Arrived last evening at Zion National Park and within minutes of entering the gates we were completely awed and overwhelmed. The rock formations and the colors of those formations were so breathtaking it was difficult not to stop at every turnout and stare for an hour. Truly one of the most beautiful places we’ve been to on the entire trip.
Zion has the feeling and features of Yosemite on a different, more condensed scale and with a completely different color scheme and landscape. The canyon walls are closer to you so that you feel as if you can almost touch them with both of your arms outstretched and there is a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees, grasses and scrub.
Driving in to the park from the south entrance, as we did, we were first met with a checkerboard patterned monolith of stone and then the very curvy drive made us feel as if we were driving through some ancient giant sluice, with every bend in the road revealing some new and unbelievable view.
We’ve decided now to stay here an extra day, which means that we’ll likely have to scratches Arches NP off of our list. We’ll miss that stop, but enjoy the day of rest and of discovering the deeper beauty of Zion National Park.
