Hiking in Zion National Park

I met my friend, Ed Waley, in Salt Lake City.  Ed was coming from John Day, Oregon and I was on my way back from Alaska.  Ed and I have been friends since college and have hiked/backpacked many miles together through the years.  After spending the night in Provo, Utah,  we headed south to hike in Zion National Park. On day one we hiked Timber Creek Overlook trail and Taylor Creek trail in the Kolob Canyon area on the northwest side of Zion.


Day Two - we hiked Angel's landing which had been on our mutual bucket list for awhile


Day Three - we hiked the "Narrows" with a side trip into Orderville Canyon.

Red Sandstone hills

                                                     Timber Creek Overlook trail

 This area of Zion can only be reached by entering at Kolob Canyon entrance on the Northwest side.

                                                 Timber Creek Overlook trail

                                     These wildflowers on the red sandstone caught my attention

Taylor Creek trail is a 5 mile roundtrip... nice quiet hike that ends in a double arch alcove formation

                                                   Ed is setting the pace

                                                   The formation that we hiked to see

Another grand view of the double alcove

                          The fine red sand from the breakdown of the sandstone was fascinating

 Almost all of the green is Columbine which hasn't started blooming yet -  just imagine how beautiful this will be when it goes into bloom

                                             Plateau Spiny Lizard - New on my life herp list

                                                                 Trail to Angel's Landing

                                                      Look for hikers on the ledge

                                      Shear drop of 1000 feet on either side of the trail

                                    Angel's landing trail - 1500 feet elevation change

                                                                 Almost to the top

                                                                     Almost to the top

                                                                      Angel's Landing

Working our way back down

                                                       Working our way down

                                                                   Angel Landing trail

                                                                     Going down

                                                              View from Angel's Landing

                                                        View from Angel's landing

                                                                  Angel's landing trail

                                                                   Angel's Landing trail

Angel's Landing in background

                                                 Columbine on the canyon wall

                                                                   Columbine

                  Narrows #1 -  Ed taking those first few cold steps in the Virgin river

                                                                  Narrows #2

                                                                      Narrows #3

                                                             

                                                                        Narrows #4

                                                                      Narrows #6

                                                                Narrows #7

                                                                 Narrows #8

Narrows #9

                                                                  Narrows #10

                                                               Narrows #11

                                                                      Narrows #12

                                                                          Narrows #13

                                                                         Narrows #14

Orderville Canyon

                                                                   Orderville Canyon

                                                             Jerusalem Cricket

                                                        Traveling the country in style