Bus shuttles now run from late March thru November into Zion to alleviate massive parking shortages. Zion is only about 3000 feet so I guess the weather holds up to keep people coming in large numbers through those months. When the shuttles are running you're not allowed to drive back into Zion Canyon.
I took the shuttle all the way to the end, did the Riverside Walk (2 miles round trip) thru the far end of the canyon and then walked back along the road to Weeping Rock. People pay $20 to drive along this road so there's no reason I shouldn't walk it. Besides, you really can't see much from the bus because all the scenery towers way above you.
The Weeping Rock, Hidden Canyon and Observation Point Trails all start from the same point up steep, paved switchbacks. Having not really done any elevation hiking for some time I thought I'd see how far I could get up the trail. Surprisingly I got to the top of the Hidden Canyon switchbacks, about 700-800 feet. I was so pleased with myself I forgot to do the rest of the trail.
The next day I came back and tried to do the Observation Point Trail. I got to the top of those switchbacks (about 1000 feet) and continued through the narrow canyon at the top. I had visions of completing the other 1200 feet to the top but the hamstrings gave out after another couple hundred feet.
The next day I took the shuttle to Weeping Rock and walked back to the Zion Lodge. From there I did the Lower, Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. They sound like great places to visit but are only so so. The trail between Lower and Middle was wiped out during the rains so you had to go back down and come up another way. They were working on it though.
Zion had already received 26 inches of rain this year, a record, with the season only half over. Clouds were swirling among the canyon walls and peaks when I decided to do the Pa'rus Trail , a flat, paved bike trail. I started at the visitor center and took the trail up to Canyon Junction and then continued on the road up to Zion Lodge, making a total of 4-5 miles one way. Great views of both sides of the canyon the entire way. I'll definitely make it and the lower road part of my agenda in the future.
Late April/early May is mating season for the wild turkeys around here. The males were out strutting their stuff for the females, fluffing up their feathers and chasing off the smaller guys. At Zion Lodge one male strutting around in the parking lot saw its reflection in the side of a shiny bus. I watched him strut back and forth watching himself and every once in a while he would peck at his reflection, hoping to chase it away. No luck though. It stayed right there looking back at him.
The West Rim Trail follows the same steep switchbacks as the Angel's Landing Trail. This was a Saturday and a ton of people were heading up to Angel's Landing. I had been on that trail before and decided it was too dangerous for me. Trails 12 inches wide with 1500 foot drops on either side with only chains to hang on to. Slick rock sloping outwards, sheer drops on both sides of a very narrow ridge. Instead, I went the other way at the West Rim Trial junction. I went another mile or so, had lunch and then came back.
While there I saw what appeared to be the tiniest humming birds flitting around from flower to flower and zooming around faster than the eye can follow.
The next day I did the Watchman Trail, nice but only 1-2 hours.
Then it was time to try the Observation Point Trail again. This time I made it to the top of the 2200 foot trail although I struggled up the last set of switchbacks, stopping to rest pretty often. This is in fact one of my favorite trails and I was glad I could make it.
While on the trail I saw several more of those humming bird critters quite close. They're only about 1.5-2 inches long and they have antennae??? When I got back to the visitor center I asked a ranger "Was it a bug or a bird?". No further amplification to the question, just that. She didn't need anymore either. She just smiled and said "A bug!". It's called a humming bird moth because it looks and acts just like a humming bird but is in fact a moth and about 1/4-1/3 the size of a humming bird which isn't very big to start with.
UT9 goes through Zion National Park all the way to MT Carmel on the other side. Once past Canyon Junction the road heads up some steep switchbacks, through a couple of tunnels and then through some really great scenery. I think next time I'm there I'll hike up the switchbacks one day and then from the tunnels to the end of the park for two other days. There are also a couple of trails up there too.