Continued from the previous page.
RIVERSIDE WALK
There are two particularly iconic hikes in Zion National Park:
Angel's Landing, which is the subject of the next entry, and The Narrows.
Both hikes are strenuous but very popular. Neither is safe if the
weather and trail conditions aren't good.
Riverside Walk is the gateway to The Narrows, the slot canyon through
which the Virgin River flows into Zion Canyon. Because of snowmelt and
recent rains, the river is flowing too deep, fast, and murky this week
for people to be allowed to hike any of the 16-mile Narrows "trail."
(The riverbed is the trail for much of the way.)
I wanted to see the opening to the canyon, however, so this afternoon
I walked along the river on the undulating Riverside trail, which extends
about a mile from the Temple of Sinawava shuttle bus stop to the mouth
of the canyon.
I had plenty of company! Fortunately, it was a Monday when fewer
people were in the park.
Unlike the Narrows, this "gateway" trail is rated as easy for people
of all ages because it is relatively flat and paved. It is suitable in
most places for wheelchairs and strollers (assistance may be necessary
in a few places.)
Near the trailhead you can drop down to a sandy "beach" between the
paved path and the river if you want to get close to the water
there:
Past this point the canyon quickly narrows and the paved part of
Riverside Walk is usually very close to the river, sometimes just a few
feet above the water and sometimes higher up.
Today the pavement was covered in sand in several low places,
probably from high river water and/or from rainwater running down the high cliffs
on the right as you're walking toward the Narrows.
The path gets pretty narrow in some places, especially when it
hugs the canyon walls.
There is one curve where you look ahead and wonder
where the heck the trail goes because there is no bridge to the left and it
looks like there is no place for it on the right:
Some people (middle right, above)
are on the trail,
which is hard to see until you're
actually on it (below).
After this higher, more narrow spot the trail widens a little and
there is more space between the path and river.
There are several trails that go down to the water if you want to sit
on a boulder, wade in the water (when it's more clear and slow than it
is right now), or walk even closer to the river.
On my way back I walked for a little while on a sandy path right
between the water and paved trail:
There are also some renegade trails in a couple places on the other side of the river
that are more accessible when the water is lower than it is now.
This trail is mostly shaded by high canyon walls and trees so even on
a hot summer day it should be relatively pleasant to walk there.
My photos show a lot of sunshine on the trail because I was hiking in the
middle of the afternoon when the sun was high, and new spring leaves are
just coming out. Closer to The Narrows, many of the trees and shrubs are
still bare because the high rock walls are closer together and the
plants don't get very many hours of sunshine:
I enjoyed the flowers, ferns, algae, and other things growing out of the "weeping walls"
that stay wet all the time from dripping water:
You'll know when you're at the end of the trail. You'll round a curve
and It. Just. ENDS! at this overlook:
You can go a few feet farther if you walk down below the paved path on the sand
and rocks, but not much.
Suddenly there is no bank on this side of the river,
just the canyon walls right down to the water. That's the mouth of
The Narrows, which is (are?) aptly named:
The most narrow, high-walled part -- the slot canyon
-- is over a mile farther upstream and inaccessible this week. Maybe we can time
our next visit to Zion National Park in the fall when the water is
likely to be low and clear and hikers are permitted to go farther up the canyon.
I was facing the sun part of the time on my way back to the trailhead
so it was harder to get good photos in that direction:
I noticed a lot of fearless squirrels begging for food along this
trail. It's obvious that some people have fed them.
On the way back to the trailhead I took time out to sit on a bench
above the river to eat a snack. No sooner had I sat down than two squirrels
jumped up onto my lap, trying to grab my Clif Bar!! I quickly got up, as
much in surprise as to avoid getting bitten.
Little rascals!
Next entry: hiking the iconic Angels Landing Trail
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-pup
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© 2016 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil
