After breakfast we drove the 30 mile to Zion. The last 15 mile of this road is switchbacks and tunnels and has been under construction all summer. Hence the trip took over an hour, but no complaint about the scenery.
We parked at the visitor center and took the shuttle to the end of the line, The Temple of Sinawava. From there it was a one mile walk along the Virgin River and then another 1/2 mile in the river. They call this the Narrows because the river bed is about 100 feet wide with a 700 ft. shear cliff on both sides. After about 1/2 mile it was 50 feet wide and the water was getting above our knees. You can continue on for 5 miles, depending on the water conditions. It is cold water with a sand and large rock bottom. Rough going even with hiking poles but what an amazing place. The cliffs are so high and the canyon so narrow you need to take about three vertical pictures to get the whole view.
The prerequisites for this hike are, clear skies, low water level, no flash floods, hiking boots or heavy duty water shoes, and hiking sticks to maintain stability on the slippery rocks and to probe for deep spots in the silt filled water. The cliffs above are the tallest calcified sand dunes in the world. Another great day, tomorrow we hit the high ground.
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