“A National Park is not a playground. It’s a sanctuary for nature and for humans to accept nature on nature’s own terms. (Michael Frome)
It’s amazing how Grand Canyon and Zion National Park seem so exhilarating in landscape appearance yet by way of different ways. At Grand Canyon , you gaze downward in awe at a cavernous chasm below hoping for a mere glimpse of the raging Colorado River below. Whereas at Zion, the opposite effect occurs along the end of its famed “Scenic Canyon Drive” as one’s eyes extend mystically upward along that massive cliffs that narrowly encloses the slow moving Virgin River below. To stand amid such canyon magic in both cases invited me to contemplate spiritual meaning in life beyond oneself for sure.
No doubt, the mountain Gods provided an excellent welcoming show for us on our two day visit to Zion this past weekend. Accessing the park though the west entrance via our motel in nearby Springdale, we conveniently parked our car in the Zion Visitor Center parking lot each morning. From there, we just hopped on the free park shuttle bus for convenient access to the easy Riverside and Grotto Walks along the canyon route corridor. I particularly enjoyed then those moments of silent meditation along the rock shrouded river as well as the occasional sightings of feeding deer in meadow areas along the way. Keep in mind that several tram stops remain closed due to COVID concerns and popular trails like Angel Falls and the Narrows passageway congest regularly with hiker traffic. Tomorrow, we head to Las Vegas for three nights as I celebrate my birthday with a live show.
Great post and fantastic photos! Zion National Park is such a beautiful place to explore and photograph especially the Narrows! Would love to visit one day to see its staggering beauty in person. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 😀 Aiva
LikeLike
Hi Aiva: Bring a long stick if you want to attempt the Narrows. It’s snowing there today. How beautiful!.Stay well.
LikeLike