I have lived in Utah all my life and have never been hiking in Zion National Park. Shane and I drove through one time when we were first married but that was it. Isn't it crazy how we sometimes neglect going to the places that are in our own backyard? There are so many places in Utah that we have never taken advantage of in the 8 years we have lived here as a family.
We were pleasantly surprised that there were so many hiking trails that were kid friendly. We ended up going on all the "easy" trails and a couple of the "moderate" hikes. Our 5 year old was a champ! And for those of you without kids or with older ones, there are plenty of expert trails too. I have never seen so many different shades of red and orange!
These pictures were taken with my iphone. The first day I started out with my camera bag, and finally decided my phone was good enough. It was a pain to lug the bag around when I was helping kids and having a back pack too.
One of our very favorite hikes was the Upper Emerald Pools trail.
(Upper Emerald Pool)
We also loved the River Walk trail. I was anticipating the trail to be boring since most of it was paved but it had some of the prettiest views of the river and some hanging gardens. We saw wildlife as well. You get great views of the rocks called Temple of Sinawava. We stopped an ate lunch on the bank of the river.
The river looked green most of the time but occasionally took on a blue color.
The hanging gardens both on the River Walk trail and the Weeping Rock trail took my breath away. The one pictured above was from the River Walk trail.
The deer and squirrels are so used to people that you can get quite close.
This tree growing out of a rock made me think of the saying "grow where you are planted". Not only was it growing in the rock, but it was reaching up to find the sun. So many lessons can be learned from this tree :)
There were so many things to see and so many cute shops as you got closer into town. I brought home a big geode, some rose quartz, and some green calcite. I know I am a big nerd but I have always loved stopping at roadside rock shops ever since I was little.
(deer, flowers, Indian petroglyphs, and a blue belly lizard)
My boys loved it! It was fun to hear them spout off facts they had learned about in school (Utah Studies). They can't wait to go back. I think we will hit Moab next.
What are the places in your home state that you have never visited?
Dave and I were there in early March. We did the lower and middle Emerald pools and some of the Temple of Sinawava walk. We love Zions, however, Bryce is probably my favorite park in Utah. We also have spent a lot of time in Moab and if you are looking for an equally beautiful, but less populated trip, try the San Rafael swell. There are lots of petroglyphs and pictographs in the Swell and it's great for biking.
Love these pics. I have a camping trip next weekend but the view isn't expected to be nearly as nice as yours. I'm excited anyway though
Love these pics. I have a camping trip next weekend but the view isn't expected to be nearly as nice as yours. I'm excited anyway though
My husband and I both have lived in Missouri practically our entire lives and neither of us has ever been to the St. Louis Arch. We've seen it from a distance many times, but have never actually visited. Maybe we'll have to go this summer!
wow what gorgeous photos. It has been many years since our family walked the Zion walkways. Your photography is quite wonderful too. thank you for sharing. I recall there were some interesting names of spots in your state. One was something like ice cream cone (?) and Sugar mtn with some great camping and fishing. My first and only day of fishing I caught the biggest rainbow trout of a group that tried every day to top it.
Have you been to Bryce ?? pretty fantastic...
Gorgeous photos! Thanks for the travelogue; I may never get to see it in person. Love the dear photo of your little one gazing into the Emerald Pool. Any thought of using some of these in your decorating? Yep, lots of places I haven't visited in my state. Well, DH is retiring soon, so maybe we'll travel more.
Living in Colorado we visit Utah each spring there is so much to do and I don't think people realize just how beautiful Utah is! I've never been to Zion but it is on my list. I have been to Bryce, Canyonlands, Dead Horse, Arches, Natural Bridge and on the boarder with CO, 4 corners and on the boarder with AZ, Monument Valley. I would recomend these to everyone.