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Published: February 7th 2008
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Distance: The River Walk - 2 miles, Emerald Pools - 3 miles, The Watchman - 2.8 miles
Rating: The River Walk - easy, Emerald Pools - moderate, The Watchman - moderate
Our second day in Zion National Park saw a return to the cold and rainy conditions that had greeted us two days earlier. Due to the conditions, we decided to focus on several of the shorter, easier hikes rather than attempt another difficult one like Angel’s Landing, for instance. Not surprisingly, the crowds had thinned out significantly as a result of the weather, and we were part of handful of intrepid souls who decided to brave the rain. After all, we hadn’t traveled all this way just to sit in our hotel room. While we considered ourselves hardy for braving these conditions, there were certainly plenty of hardier individuals out there that day. For example, as we made the bus ride north to the Temple of Sinawava, our bus driver pointed out a white speck on a rock wall to our right. Apparently, this was the hanging tent of a rock climber who had spent the night there. Needless to say, there isn’t enough money in the world to
make me do something like that. Of course, the fact that I occasionally get vertigo is also an issue…
Our first stop for the day was the River Walk at the Temple of Sinawava. The Temple is the last stop along the six-mile Zion Canyon Scenic Drive (accessible only by shuttle bus). Rather than being a single rock formation, the Temple of Sinawava is actually a wide semi-circle in the canyon just before it tapers off into the famous Zion Narrows. In the center of the Temple are two free-standing rock formations called the Preacher and the Pulpit (the larger and smaller formations respectively).
As the name implies, the River Walk is not much of a hike but more a casual stroll along the Virgin River at the northern end of Zion Canyon. This walk does offer some very nice scenery as the walls of the canyon close in. This stretch of the Virgin River is also particularly lush with dense cottonwood and other foliage. While this paved walking path is a popular destination for the casual sight-seer, it also provides access to the southern end of the Zion Narrows. The Narrows are a roughly sixteen mile stretch
of canyon where the walls of rock close in to between 40-100 feet on either side and sore as high as a 1000 feet in some places. During the summer months, when the Virgin River isn’t running quite as strong, many adventurous hikers will travel up the river to experience this narrow hall of rock (another option includes traveling down-river from the Chamberlain’s Ranch trailhead to the northeast). On this particular day, we encountered a couple of courageous hikers who had gone about four miles up into the Narrows. They were decked out head to toe in heavy-duty water proof gear, which they said was quite warm but comfortable given the conditions.
After the River Walk, we headed south to the Zion Lodge bus stop to tackle the Emerald Pools trails. The Emerald Pools get their name from the green algae that have taken root in their depths. There are actually three pools: the Lower, Middle, and Upper. We decided to visit the Middle and Upper Pools. Initially, the trail leading up to the Middle Emerald Pool is relatively steep, with several switchbacks traveling through the dense foliage closer to the river. After about a mile, the trail levels
off at the Middle Emerald Pool. This pool is perched on a slick rock ledge which creates a waterfall as run-off heads down to the Lower Pool. The trail then heads to a rockier half-mile section that leads up to the Upper Pool. Even with the overcast skies, the green of the Emerald Pools was quite apparent. The Upper Pool sits in a clearing just below a jagged rock shelf. From this vantage, there are more great views across the canyon. It should be noted that the weather made for somewhat hazardous conditions as the red sand of the trail had long since turned into slippery mud. We found ourselves losing our footing on several occasions, making this hike much more difficult than it should have been.
After a brief rest at the Zion Lodge, we headed back down to the Visitor’s Center for the final leg of our hike. The Watchman trail is accessed just north of the Visitor’s Center and provides a different perspective on the park. The trail initially travels along the Virgin River before heading up into the hills below the canyon walls. The landscape here is much more desert-like, with sage and other scrub
brush dominating. The trail passes below the formations known as Bridge Mountain and The Watchman. Increasingly visible on the other side of the canyon are the beautiful Towers of the Virgin. This series of formations includes the West Temple at the southern end and the red-stained Alter of Sacrifice to the north. It was at this point that we finally noticed the dusting of snow that covered the higher elevations as the dense layer of clouds had finally cleared out. Although the weather was finally clearing up, the air was still quite chilly, so we decided to call it quits for the day without actually completing this relatively short hike.
As we headed back to the car to end our final day in Zion, we were finally greeted by the sun popping out through the clouds. While this was certainly a welcome sight, I wish it had happened earlier in the day!
Directions: See my Observation Point entry for directions to Zion National Park.
Directions to the trailheads: All of the trailheads north of Canyon Junction are only accessible the shuttle bus that can be picked up at Visitor’s Center. The Temple of Sinawava is the eighth
and final stop along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. The Emerald Pools are accessed via the Zion Lodge stop. Follow signs at the bus stop follow the path over a bridge that crosses the Virgin River. At the other end of the bridge, the trail splits to either the Middle and Upper Emerald pools or the Lower Emerald Pool. The Watchman trailhead is easy to find just north of the Visitor’s Center.
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