Press "Enter" to skip to content

A Day in Zion National Park

Las Vegas Trip 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012

6886561848_2f751da32f_z.jpg
Zion National Park by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After losing an hour overnight, I was up early again and back in the park before the sun came up so that I could watch the first light of the day strike the Towers of the Virgin including The West Temple, The Sundial, and the Altar of Sacrifice.

7032767263_d255b52c9d_z.jpg
Towers of the Virgin by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look at light on The West Temple.

6886755654_cd5259340c_z.jpg
West Temple Light by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Early morning light and shadows in Zion Canyon.

7032866445_6e95edf890_z.jpg
Light & Shadow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Once the sun was up we stopped by the petroglyphs near the South Gate of the park.

6887445376_7761e0b494_z.jpg
South Gate Petroglyphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

6887331220_f6fb77395c_z.jpg
Spiral, Track, Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After visiting the petroglyphs we drove to the end of the canyon so that we could take the short easy hike to the entrance of The Narrows.

6886611972_bcb802e3b9_z.jpg
Narrows Sidewalk by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

It was a bit too cold out for me to want to hike up the Virgin River this trip, but these two were equipped to do so. I’ll have to return at a warmer time to hike up The Narrows.

6887314322_28a217b77a_z.jpg
Into the Narrows by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Next we drove up the Zion – Mount Carmel Highway to check out the rest of the park.

7032725069_b2dbc35cce_z.jpg
Zion – Mount Carmel Highway by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

7033402215_653ffd0974_z.jpg
Scenic Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view of the Great Arch from the road.

6886593324_5e04855ace_z.jpg
Great Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Looking out one of the windows cut into the tunnel as we drove by slowly.

7032733723_c4fef7e002_z.jpg
Tunnel View by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

When we made it to the other side of the tunnel, we stopped and hiked to the Canyon Overlook.

7032886457_b8945195fe_z.jpg
Canyon Overlook by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

As we headed back into town for a late lunch/early dinner I stopped to take a photo of Crawford Arch high above.

7032674911_4191ac5930_z.jpg
Crawford Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After dinner we headed back into the park to get some photos in the late afternoon light.

7032747339_bcd5f3658f_z.jpg
Red Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

6886804044_5409dbd3dc_z.jpg
Zion Highway by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

To save a little money on this trip we left my Jeep at home and took Amanda’s car.

6886814874_719285b61a_z.jpg
Hyundai by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Nice lines in the sandstone and an arch in the background.

6886828756_8f8dc86057_z.jpg
Lines & Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There’s no shortage of beautiful scenery around.

7033361209_0490655df8_z.jpg
Sandstone Paradise by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I stopped and visited the ‘famous’ bonsai tree growing out of the top of a large sandstone dome.

7033374671_4524b3ac27_z.jpg
Bonsai Rock by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look.

7033152119_0d6f1254db_z.jpg
Bonsai by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I found this nice scene nearby and stayed to catch the sunset.

7033558417_e86c5c75d1_z.jpg
Checkerboard Mountain Sunset by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Another look at the bonsai tree after the sun was down.

7032944837_d987b7d47e_z.jpg
Bonsai Twilight by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Before hiking back to the car I stopped to take a twilight photo of some traffic passing by on the highway.

7033121669_5a508005be_z.jpg
Late Traffic by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We had an awesome day exploring Zion and I know we’re both looking forward to returning again in the future. As a matter of fact, we enjoyed our day so much that we decided to return the next morning before driving to Las Vegas.

>> A Day in Zion National Park Photo Gallery

Leave a Reply