Zion in winter

I spent the day exploring Zion National Park in its winter cloak. In the early morning I drove up Kolob Canyon. This is a different perspective than the more well-known Zion Canyon drive. For the first hour I was the only person on the partially unplowed road, and even after that I saw only a few cars. I then did go ahead and drive the Canyon. This is only possible in the off-season as usually it is only accessible by shuttle. I took one short hike up to Lower Emerald Falls. This hike convinced me to add crampons to my winter kit as it was pretty much an ice rink.

On my way back I met Norma and Fred at one of the lookouts. They are from Hawaii and are celebrating their 50th anniversary by taking a different trip each month. One of their trips will encompass both of their 70th birthdays. Kudos to them and safe travels.

I had hoped to photograph sunset at Canyon Junction Bridge. But it became clear that, yet again, sunset wasn’t going to happen, so I shot a different perspective and went back to my room to edit and blog. During an early evening visit to the hot tub I met Jeff (from Minnosota) and Renee (from Wisconsin). The hot tub turns out to be as good as the bar for meeting people. I’m looking forward to their suggestions for these states which I will visit during the back half of my trip.

Additional images can be found in the gallery.