Zion National Park

Trip Start Apr 04, 2008
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Trip End Apr 20, 2008


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Flag of United States  , Utah,
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

This morning we rode the shuttle around Zion Canyon.   Both Bryce and Zion (and the Grand Canyon and all the other Utah National Parks) are on the Colorado Plateau, a huge sheet of rock pushed up to 9000 feet many millions of years ago, and now cut through with canyons and gorges due to rivers and weathering.
 
Unlike Bryce, where you are on the top of the plateau looking down, here you travel along the bottom of the canyon looking up, due to the activity of the Virgin River (named after Mr Virgin, who explored it in the 19th century). The shuttle is used to keep cars out of the canyon - 5,000 plus per day, if it didn't exist. At the end of the canyon we walked along the Riverside Trail for a way, but although it was sunny, it was jolly COLD!!
 
After lunch at Zion Lodge, we returned to the car for the drive back to Las Vegas through more stunning scenery.
 
In Las Vegas we tracked down an outlet mall, to purchase trainers, which are much cheaper here than in the UK.
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