Fall Break in Zion National Park

Bruce, Barb, Erik, Andrew Hadlock (a friend of Erik's) and Chelsea spent Friday through Monday, 10/17-20, camping in Zion National Park. This was the 3rd time we had the tent trailer out this summer! (OK, that doesn't seem like much, but it's more than we've done the last several years!) It's been many years since we visited this Nat'l Park (Erik was just an infant), so we felt it was time we went back.

We left home Friday mid-morning, arrived in Cedar City to pick up Chelsea early afternoon, then went the rest of the way to Zion Nat'l Park where we had a camping reservation in the Watchman campground near the entrance to the park. We didn't do a whole lot that evening other than relax. (Hey, it was a vacation!) Barb and I walked along the Virgin River to the main Visitor's Center where we investigated possible hikes for the next couple of days. We also played games together in the trailer (it was nice to have an electric hook-up for the lights).

Saturday morning started with Erik and Andrew leaving around 8:30-ish to catch the Park Shuttle to go into the park and hike up to Angel's Landing. (The rest of us aren't in good enough shape, and I don't know that I could handle the vertigo of the last 0.5 mile.)

Barb, Chelsea, and I went into the park a little later to hike to the Emerald Pools (all 3). I've never been to these. The trail to the first pool was paved and an easy walk, and then the trail became dirt and rocky from there to the 2nd pool (which wasn't much, really) and then to the 3rd pool. I was most impressed with the 3rd pool: it was tucked back in the very back of the side alcove/canyon with high cliffs around 75% of it. Looking up provided quite a view! We then hiked 0.8 mile or so to "the Grotto" to catch the Shuttle back to the Lodge where we were supposed to meet up with Erik and Andrew. Well, we waited. And waited. Played Phase 10 and waited even more. No Erik or Andrew. Finally, Chelsea and I went back to the campground to see if they were there, leaving Barb to continue to wait for them at the Lodge. We called Erik's cell phone when we got off the Shuttle at the Visitor's Center (which is near the campground)...and he answered. They were at camp! They thought we said to meet at the "Visitor's Center", not the "Lodge" (they weren't aware of the difference)! Grrrr. Chelsea took the shuttle back to get Barb while I explained the difference between "Visitor's Center" and "Lodge". ~:-( Meanwhile, Barb asked one of the Shuttle drivers to check, via PA, if they were on his Shuttle. Well, he relayed the info to all the other shuttles, so we had an APB for Erik! That was our glitch for the outing, but it all turned out well and created a story to tell to Erik's kids in the future! After we all got back together, we decided to take a drive through "the tunnel" and back before dinner (bratwursts!) and then played more games.


After a leisurely Dutch Oven "Scouter's breakfast" Sunday morning, we took the shuttle to the last stop at "Sinewava's Temple" and walked the paved "River Walk" trail that ended close to the entrance to the Virgin River Narrows. It was an easy, pleasant walk and the day was gorgeous. We also stopped and walked to the "Weeping Rock". We made a final stop at the Lodge to further Erik's education about what that was, then went back to Camp for a Dutch Oven BBQ chicken dinner, family night, campfire, and s'mores.

We slept in Monday morning, had a simple breakfast, packed up and left. We dropped Chelsea off in Cedar City and then went back to "real life". We really have amazing natural wonders not from where we live!

More pictures are on our Flickr site.