Location: Zion National Park, Utah, USA
Summary: During my 2011 tour of National parks and Monuments in America, we had a brief stop in Zion National Park. I took a peaceful walk along the river, enjoying the dramatic canyon views, and finishing the visit with a creamy ice cream.
Zion National Park was one of the briefest stops on my 2011 escorted tour, but even in the short time we had there, it left a strong impression. The coach drove us through the park and made a quick stop so we could stretch our legs and walk a little way into the canyon. It wasn’t long, but it was enough to appreciate just how dramatic and beautiful Zion really is.
A Short Walk Through the Canyon
I remember following a path that wound along the river, right at the base of a steep canyon wall. The river was fast‑flowing but shallow, and the sound of the water echoed between the cliffs. I kept stopping to take photos, hundreds of them, or so it felt at the time. Sadly, I later lost all of them when both my originals and backups were corrupted. It’s a shame because the scenery was stunning.
Some of the group raced ahead and managed to get further up the canyon, but as I met them coming back down, they told me the path had been blocked off ahead. So none of us could have gone much further anyway.
At one point, I stopped to take a photo of a few people who were trying to wade into the river. The water didn’t look deep, but the speed of it was enough to knock someone off their feet, and the rocks would have done the rest. I remember thinking that this could be the last photo ever taken of them. Thankfully, common sense prevailed, and they changed their minds and headed back to the path.
When I returned to the car park, I used the bathroom and then treated myself to a huge, extremely creamy ice cream from the visitor centre. I also bought a felt badge. I’d been collecting them throughout the trip, intending to sew them onto a jacket. That never happened, but I did eventually sew several cloth beer towels together, add the badges, and turn them into a sort of oversized beach towel. Not quite what I’d planned, but it worked.
I sat outside the visitor centre with two ladies from the tour group, all of us enjoying our ice creams and chatting about the trip. When it was time to leave, we joined the rest of the group and climbed back onto the coach to continue our journey.
Even though our visit to Zion was short, it was peaceful, scenic, and memorable, one of those places you wish you had more time to explore properly.
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