Having got off to a late start, partly to avoid starting out in the rain, I spent the afternoon in Zion National Park. In the Visitors’ Center, I saw pictures of an area called The Narrows, and wanted to hike there to see it. Closer investigation, however, revealed that it is the canyon bottom beyond the point accessible by road, and is basically a 4-hour walk through knee-to-chest-deep water. It may look good, but not that good! Instead, I opted for the wimpy bus tour.
The canyon is impressive: the canyon top is up to 3,000 feet (around 900m) above the floor. It is cut out of limestone on top, with Navajo Sandstone below. Navajo Sandstone is sandstone with an iron oxide deposit, which basically means that the walls are a rust heap! The deep red colouring, in places a shimmering black, combined with the height of the walls and relative narrowness in parts, makes for an oppressive atmosphere in places. I only spent a few hours in the canyon itself, but had actually become somewhat tired of it by the time I left; there is a limit to how much dark red sandstone I can take in one sitting.
I set off towards Bryce Canyon, my next stop, at around 5:30 pm, and soon regretted having waited; the I-89 through from the south to the east park entrance is a spectacular drive. Unfortunately, the light was already fading, so the photos don’t do it justice. My conclusion: if you only have a few hours to look at the park, skip the canyon itself and spend the time on the drive. The canyon itself may be more interesting if you have time to do one of the hikes, but then you’ll need to spend at least one day in the park.
The drive towards Bryce Canyon, having left Zion, was also beautiful. The trees were turning colour, and the last minutes of sunset were particularly beautiful, glowing deep pink behind a thunderstorm on the horizon. I spent the night in a Harold’s Inn, a motel at Bryce Junction with no telephones in the rooms, but wireless internet access – strange. At least Skype worked! The food in the attached restaurant was good and reasonably priced.