Emerald Pools and Narrows

At this time of the year, you need to use the shuttle in Zion NP to access the canyon.  We awoke early and took the first shuttle into the canyon, stopping at the Zion Lodge.  Even at 6:00 AM the shuttle was packed.  Everyone was trying to get a head start before the heat of the day.

For our first hike we walked the Emerald Pools Trails from the Lodge with a return to the Grotto.  The beginning of the trail is acutually paved — making it wheelchair accessible.  The remainder is a bit rough and steep, but pleasant nonetheless.  The experience of walking beneath the waterfalls at the lower pool and the views from the middle pool were noteworthy, but the upper pool surrounded by towering, shear cliffs was spectacular.  We climbed down until the intersection with the Kayenta Trail which took us to the Grotto shuttle stop.

From there we took the shuttle to the end where we took the Riverside Walk to the Narrows.  We did not take the Narrows walk as all the hiking is in the Virgin River — sometimes waist deep.  But by this time of the day, the narrow canyon was packed with hikers sloshing around.  For me the best part of this hike is the “hanging gardens” formed on the canyon walls where water seeps out of the Navajo Sandstone — ferns, wildflowers, sego lily.  Little wildlife along this trail except for a few lizards and lots of very tame, fat squirrels.

All of the trails we took today were well-maintained and easy to moderate.  We saw few people until we were on the Riverside Walk which is one of the most popular in the park.  We returned to our van by about 1:30 where we relaxed, staying out of the heat —  it had reached 97-degrees by then.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)