Zion National Park: The Narrows

I had two main objectives when I started my day at Zion National Park. The first was to hike Angel's Landing, which I was able to knock out by 10 a.m. The other was to hike The Narrows with the hopes of reaching Orderville Canyon.

I didn't realize that a one-mile hike up the Riverside Walk was needed just to get to The Narrows.  No worries, even in water shoes.  And I continued to marvel at the park's unique mix of dry canyon walls and lush vegetation.

Seriously, the hanging gardens where water was literally being squeezed out of the rock looked like gigantic terrariums.

The afternoon was hot, and the Virgin River looked mighty inviting.

One of the park's best-known features seems like it may have been the byproduct of a lazy civil engineer who just got bored with planning a trail and decided to abruptly end the Riverside Walk.  Fortunately for untold numbers of hikers, the opportunity to continue their hikes in a river was the result.

Water always attracts wildlife, in this case a damselfly with a striking red-and-black pattern on its wings.

The combination of shade from the steep canyon walls and the cool river water perfectly took the edge off the midsummer afternoon heat.

Mystery Falls is still picturesque even in late July.  Kids delighted in playing in it, but I preferred an unspoiled view and patiently waited for a break in the crowd.

The Emerald Pools hike I squeezed in after Angel's Landing proved to work against me a bit.  I got a later start on The Narrows than I'd originally intended, and progress in the river was slower than I'd anticipated.  In order to leave the park when I'd planned I ended up cutting off my hike before Orderville at a place where people were taking turns jumping off a small promontory about 20 feet above the river.  I'm not even sure how far up the canyon that actually is, but I estimate not much more than halfway between the end of the Riverside Walk and Orderville Bottom.  I can give that change of plans a silver lining and just say it provides the perfect excuse for a return visit.

I was impressed by just how many people were gamely hiking the river.  The rocks were slippery, and like I said the going was somewhat slow.  Still, I never really noticed the traffic thin.

I did make one unscheduled stop on the shuttle ride back to the Visitor Center for a shot of the Court of the Patriarchs.  Then after 11 hours in the park and roughly 12 miles of hiking three different trails, it was time for my initial visit to Zion to come to an end.

All national parks are special in some way, but I have to admit that Zion really captivated me.  A fall return when the foliage is turning, temperatures are cooler, and the park is somewhat less crowded sounds tremendously appealing, and it wouldn't surprise me to be back here in the next few years.  In fact, I'm hoping for it!