Las Vegas Trip 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
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.
Towers of the Virgin by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A closer look at light on The West Temple.
West Temple Light by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Early morning light and shadows in Zion Canyon.
Light & Shadow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Once the sun was up we stopped by the petroglyphs near the South Gate of the park.
South Gate Petroglyphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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.
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.
Into the Narrows by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Next we drove up the Zion – Mount Carmel Highway to check out the rest of the park.
Zion – Mount Carmel Highway by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Scenic Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A view of the Great Arch from the road.
Great Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Looking out one of the windows cut into the tunnel as we drove by slowly.
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.
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.
Crawford Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
After dinner we headed back into the park to get some photos in the late afternoon light.
Red Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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.
Hyundai by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Nice lines in the sandstone and an arch in the background.
Lines & Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
There’s no shortage of beautiful scenery around.
Sandstone Paradise by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
I stopped and visited the ‘famous’ bonsai tree growing out of the top of a large sandstone dome.
Bonsai Rock by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A closer look.
Bonsai by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
I found this nice scene nearby and stayed to catch the sunset.
Checkerboard Mountain Sunset by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Another look at the bonsai tree after the sun was down.
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.
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.