The Great Western Tour: Part 7

 Zion National Park

   From the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the obvious route as we gradually make our way home is up to Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. The latter is just off I-70, which surprisingly for an interstate, is a scenic road in its own right.

   There are other places worth a visit in Utah--Monument Valley, Glen Canyon, and Grand Staircase Escalante for example--but we visited them on other trips. Utah is so incredible you can't go wrong no matter which route you choose or where you go. 

  Zion is the Hebrew word for refuge or sanctuary. It is said that Isaac Behunin, the first settler in Zion Canyon, gave the area that name in the expectation that it could be a sanctuary for Mormons fleeing religious persecution in the East. Many of the placenames in the park might seem to share that sort of Mormon heritage but, in fact, most do not. Major John Wesley Powell conducted the first scientific exploration there in 1872 and named the highest point West Temple (7,800 ft) and its neighbor East Temple (7,110 ft.) Other places were named by a Methodist preacher, Frederick Fisher: The Great White Throne, Angels Landing, The Three Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), and The Watchman at the entrance to the canyon. The Temple of Sinawava is named for the Paiute Indian coyote spirit. The Virgin River that flows through the canyon may have come down for Spanish explorers honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus. Or, it might be for fur trapper Thomas Virgin who traveled with Jedidiah Smith.

   Even if you never learn their names, you will certainly learn to love the grandeur of Zion. This is desert country but it was shaped by water. The colorful sheer cliffs continue to be eroded and shaped by the Virgin. Usually this occurs quite slowly but, following unseen storms far outside the park, flashfloods come roaring through narrow canyons carrying many tons of boulders, gravel and debris. And an occasional unwary hiker. Rangers caution against entering any canyon without knowing what the weather has brewing. That water also supports abundant animal and plant life all along the river. 

The trail to the Emerald Pools passes behind misty waterfalls.

Limited space for parking in a narrow canyon resulted in the use

of shuttle buses. Get off at any stop and another bus will be along

every 15 minutes.

Some trails, such as Angels Landing and Hidden Canyon, come equipped 

with chains because that first wrong step can be a doozy.

The "trail" at Gateway to the Narrows is the bed of the Virgin River.

   

The Great Western Tour: Part 6

 Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is known for being a mile deep. What many visitors are surprised to discover is that first you have to climb 8,000 feet up in order to look a mile down. It is also 18 miles across at its widest point. Today these stats are taken as features. For early travelers, though, they were bugs. How were you supposed to get through there? 

   On today's highways it is 215 from from one rim to the other. You could do that in about 5 hours. Or, if you were really strong and ambitious, you might consider the 24-mile hike on the North Kaibab to Bright Angel Trail. Most sensible people are content to settle for what they can see right from either rim. A few walk a short distance into the canyon. Or, you you might consider riding a sure-footed mule. More about that later.

   Though Grand Canyon is in Arizona, in January it is not like visiting Phoenix. There is a lot of snow at 8,000 feet so the typical visitor goes in summer. When Phoenix is enjoying temperatures above 100 degrees, it is quite comfortable 8,000 feet higher. The South Rim is open all year but the North Rim is closed mid-October to mid-May because it averages another thousand feet higher and all that beautiful snow closes the roads. 

   

South Rim

     These photos represent what you can see from the popular South Rim overlooks. North Rim shots appear after these. I'm betting that you won't be able to tell the difference so which rim you choose is a matter of your general itinerary and the available time. Our first visit was before retirement so we didn't have the luxury of combining Grand Canyon with the marvelous five national parks in Utah as we did on later excursions. We'll go on the the Utah parks in the next post.

Mule deer are common on the South Rim.

There are bison up on the North Rim.

You might consider walking at least a short distance into the canyon.

The trail is steep so pace yourself and take plenty of water.

Mule rides into the canyon are popular. Usually.

If you hike down into the canyon just far enough to have lunch,

be alert for thieving ground squirrels.

The Desert View Watchtower was built in 1932 based on 

Ancestral Puebloan architecture.

The Colorado River is usually hidden by intervening plateaus.

North Rim

Shirley's sure-footed mule Dagwood went stumbling down the trail

and nearly dumped her over the cliff. If not for the courage of the

fearless wrangler, this visitor would have been lost.

When we returned several years later, I asked the wranglers if

Dagwood had been made into dog food yet. "Oh, no. There he is."

The North Rim Lodge sits on the edge of the cliff. Great views

from your room or the deck.

Archeologists insist this is not just a cave opening but a store house

used by the Ancestral Puebloans.

The trail runs beneath an overhanging ledge. Natural springs along

the way explain why the Puebloans chose to live there.

The 900-year-old remains of the pueblo was being excavated

a short distance from the lodge. 

The site was used only during the summer to fall growing season.

Winters up there were too harsh.