Day 17: Touring Zion National Park

May 15, 2010

Overnight wasn't very cold. I can tell I'm at lower elevation. I slept until past 8 and got on the road at 9:45. The riding was easy going east on highway 9 towards Springdale, upstream along the Virgin river towards Zion canyon with the mountain ridges slowly closing in.

Approaching Springdale, at the entrance to Zion canyon.

Rolling into Springdale was a bit of a shock. Large scale industrial tourism. I was here in 1992, but I think the town now has at least twice as many motels, restaurants, and shops. In Springdale I got a tiny but expensive tent site at the commercial campground. It has showers, nearby stores, and is 1 mile from the park entrance. After an excellent lunch at the cafe in front of the campground I rode east into Zion National Park, past the "campground full" sign at the park's campground.

This sign is at the pedestrian entrance.

The park gets millions of visitors per year. The parking spaces fill early in the day and cars are prohibited in the most popular area, Zion Canyon road. So most visitors ride the shuttle bus from the west entrance. It provides excellent service between the park entrance and the end of the Zion canyon road. And it connects to another free shuttle bus in Springdale.

Bikes are allowed on Zion canyon road, so I'm going there on the unloaded bike. It's a very serene experience after turning onto Zion Canyon road. No traffic except for a bus every 5 minutes. And many cyclists.

Virgin river and Zion Canyon road. No cars allowed. This area was rebuilt in the 90's after a big landslide.

I stopped and hiked the short but steep uphill trail to the Weeping Rock. The trail ends at a large overhanging grotto with dripping water.

At the end of the road I walked the 1 mile Riverside Walk to the narrows. It's a very popular trail. Wide and crowded, and I overhear many languages. Zion is an international tourist attraction. I see car license plates from all over North America and see tour buses with groups from France, Spain, Japan, Korea.

Riverside Walk, the trail to the narrows.

The scenery is quite lush as the steep canyon walls close in on the river. Sometimes people hike the river upstream into the narrows. But right now it's closed because the river is dangerously deep, fast, and cold.

End of the trail, looking into the Zion canyon narrows.

The way back to my campsite was an easy downstream ride in the warm evening. I took many pictures along Zion Canyon road.

The peak on the left is Angels Landing. I plan to hike there tomorrow.

Virgin river and the shady side of Zion canyon.

Today I moved my campsite 10 miles and loafed around Zion Canyon. It was mostly sunny with a high of 85F. Warmest day of the tour so far.

Nearby in the campground is a large group of 6th graders from a magnet school in Houston. I met other neighbors from California, Wisconsin, and Slovakia.

Tomorrow I plan to take the shuttle bus into the park and do the strenuous hike to Angel's Landing.

Distance: 31.8 mi. (51 km)

Climbing: 1405 ft. (425 m)

Average Speed: 9.4 mph (15 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 26 mph 42 km/h)

Hiked 3 miles (4.8 km)

Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 864 miles (1,390 km)

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