Lady Mountain can be seen. Upper Emerald Pool is less visited but is amazingly surrounded by towering cliffs on three sides. The ease of hiking to the pools makes this trail one of the most popular trails for visitors to Zion National Park.

Not far upriver from Zion Lodge is The Grotto. The Grotto is the trailhead for the West Rim Trail and another one of Zion’s classic hikes, Angels Landing. The West Rim Trail is deceptively easy at first but then begins to gain a fair deal of elevation. The trail then passes through the cool corridor of Refrigerator Canyon before beginning the rapid ascent to Scouts Landing up Walters Wiggles. Walters Wiggles are a series of several steep switchbacks constructed by the CCC in 1930. From Scouts Landing, a spur trail leads ½ mile along a very narrow, exposed trail to the top of Angels Landing. This section of the trail is very dangerous, and several people have fallen to their deaths while hiking along the narrow ridge. Chains are bolted into the rock most of the way up, but in some places the trail is only a few feet wide with over 1,000-foot dropoffs. The 360̊ view from Angels Landing draws thousands of hikers each year. From Scouts Landing the West Rim Trail ascends to the rim at Cabin Springs. The trail splits left and right from there. To the right (east) the trail passes through the beautiful white cliff area of Telephone Canyon. To the left (west) the trail provides spectacular views into the gorgeous Great West Canyon. The two trails eventually meet and head north to Potato Hollow and on to Lava Point, a trailhead off the less popular Kolob Terrace Road.

After The Grotto, the shuttle stops at Weeping Rock. Here visitors can take a very short walk to Weeping Rock, a mossy alcove where a spring often pours water over the cliff. The East Rim Trail begins at Weeping Rock and passes through Echo Canyon. Hikers frequently use the East Rim Trail to gain access to Hidden Canyon and Observation Point, two of the park’s most popular trails. The trail ascends steeply to the white cliffs of the East Rim. The trail arrives at Stave Spring, where the trail leads right or left. To the right (west) are two dead ends that lead to beautiful vistas from Cable and Deertrap Mountains. To the left (east) the East Rim Trail makes its descent to the park’s East Entrance off the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.

The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive then takes a detour around The Organ, a huge tower that lies below Angels Landing. Here the Virgin River makes a great bend. At the far terminus of the shuttle route is the Temple of Sinawava, trailhead for our day hike. The trail begins by traveling one mile along the flat, paved, and sandy Riverside Walk. This trail is very popular with visitors as it runs alongside the scenic Virgin River and ends at the mouth of the Virgin River Narrows. Once at the trail’s end, the river acts as the trail for further exploration of the area. It took us 20 minutes to hike the mile from Temple of Sinawava to the end of the Riverside Walk, and along the way we saw beautiful orange Columbine.

Our destination for the day was Big Springs, located almost 5 miles up the Virgin River from the Temple of Sinawava. We began this hike around 9:00 a.m. and it was rather chilly. The water was extremely cold at first and actually gave us small foot cramps. However, our feet adjusted to the icy water and before long the sun would warm the canyon up nicely. The Narrows refers to the slot canyon carved by the North Fork of the Virgin River. The true Narrows of the Virgin River are actually located between the junction with Orderville Canyon and Big Springs. Although the section of trail between the Riverside Walk and Orderville is very narrow and deep, it is most spectacular along the stretch of river north of the Orderville junction. At its narrowest, the canyon is only 22 feet wide and 1,500 feet deep.

One of the first sights along the trail is Mystery Falls, a large slab of sandstone where spring water from Mystery Canyon enters the Virgin River. Mystery Falls is a popular rappel sight where canyoneers ascend to explore Mystery Canyon. About a mile past the end of the Riverside Walk is the Narrows Alcove. The alcove is a beautiful rock amphitheater surrounded by an oasis of green, a favorite among photographers. As we were here early in the morning, the sun had not yet penetrated this part of the canyon. However, in some sections of the canyon the sun bounced off the canyon walls, accenting the brilliant sandstone walls. We had hiked part of the Virgin River Narrows in 2002 and had been to Narrows Alcove before. We had gone a little further upriver before turning around, so we soon entered new scenery. If we only knew what lay ½ mile past the alcove, I think we would have continued hiking that trip.

After having hiked for two hours from the Temple of Sinawava, we arrived at the confluence of the Narrows and Orderville Canyon. This junction is a popular turn-around point for bottom-up hikers. If you take a right you will enter Orderville, and after hiking for several minutes will arrive at a small waterfall that prevents further entry into the canyon without the use of technical equipment. We did not walk up Orderville Canyon but instead decided to continue up the Virgin River Narrows. Mere minutes after leaving Orderville Canyon we clearly entered the true Narrows. The next couple of miles proved to be the most stunning of the entire hike. It is difficult to describe the experience of walking through the Narrows, truly one of the most awe-inspiring places in the world. Exploring this section of the Virgin River was likely the highlight of our entire trip.

As we continued upriver we came to our first potential obstacle. There was a hiker standing in the river before a large rock saying that if we wanted to continue any further up the canyon we would either have to swim in rather shallow water to the left of the boulder or swim briefly through deep water to the right of the boulder. We were disappointed at the news but were determined to reach Big Springs. We slowly approached the left side and tried to find the highest ground. We hugged the cliffside and in doing so actually found a route where the water only reached waist deep. After our entire group had safely crossed, the man was still not convinced and decided to head back to Orderville.

The next couple of miles on the way to Big Springs would be characterized by much of the same. The scenery along the way was unbelievable. The Narrows seemed to grow even more fascinating as the sun soon rose directly overhead. Still, the sun rarely shined on us as we walked along the riverbed. On the way to Big Springs, we likely encountered five rather serious obstacles, all of which we successfully traversed. Some of these were simply walking in the river where the water looked to be 5 to 6 feet deep, but we always found a route where the water only reached waist level. A few of the obstacles required climbed over trees and boulders which was at some times rather tricky and dangerous. There were several points on the trail that most people would probably never consider trying to pass. There was a hiker just in front of us who we had been talking with who climbed over a boulder and stepped down onto a supporting log. He slipped and hit a rock, but miraculously he and his equipment were fine. He did have a few scratches, but he was very fortunate.

Hiking in the Zion Narrows can be very hazardous. A hiker can get seriously injured while maneuvering through the canyon. Sometimes there are relatively few people who enter this stretch of the river, especially if it is late in the day or during the shoulder season. Rescue from this area could take days if the hiker has no way of contacting others. However, the most serious threats of hiking in the Narrows or any other slot canyon is the risk of flash flooding. Particularly during the monsoon season from mid-July to mid-September the risk of flash flooding is high. If the NPS deems the threat of a flash flood to be high, they will often close the trail. Several visitors have died during flash floods in Zion National Park, so it is something not to be taken lightly.

After making the slow toll past many obstacles up the Virgin River from Orderville Canyon we finally arrived at Big Springs. It had taken 4 hours, 25 minutes for us to hike up from the Temple of Sinawava and took 2 hours, 25 minutes since leaving the junction with Orderville. Once at our destination, we took many photographs and then sat down on the shore to eat some snacks. For awhile before arriving at Big Springs, the extremely narrow, deep canyon of the true Narrows had disappeared, and now we were an area where the canyon was quite wide and only a few hundred feet high. We had seen an absolutely breathtaking photograph of Big Springs on a website prior to taking the hike, and we were thrilled that we had finally made it to this beautiful spot.

Big Springs is an lush oasis of green vegetation and cascading water. We had passed several springs along the way, but Big Springs put all others to shame. It seems to be more of a small creek than a spring. There are several waterfalls that come straight from the canyon walls and cascade over ten feet down to the Virgin River. The pure water makes the deepest water turn turquoise, and the lush greenery complements the beautiful sandstone cliffs that surrounds it. Big Springs is the farthest upriver bottom-up hikers are supposed to travel without getting a backcountry permit. We saw a couple groups of hikers coming from the north, likely making the top-down hike from Chamberlain Ranch. There were, however a few people there that were obviously bottom-up hikers like us.

After spending 30 minutes marveling at the beauty of Big Springs, we continued back the way we had come. Most of the obstacles we passed on the way up were more easily conquered on the return trip because we already knew the best and safest route to take. Hiking down the river also proved much easier as we were now walking with rather than against the current. Now in the mid afternoon the sun cast slightly different color upon the canyon walls, and as always the scene was other-worldly. After hiking for 1 hour, 50 minutes from Big Springs we arrived again at the confluence with Orderville Canyon. Another 50 minutes later we were back at the Riverside Walk, and it only took 20 minutes to walk back to the Temple of Sinawava from there. In total, the day consisted of approximately 9.8 miles of hiking, 7.8 miles of which were through water. Including the 30 minute stop at Big Springs, the entire hike took a total of 7 hours, 55 minutes to complete. We certainly spent the better part of a day completing this hike, but honestly it ranked as one of the best days of hiking I’ve ever experienced. The Virgin River Narrows hike certainly contains some of the most humbling and stunning scenery to be found anywhere.

Since we were actually finished with the hike at a fairly early hour, we decided we would just drive back to the Best Western RV Park and get cleaned up before going out to dinner. Unfortunately we had to make the difficult decision of whether to dine at Spotted Dog Café or Bit %26amp; Spur Saloon. Since Spotted Dog was within walking distance of our hotel, we chose to eat there. We were surprised to find that the restaurant was actually rather up-scale. Most of the menu was a bit pricy, but once we received our food we understood why. I think most of our group would agree that our meal at Spotted Dog Café was the best of the entire trip. The atmosphere was very pleasant, but I don’t recall the service to be anything spectacular. Overall, it was an awesome dinner, somewhere I would definitely eat at again. After the excellent meal at Spotted Dog, we walked back to our room and rested for the night. We had one more day in the West before flying back to Tennessee late that night. Our final day would include two more classic Zion hikes.

Day 11—Thursday, May 31, 2007—Observation Point Hike and Flight Home

After one of the most incredible days of hiking on any vacation, we had only one final day in Zion National Park before flying back to Tennessee from Las Vegas late in the evening. We left the Best Western RV Park fairly early again and made sure our luggage was ready for the flight. We again drove into the park and stopped at the visitor center to take a shuttle bus into Zion Canyon.

The shuttles run by the NPS through Zion Canyon are propane-powered, so they are a much cleaner source of transportation than most automobiles. The buses stop at nine designated stops along the way from the Zion National Park Visitor Center all the way to the Temple of Sinawava. A separate bus route takes visitors from the visitor center to the town of Springdale. Prior to the introduction of the shuttles into Zion National Park, Zion Canyon was a traffic nightmare. Along the six miles of highway through the canyon, there were only 250 parking spaces and often a few thousand cars trying to get a spot. Eventually the problem got so bad that some visitors got into violent disputes over parking spaces. As the number of visitations each year climbed to several million the NPS decided some measures had to be taken to reduce the negative impact on the park’s ecosystem.

The new shuttle system was put in place in 2000, and thousands of automobile trips into the canyon were avoided each day. The clean propane shuttles also greatly reduced the steady decline of air quality in the park. Many national parks around the country struggle, usually unsuccessfully, to maintain a good air quality, but Zion has already eliminated this problem. Today the air in Zion National Park is among the cleanest air in the United States, an incredible fact given the number of people who visit the park each year. Zion’s shuttle system was certainly a stepping stone in the trend to find ways to be more ecologically friendly. Now several national parks, including Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, and Sequoia to name a few have established their own low-energy shuttle systems in the most heavily visited areas of the parks. The shuttle system has also been vital in supporting the park’s wildlife. It is not at all rare to see deer from one of the shuttles. The shuttles have had an incredibly beneficial impact upon all aspects of Zion National Park.

Today we wanted to do a hike that would only take a few hours. After the hike we were going to stop by the Zion Lodge to get some posters and other gifts, and afterwards we would drive up the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway to the park’s East Entrance to see the scenery during the day before we drove to Vegas. On the bus everyone decided that they wanted to do Angels Landing, but I was not sure whether that would be a good idea for me to try just 3 months out from ACL surgery and with a slight fear of heights. I told everyone to stop at The Grotto shuttle stop so they could do the hike to Angels Landing. Meanwhile, I took the shuttle to the next stop, Weeping Rock, where I planned to hike to Observation Point solo.

On the West Rim Trail, my brothers made it up to Scouts Landing and then took the ½ mile knife-edged trail along the ridge of Angels Landing. After climbing to Angels Landing they descended the West Rim Trail, spending about 2 ½ hours doing the hike. They then took the shuttle to Big Bend shuttle stop. From there they walked along the road to the Temple of Sinawava in order to get a close-up view of Menu Falls along the way. My parents also hiked the West Rim Trail, but neither climbed to the top of Angels Landing. My mother stop at Scouts Landing and descended. My father continued up the West Rim Trail approximately another mile to get a view of Walters Wiggles, Angels Landing, and the Great White Throne together.

As they were doing this, I blazed the trail up to Observation Point. I was on the other side of the canyon on the East Rim Trail. The first mile of the trail was a constant steep climb up a series of numerous switchbacks up to the junction with Hidden Canyon. It took me 15 minutes to hike this first mile that gained several hundred feet. The views along this section were breathtaking. To the north the destination for the day could be seen high above the canyon: Observation Point. Looking back to the west toward the Weeping Rock shuttle stop I could see the white cliffs of the West Rim above the huge monolith Angels Landing. Below Angels Landing was The Organ, and the distinct bend in the Virgin River could be seen as it made its way around both Angels Landing and The Organ. After the mile of hiking, the East Rim Trail continues to the left while the spur trail to Hidden Canyon heads off to the right (south).

Not far from the trail junction the trail enters Lower Echo Canyon. This early in the morning the sandstone cliffs were illuminated red. The first part of Echo Canyon the slot is actually to the left of the trail and drops down dozens of feet. Then a shallower section of the canyon appears. At 1 ½ miles into the hike the trail enters Middle Echo Canyon. Here hikers can walk right up to the mouth of the slot canyon and walk a few feet back before having to turn around due to a large obstacle. Meanwhile, the trail ascends to the left and hugs the left canyon wall while the slot canyon drops dozens of feet off to the right. This section does not have any chains, but I never felt uncomfortable here. It was definitely a nice dropoffs into the slot canyon to the right, but the trail was fairly wide. Plus, the scenery was just amazing. The sun also made the canyon shine in a mysteriously beautiful way. Already this trail was well worth its difficulty as Echo Canyon is one of the most scenic slot canyons in the area.

Once exiting Middle Echo Canyon, the trail opened up to fantastic views of the white cliffs of the East Rim. The trail continued to ascend and more of the remote East Rim country was revealed. At 2 miles into the hike the trail split. The East Rim Trail continued right and ascends to the canyons rim a few miles away. From there popular hikes to Cable and Deertrap Mountains are accessible. To the left the 2-mile spur trail to Observation Point ascends rather steeply but with amazing views along the way. Looking back to the west the view now included some of the West Rim as well as the profile of huge Great White Throne. The Great White Throne rises 2,400 feet above the canyon floor and is one of the most famous landmarks in Zion National Park. W.H.W. Evans was the first to attempt an ascent of the Great White Throne on June 27, 1927. On the way down he fell and nearly died. During the rescue process Hidden Canyon was discovered and the next year the East Rim Trail to Hidden Canyon was constructed. The Great White Throne’s name came from a Methodist minister who thought the monolith was magnificent enough to represent the throne of God.

The trail continued to ascend up steep switchbacks with ever increasingly beautiful views of the remote East Rim. The trail at times was cut into rock and was not very wide. At points it was only a few feet wide, but generally the dropoffs were not significant and the trail was sloped inward toward the cliffside. Also, the trail was all a smooth slab of rock, so it was almost like walking on a paved path. The trail made its final ascent to the rim after an impressive “Z” switchback carved right into the cliffside. Once on the rim, the trail actually descended for a short distance and was nearly flat from there to Observation Point. Along the ridge I could see Observation Point, but it was still nearly a mile away. The trail was open nearly the entire way with incredible views to the south and west of the main Zion Canyon. The views just continued to get more exceptional as I neared Observation Point.

Less than ½ mile before reaching Observation Point the trail met with the East Mesa Trail. The East Mesa Trail is a way for people to easily access Observation Point. The trailhead begins on a road past Ponderosa Ranch Resort and is very short and easy. This area of the trail was scattered with sagebrush and other southwestern vegetation. Not far from the trail junction the trail entered into a fabulous display of wildflowers. There were thousands of white primrose that had just bloomed alongside the trail. Shades of red, pinks, white, and yellow wildflowers dotted the high plateau while the greenery of sagebrush and other vegetation complemented the scene. There were also many short fire-scorched trees through this section of the trail, so it made for a beautiful sight of both life and death on the East Rim.

Not far from the great wildflower display the trail finally reached Observation Point. Before reaching the point itself, small overlooks to the right of the trail looked down over 2,000 feet to the mouth of the Virgin River Narrows and the Temple of Sinawava. Above that were the white cliffs of Telephone Canyon, accessible via the West Rim Trail. Far off to the northwest I could see the mesas of the Upper Kolob Plateau that run alongside the Kolob Terrace Road. I then continued on to Observation Point where I took dozens of pictures and relaxed. There were many people at the point when I arrived, and most sounded British. I immediately found the geological survey marker at the top and sat beside it. The trail that ascends 2,100 feet over dozens of switchbacks had only taken me 1 hour, 40 minutes and I managed to stop only once along the way for a quick rest.

The view from Observation Point was one of the most scenic views I have seen anywhere. Although the plateau on which Observation Point is located prevents it from having a complete 360 degree view, the sights it does include are spectacular. Clockwise from left (east) to right (northwest) the view includes the following: The East Rim including Cable Mountain, the Great White Throne, Red Arch Mountain, and the Watchman; the view down the canyon includes The Organ almost directly beneath, Angels Landing which looks small from this vantage point over 500 feet higher, the river’s bend, and stretches all the way down to Springdale; and the West Rim including Cathedral Mountain, Castle Dome, the Three Patriarchs, and Telephone Canyon. Along with the view from Yosemite’s Sentinel Dome and Glacier Point, Sequoia’s Moro Rock, and Grand Canyon’s Cape Royal and Point Imperial, Zion’s Observation Point was one of the most spectacular vistas anywhere during our trip.

After spending 15 minutes taking in the gorgeous view from Observation Point, I made the descent of the East Rim Trail. Obviously the trail was much easier on the lungs but not on the knees. Still, I made a rapid descent and never had an issue with my ACL. After hiking down three miles from Observation Point to the junction with the Hidden Canyon Trail in 1 hour, 15 minutes I decided I had time to take the Hidden Canyon Trail before taking the shuttle to Zion Lodge where I would meet my family. The Hidden Canyon Trail ascends very steeply immediately up a series of switchbacks. Then the trail becomes exposed at only a few feet wide with a good deal of exposure. On some parts the trail has a chain to aid hikers. The trail also ascends some stairs along the way to the mouth of the canyon. After hiking approximately ½ mile to what I assumed was the canyon’s mouth, I had enough and decided to turn around. There were good views of Observation Point and the Great White Throne along the way, but Hidden Canyon did not look even as interesting as Echo Canyon which was much more easily accessible.

After spending 25 minutes hiking up and down the Hidden Canyon Trail, I arrived back at the trail junction and hiked the last mile down to the Weeping Rock shuttle stop in 15 minutes. In total the hike gained over 2,100 feet, was just over 9 miles long, and took me 3 hours, 35 minutes of hiking time to complete, so I averaged just over 2 ½ miles/hour on one of the park’s most strenuous trails. That wasn’t too bad for having had ACL surgery just 3 months earlier. Overall, the trail to Observation Point was one of the most enjoyable of the entire trip. The beautiful red, water-sculpted cliffs of Middle Echo Canyon, the unobstructed views along the entire hike, the gorgeous wildflower display, and the magnificent vista from Observation Point made this hike one of my favorites in any of the national parks.

After completing the hike, I took the shuttle back to Zion Lodge and was actually finished before my parents arrived after their 4-6 mile hike up the West Rim Trail. We met and bought some ice cream and gifts while we waited for my brothers to return from their walk up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to look at Menu Falls. Menu Falls is so-named because a picture of it was put on the cover of the first Zion Lodge dining menu. The actual waterfall is not very large, but the thought is quite impressive. The water that feeds Menu Falls come from a spring inside the walls of Zion Canyon. Sandstone is somewhat porous, so rainwater can be absorbed into the rock and make its way down through the rock over hundreds of years. The water that comes from Menu Falls fell on the East Rim approximately 4,000 years ago and ever since has made its slow journey through the rock to eventually join the Virgin River.

After we all met up at Zion Lodge and bought some final gifts, we took the shuttle back to the visitor center. At the visitor center we all used the water pumps to wash off our dirty feet and legs, and we changed in the bathroom so we would be decent on the flight home. After we all got cleaned up, we took the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway up to the Checkerboard Mesa Overlook. Checkerboard Mesa is a mass slickrock mountain with crossbedded layers of etches on its north face. The lines cross each other perpendicularly so it looks like a checkerboard. It was named in 1938 by a park superintendent, and before that time it was called Rock Candy Mountain.

After stopping briefly at the overlook we turned around and headed back down the highway. Off to the left (south) of the road we saw several desert bighorn sheep and took some pictures of them. After that we continued to the upper end of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel where we parked to take the short trail to Canyon Overlook. The entire hike is one mile long with an elevation gain of 163 feet, but it seems to gain almost all of its elevation up the first minutes of the hike. Below the trail is a slot canyon formed by Pine Creek. Pine Creek slot canyon is a very popular rappel area and makes its way all the way down to Zion Canyon. The trail continues on to a beautiful alcove lined with maidenhair fern. It then traverses through slickrock hoodoos and off to the left hikers can see the small windows of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel can be seen. After ½ mile of easy walking, the trail ends at the overlook.

The Canyon Overlook is located directly above the Great Arch, viewable from further down the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. The view from the overlook includes, from left to right, West Temple, Bridge Mountain, Sundial, Altar of Sacrifice, Beehives, Stained Wall, and East Temple. Below Pine Creek is visible making its way toward the main canyon. From the overlook dozens of sparrows were zooming through the sky at very fast speeds and not at all far above us. By the time we were at the overlook it was already mid-afternoon, and the sun was not well suited for taking photographs. The scene was still amazing, however. After spending some time at our last hiking destination of the trip, we hiked back to our car. We had to wait for an escort of an RV to make its way up through the tunnel before we could make our way down to Springdale.

We made one last stop on the way out of the park to take some photos of the entrance sign and the beautiful peaks of the East Rim. We then drove to St. George and took I-15 south to Las Vegas. We decided to eat dinner at Chili’s but first pulled into the parking lot and made sure all of our luggage was ready to be taken to the airport and the rental car was in fine shape. We had a nice dinner as usual at Chili’s and then drove to McCarran International Airport. After dropping off our rental car and taking care of all of the necessary routines before flying, we sat in the terminal for nearly an hour before our flight, which took off around 11:30 p.m. PST. The flight back was nothing exiting as it was all in the dark, but we hit very little turbulence at all. As we flew through Tennessee the sky began to brighten as the sun rose. We could see a blanket of fog over the entire land. Although our plane took off from Vegas nearly 20 minutes late, we managed to arrive in Knoxville 15 minutes early. After getting our luggage we hopped in our car and drove back home. The sun was a dull red circle through the mist, and we realized we had finally met our first cloudy day.

In summary, our western trip to seven western national parks in California, Arizona, and Utah was definitely one of the most memorable trips yet taken. Everyone hiked over 60 miles of trails during the trip, and in doing so we saw some spectacular scenery that can only be seen on foot. Not a single drop of rain fell the entire trip, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky some days. I enjoyed every moment of the trip and know that each place I went is somewhere I would readily visit again. The American national parks provide visitors with a rare opportunity to escape from the hustle-bustle of everyday life and get in touch with the natural world. Vacations such as these when the major emphasis is forming such a connection through sightseeing and hiking are something I look forward to each year. Our May 2007 trip definitely did not disappoint as it included some of the most stunning locations in the United States.