No cars are allowed into the main canyon, just shuttles every six minutes. We parked at the Visitor Center and climbed aboard the shuttle, which would take us to the end of the curving road, 8.2 miles north, with 8 stops along the way. We had a big window to see the morning light drawing across the massive canyon walls, each vista more awesome than the last.

We rode the shuttle to the end of the road and then part-way back, getting off at a stop called The Grotto. We walked a footbridge across the Virgin River, named for Thomas Virgin, a member of the first American party to see it in 1826 (no information on whether he was one or not). The river was the major force in cutting the canyon, mostly by flash floods. Then we started hiking a couple of miles up and along a trail in the rock called the Kayenta Trail. So pretty! The trail itself was a fun hike,

and the views of the river and the canyon were incomparable.

On several of the formations we saw climbers hoisting themselves up the sheer rock faces as much as nearly 3,000 feet high – amazing!

Our trail took us to the Emerald Pools, a stair-step of three pools that create an oasis in the desert environment. Above the lower pool there is a shale edge (Chinle Formation, maybe?) that is more resistant to erosion than the softer sandstone, so it hasn’t eroded as much and causes lovely water sprays into the pool below.

You walk under the edge and the water

around to a beautiful view of the cliff, the falling water, and the pool.

From there we followed the trail out to the road and the Zion Canyon Lodge, where we had a super lunch out on the patio in sight of the most gorgeous scenery imaginable. From now on, a restaurant that claims to have a view is going to have to work really hard to impress me!

This canyon is truly indescribably beautiful. We’re glad to have another day to explore it tomorrow.

Even our campground, just outside the national park, sits under a spectacular rock formation. Patrick grilled dinner outside in the warm twilight, and we watched the sun fade from the cliffs.