zion

zion national park is spectacular.  its canyons are colorful and lush. the virgin river, which runs through the park and carved the canyons over thousands of years, is iridescent and gentle.  the tiny town outside zion's southern gate, springdale, is cute and quaint. we had great experiences in our two days at the park: driving in on route 9, exploring the bottom of the canyon and river, and ending our time at the park with a white-knuckle hike called angels landing.

the drive into the park from the east on route 9, even after the crazy drive we had through colorado and utah, was special.  all of zion evokes a john williams' score, but the drive in feels like entering jurassic park for the first time.  one of zion's iconic sites, the checkerboard mesa, is on the ride in. our pic is above.  also on the ride in is a drive through the mile-long zion-mt. carmel tunnel through the sandstone mesa built in the 1930s - a very cool experience.

on our first day we explored the zion human history museum, a good extension to the visitors center, and the canyons from the bottom, hiking along the virgin river for a couple miles.  first thing  monday morning we hiked angels landing - a steep (nearly 1500 ft ascent) and narrow hike up the side of one mesa and then out to the edge.  the last half mile is very narrow and rocky.  chains through the middle of the path help keep hikers on the path.  it was a bit nerve racking, as several hikers have died on the trail in the last five years, but the views were amazing.

zion was a special place - an incredible experience for whitney and me.