We made sure to revisit Zion because we had such a great time there a year ago, and man we were not disappointed. We started it off with a scenic drive through the east side of the park during sunset (we got lucky with timing) before making it to our campground in Springdale.
Horned goats on the side of the road
This was followed by an action packed day of hiking and canyoneering through Water Canyon. We did this after some recent storms, so the pools we repelled into were deep enough for us to swim in. Made for a wetter adventure than we expected, but definitely more fun and cooled us off the entire day. There were lots of thin and vertical canyons we got to repel through in beautiful scenery.
Perfect starfish position going into the water
zipline + repel
Mike, our guide - pretty cool dude
Canyoneering was one of the most fun experiences we've had on the trip so far since we both enjoy heights and climbing. We couldn't get enough of it, so we were sad to say goodbye to our guide, Mike, at the end of the day.
The next day, we backpacked La Verkin Creek Trail to Kolob Arch. We got to a slow start after a full day yesterday, and learned the hard way that hiking in the desert mid-day is really really hot and borderline miserable. We found a little oasis once we reached the creek, and had no choice but to get in the water.
Despite the heat, this was the best backpacking trip we've done so far simply because the views were so breathtaking the entire hike.
Kolob Arch
Mike told us the trees here smell like butterscotch ... confirmed!
Not a bad place to eat dinner
view from our campsite
All in all, Zion still holds the ribbon for our favorite national park so far, so anyone who likes the outdoors with spectacular views should go! (Aka everyone)
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