Grand Canyon National Park

As usual, I'm delayed in getting the final few road trip entries up on this blog. I think it's me subconsciously in denial that the journey is done. But it's finally time to write this trip to a close.

I headed south from Zion National Park to one of my final destinations: the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Last summer I saw the canyon's southwestern quadrant in a hike down to its floor. The North Rim has an entirely different feel. It's higher, wider, and greener, making for expansive views but also making it harder to get an up-close impression.

Since I've dubbed this road trip my Summer Canyon and Volcano Tour, I concluded I had to stop at the grand daddy of all U.S. canyons. The Grand Canyon, at well over 200 miles long, is the lengthiest canyon in the United States and easily the most dramatic. Theodore Roosevelt called it the one sight every American should see.

I started at Bright Angel Point near the visitor center then tromped two miles into the canyon down the Kaibab Trail. The steep trail extends fourteen miles to Phantom Ranch, deep within the canyon. I'm glad I turned around when I did. The two miles coming back out of the canyon required a lot of huffing and puffing.

I stopped at a few more vistas before leaving, including Point Imperial, the highest point on the Grand Canyon's rim at 8,803 feet above the Colorado River. I also took in the view from Roosevelt Point, Angels Window, and Cape Royal. All offered towering views of the vertically-hewn pink and orange cliffs and boundless empty space beyond.

I spent the night in Holbrook, Arizona after driving past the massive mesas in the northern part of the state then cutting down through stormy Flagstaff.

Zion National Park

The swelter of summer beat down across Zion's sunrise-colored sandstone cliffs. But within the canyon, the flowing water and protective walls made the air almost cool. I had come back to Zion National Park to traverse The Narrows, an intimate hike/wade up the Zion River far into freshly carved canyon. It was a hike I hadn't done last summer when I was at Zion.

Besides being one of the most beautiful places ever, Zion is a well-organized park. It welcomes nearly three million visitors annually, but the park prohibits cars from driving into the canyon in the summer when it's busiest so the park seldom feels crowded. Sightseers and hikers must board a shuttle bus, making periodic stops as it goes up-canyon from the visitor center and back.

The last stop on the bus route is the Temple of Sinawava. After arriving just past 9 a.m. this is where I headed. A paved one-mile river walk leads to the edge of the Virgin River and the start of The Narrows. You can wade as far up the canyon as you like. It just keeps getting narrower and narrower until the canyon's start. One major perk of going farther up the river is that the crowds thin out sharply.

I went about three miles upriver where I reached a large pool--Big Spring--that I would either have had to wade in water up to my neck or swim through. I was prepared to wade up to my waist but wasn't ready to get that wet so I turned around and made my way back to the visitor center.

Since I was there and I loved Zion, I got a campsite and decided to spend the rest of the day hiking. And hike I did. About sixteen miles in all (when you include the six miles of The Narrows). I took the shuttle to the Weeping Wall stop and began the over four mile climb to Observation Point, a precipice overlooking Zion Valley from the north.

About a quarter mile in, I turned off on a two-mile out-and-back spur that led to Hidden Canyon. The trail hugged steep cliffsides and portions were aided by a chain railing. I found the canyon itself, narrow and hidden in foliage, somewhat underwhelming but the precarious drop-offs made the trail worth it.

Then it was on to Observation Point. The trail swung across rocky canyon walls before dipping into rolling Echo Canyon then steadily climbing along the canyon rim to Observation Point. I could feel the soreness setting into my muscles as I reached the top of the cliff, but still had a mile to go around the canyon rim to the famous vantage. The exertion, nevertheless, is well worth the view.

Arrival

The Narrows

South Campground

Hidden Canyon Trail

 Observation Point Trail