I am now back home in Maine after a pretty epic summer. On the way home Sandy and I had the opportunity to visit a few of our national parks. One of the parks we visited was Zion National Park in Utah.
I am really grateful that someone had the forethought to protect vast amounts of the lands in this country and make sure that future generations would be able to admire the different types of beauty this country has to offer. Zion National Park definitely does not disappoint in the category of beauty. Even the drive there was awe inspiring. Utah is definitely a ruggedly beautiful state. Rugged is without a doubt a type of beauty. From vast canyons to beautiful mountains, the state of Utah kept surprising us around every corner. I said many times “Wow that is amazing”. I even thought out loud ” I should count how many times I say that”. It actually makes it hard to drive because you want to look at everything along the way.
As you come into the park you pass through Springdale, Utah, an interesting little town full of art and little shops. When we arrived at the park we went to the visitor center as we always do. This is the best place to start as you can ask questions about how best to see the park and there is the gift shops and usually a little museum to let you see some of the history of the place you are about to explore. We also learned that we would be required to ride the shuttle bus to see the park. At first this seemed disappointing because in our minds it would not allow us to go at our own pace and do our own thing. It turns out we were wrong to think that. It was actually quite a pleasant experience not fighting traffic and letting someone else do the driving. We were still able to get everywhere we wanted to go and see everything we wanted to see. It also alleviated that issue of wanting to look at everything while driving. I was able to stare out the window at the beautiful red rock faces and admire the deer, and flowing Virgin River. I would actually recommend taking this option whenever possible at all our national parks. It cuts down on traffic and makes for a much more leisurely experience.
The most impressive part of the park is the hike of the Temple of Sinawava trail. This trail is very accessible with a couple steepish spots but still doable. The entire trail is paved. It is about 2 miles round trip and will take you through some of the most breathtaking scenery imaginable. You are surrounded by rock faces on both sides as you meander along the river. There are places where water flows out of the rock and down the walls, creating gardens suspended on the vertical rock. There are also opportunities for getting close to the water even in a wheelchair. Along the way I had to get off trail a little bit, just because I don’t like doing things the easy way haha. I am glad I did though, because toward the beginning of the trail on our way back, I found one of those places to get near the water. It definitely takes some effort and some pushing over rocks and sand but it was well worth it. It really is difficult to explain in words just how beautiful this place really is and I wholeheartedly recommend seeing it for yourself.
I am already thinking about going back and climbing some of the beautiful rock that I had to admire from afar and can’t wait for the opportunity.
Posted by Enock Glidden on Wednesday, October 19, 2016
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