Across Nevada to Zion National Park

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Yesterday was a long day of driving across Nevada to Utah. We made the decision based on the good weather forecast, to visit Zion National Park, east of St. George, Utah. The day began at our overnight rest stop. The surroundings looked a bit less bleak with the sun shining and the skies clearing up. A few cars and trucks passed by during the night, but otherwise it was very, very quiet.

Our route took us down the Extraterrestrial Highway, bleak and barren with only one small town along the way. We crossed classic Basin and Range topography. There were wide flat valleys with desert scrub and cattle unfenced on the open range. We had to stop for one crossing the highway. Then we would climb to 6,000', drive over a mountain pass and descend into another wide valley. The road was arrow straight.
We transitioned south and east across Nevada until we crossed into Utah. The closer we got to Utah, the more vegetation grew on the mountains, and we left the basin and range. At St. George we hit the final western step of the Grand Staircase which forms the end of the uplifted Colorado Plateau. The city is surrounded by riotous geology. There are mountains and red rocks, and sheer rock faces, and lava flows and cones. Lots of colors and shapes and surrounding them were clouds and rain showers and the hustle and bustle of a small city.

Great example of Basin and Range Topography northeast of Nellis AFB- Cresting one range and looking across a basin at the next range, with a small volcanic cinder cone perfectly framed.

Cow warning on the basin floor

The cow warning did not lie!

Joshua Trees and Junipers

We passed through St. George and drove east into Zion National Park. It is located within the Virgin River canyon. The same river we camped along a week earlier in the Virgin River Gorge as it flows south of here and into the Colorado at Lake Mead. We were assigned a spot in the Watchman campground and hooked up to electricity! Only the fourth time since we left Naples, Florida the first week of January.

Approaching Zion from Hurricane, Utah - Navajo Sandstone in every direction!

Today we started out with a drive up the canyon and then a hike to the end of the trail at the Narrows, where you have to wade in the water to hike any farther up the river. We watched the mule deer wade across instead of us! After lunch we hiked up to the Lower, Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. Zion is a very popular park. At the end of March, the shuttle buses will start running until the Fall and cars will not be allowed in the park. Even so, the parking lots were full today and there were lots of people on the trails. Unless you wanted to hike up the sides of the canyon and along the dangerous rim trails, there wasn't any solitude to be found.

Heading up the park road from camp

Along the River Walk to the Narrows

The beginning of the trail up the Narrows

Ferocious Megafauna!

"Hanging Garden" at a wall seep

Animatronic Squirrel

Swampy spring at base of wall

Looking up the Virgin River

Waterfalls as Lower Emerald Pool. See Greg on the trail at the base.

Middle Emerald Pool

Looking down from Upper Emerald Pool into the main canyon

The walls surrounding Upper Emerald Pool

Waterfall at top of cliff

Back down at the Virgin River

Desert Holley beginning to bloom

 Tomorrow we will continue our travels eastward. Crossing out of the park we'll head to the Lake Powell area and check out the Colorado River on the other side of the Grand Canyon from Lake Mead. Since we visited the Grand Canyon last Fall, we'll skirt north of there and drop down into Arizona. Might be a few fun boondocking spots around for a few days of quiet before we head over to New Mexico.