Awesome, amazing, beautiful, spectacular and terrifyingly scary are the words our granddaughter used in describing her impression of Zion National Park.
As she surveyed the massive multi-colored sandstone cliffs soaring up towards the sky she uttered "Wow!" And I agree. Irregardless of how many times you've seen the cliffs, rivers and valleys of Zion, they are impressive and inspiring.
There are over 146,000 acres of sandstone cliffs, some as high as 3,800 feet. With canyons, valleys and the Virgin River, Zion offers a place for reflection as well as many outdoor activities.
This morning, while J.J. stayed behind to check on Honu, the rest of us took a free shuttle bus from the Lodge to Temple of Shinawava and went on the Riverside Walk trail. Rated easy, the 2.2 miles is estimated to take take about 1.5 hours if you stay on the paved trail. We, however, on our return, enjoyed a more adventurous walk alongside the river bank.
While her parents went on additional trails including ones that are rated "strenuous," my granddaughter and I returned to the Lodge to join J.J. for lunch.
Our second hike of the day, was to the Lower Emerald Pool and waterfalls. This too is mostly paved trail. It reminded me of Diamond Head trail except for the last vertical steps of DH.
The distance is 1.2 miles or so and the two of us completed the walk in less than an hour. She especially loved the waterfalls which sprayed her when we passed behind it.
As we sat in the rocking chair off our room's balcony, our granddaughter uttered in a hushed voice, "FarMor, it's so quiet and peaceful here." It certainly is far removed from her life in a large metropolis.
Aloha -- Cathi
