September 4, 2007

September 4, 2007

From Fillmore, UT, we continued our drive south on I15. I had assumed central Utah was going to be mostly desolate wilderness. Instead I find a long continuous valley of semi-arid ranch and farmland. After a couple hours we come to Kolob Canyon, the northern section of Zion National Park. After checking in at the tiny visitor center we start the 5-mile scenic drive. It goes up and over a ridgeline. As soon as we turn the corner at the top, we are awed by beautiful red rock cliffs. It is reminiscent of Sedona, AZ. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the resemblance. Both Zion and Sedona’s red rocks are the eroded sandstone sides of the uplifted Colorado Plateau. The road continues along the Kolob Canyon and a magnificent wall of red rock. At the end of the road we do a half-mile hike to an overlook.

It is another good hour drive around to the southern section of the park, Zion Canyon. As we approach the entrance we see tall cliffs that resemble the Badlands of South Dakota. Aimee and I read that Zion has a campground with electrical connections, a rarity in a national park. We have our fingers crossed as we approach the gate. The Labor Day crowd is gone and we are in luck; they have vacancy! We go straight to the campground and get a site.

After ditching the RV we take the park shuttle a few stops up the canyon and hike the Pa’rus trail back down following the road and the Virgin River. The view is outstanding. Zion Canyon looks like a red sandstone version of Yosemite Valley with lofty sheer cliffs on both sides. The only things missing are the waterfalls and cooler temperatures. One particular cliff formation I think is awesome is 3800 feet high and looks like a walled fortress atop a mountain. Partway down the trail we stop at the Zion Museum to peruse the exhibits and watch the movie. Both are mostly uninteresting. Back at the RV we relax with our evening cocktail and soak up the magnificent scenery. With both electricity and ambience we probably will stay here a few days.