I entered on the East side of the park and have to say that the drive from Petrified Forest to Zion was amazing. Most of the drive was on the Reservation and I went past the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Once in the park it was 12 miles of beauty until I arrived at the visitor center and my campground. The drive had two tunnels and the second one you came across was long and lean a wonder of building. The various stops along the way to get out and explore I did not do on the way in as I wanted to get to my campsite. The way out will be for some exploring as I am headed to the North rim of the Grand Canyon from here and I will get to see all of that stuff in a few days. Upon arrival at my campground I decided to do a little exploring and get my passport stamped so off to the visitor center I went. I got the stamp and headed to the Watchman Trail for a little hike today. One of the great things of the National Park System is the presentations from the Rangers about topics related to the park. Tonight was about the “Second Star” but more importantly about all of the stars and how you can see them so well here in the park. I sat outside of Dundee after the talk for 1 hour just looking at the sky and enjoying the darkness. In the day when I was looking to schedule a bus ticket walking to the visitor center for the second time I came across my first rattlesnake and he was in the road. I went around him with a wide birth and proceeded to assist a Ranger with the lowering of the flag and folding it. Mr. Metzger would be happy with me and if you know me from 6th grade you will remember him otherwise just know he was a teacher/principal that I had in elementary school. Before the Ranger talk I was taking to a couple and they said they were from Michigan and used the “Mitt” to display where they were located in Michigan. I let them know of the girls from the Grand Canyon and another woman told me they were not from Michigan as they did not show me the “Mitt.” Both of these people showed me where they were from on the “Mitt” so I have to agree with them.
Watchman trail – Is a short trail that starts at the visitor center and heads up into the mountains that create the canyon of the Zion National Park. The trail is only 396 feet up and the first and last parts of the trial are not hard just a slight incline but the middle is stout with many switch backs. The trail is rated moderate and is 3.3 miles in length. Most of the trail is hard packed dirt and it is not well marked but you can follow the dirt paths ensuring you make it to the top. If you are going the second water crossing, and that is a strong term, is when you have an incline and almost at the top. Once at the top you can head back down or take the Loop trail and I highly recommend taking that trial. It really does not add much distance or elevation to your hike but the views from the point are outstanding! I was out on the point doing a video they going to get some shade as the trail has virtually NONE when a couple took the shady spot I was going to enjoy. Oh well next time.
Middle emerald pool – trail is uphill and mostly on a climb that is not stairs but don’t worry the hike is uphill. The lower part is paved and what is not paved is well marked. My hike start about 6:15 and I got to the middle pool about 6:45. The hike up as only 150 feet of elevation gain but felt like 1000 early in the AM. The hike is rated as Moderate but despite my bitching earlier the hike was not hard. The path is marked well and is not paved which is a good thing but the dirt is hard as a rock. For a 0.3 mile hike up you could also see the Upper emerald pool. The sun was up over the canyon walls and the sounds was mainly of the little water going towards the cliffs of edge. The size of the pool was not big but the view of the canyon below and above was cool. In the pool a bird was taking a bath and it made me think I will need a bath soon as well. The next part of the trail was actually the Kayenta trail to The Grotto. The trail starts are the Grotto and ends at the Middle emerald pool but I went the other way. The way up I saw nobody and the way down 6 people. Guess hiking in the early AM is not a thing. The trail from the pool has a set of stairs to go up which is the hardest part of the trail. It is hard dirt and there are some stairs at the end for me but know I went the wrong way. Kayenta is a 2 mile trail with 150 feet of elevation gain/loss.
The Narrows – Back on the bus I went. I made the stop at Temple of Sinawava the last stop in the line at the top of the bus loop. From here I took the Riverside walk which is a paved path that leads to The Narrows. When you are at the visitor center you see all these people with a walking stick and hiking boots that have SCUBA booties on. These peeps are headed to The Narrows and it does get crowded. I arrived at The Narrows by 0800 in the AM. I had to change out of my boots to my hiking sandals and short socks (to prevent blisters). The hike is in 64 degree water and at a few points the water was waist high, George called it pool shrinkage. The hike is over river rocks most of the entire way and you are in water a good portion of the time. All this said, it is truly amazing what it looks like in the canyon at 0800 in the AM with limited people. On the way back out of the canyon it was crowded with people and the sun was up and heating the air a good portion of the way down to the trail head. Be on the lookout for photos from here as it is nice and a must do if you are in Zion. Note: you don’t have to rent the boots and single pole, or dry bags. I used my regular backpack with a large trash bag inside covering everything. Also you could use some hiking sandals as I did or any sturdy shoe you don’t mind getting wet. I wore short, and a belt but as long as they were fast drying life was good for me. On the way up in the two places with water waist high I got wet but by the time I turned around my shorts were dry. Same happened on the downward part of the trail. The Narrows is a single way in/out so you can catch stuff twice if you so care to while hiking. Many people were trying to get the ultimate photo while hiking and the were getting photo bombed due to them being on the “trail.” I also did take a dry bag for my new camera but think that I could have used a freezer gallon zip lock but since I had the dry bag why not use it. Tip hit this trail early in the AM before 0900 to avoid the crowds. There really is not trails just walking through water so you could go around people but it was so nice going in without the masses being around.
Watchman campground – on first blush is a nice campground with large spots for you and your camping equipment. The restrooms are nice and clean. My site, which I chose on line when I reserved, is flat and is a tent site that I can back Dundee into and it has a tree for shade! Not much shade in the park as it is a canyon. After being in the campground for 3 nights I will have to say that yes the campground is nice and you are at the base of the canyon. The other campground is within walking distance and it is on the river but I think I like Watchman better. Tents are in loops C,D, and walk in F. RVs are in A and B loops and the campground also has a dump station if you need something like that on your journey.
Awesomeness Dog