Its a snowy day in Zion Canyon in Utah. This place is a favorite for Cathy and me. Today we visit for the 5th year. (Read about other visitw here and here .)
Today is unique for the snow cover on the upper canyon floor and on the mountains. We have a perfect ‘bluebird’ day with awesome contrasts of the rocks, snow and blue sky. We hike 6 miles over different sections of the trail alongside the Virgin River that continues to shape this canyon. Here are some pictures. I like the cactus in the snow.
A few things that may help you plan your trip.:
- Zion National Park is an easy 1 hour drive from St George, Utah.
- The park has 5 million annual visitors and so parking is a problem. Riding shuttles is required after mid-March. Today we get to use our car.
- There is construction and restricted lanes at the South Entrance with cautions about long lines. We enter the park at 11:00a.m. and breeze straight in.
- Rangers closed the scenic drive to the North end of the canyon at the Zion Lodge, forcing everyone to turn around and look for parking closer to the South end. The reason provided was that all of the parking north of the Lodge was filled earlier in the day, and they did not want furthur congestion. This is the downside of no shuttles.