Zion National Park - Day #1

This morning we took the Springdale town shuttle from our hotel to the entrance of Zion National Park. We walked into the park and then caught the park shuttle from in front of the visitor center. It was a chilly morning and started to snow as the shuttle drove further into the canyon. At one point, the shuttle pulled over and couldn't proceed for about 45 minutes while the snow was cleared from the roads. We waited it out and eventually rode the bus to the Zion Canyon Lodge. After a quick walk around the lodge, we headed across the street to begin the Emerald Pools Trail. We hiked past the lower and middle pools/falls on our way to the upper pool. Even though it continued to be a mix of snow and rain for most of our hike, it was beautiful!

The Zion Lodge

Crossing over the Virgin River to begin our hike to the Emerald Pools

Behind a waterfall

After completing the Emerald Pools hike, we went back to the lodge where we ate our lunch sitting in the rocking chairs that overlook the grassy space in front of the lodge. Once refueled, we got back on the shuttle to take us to the Riverside Walk at the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. We enjoyed the 2.2 miles round trip walk along the Virgin River albeit it was a bit wet and chilly!

The Riverside Walk

A wet and slushy day of hiking!

We got back on the shuttle and rode it to the Zion Human History Museum. We spent about 45 minutes here watching a short film and taking in the exhibits that display the human history of the Zion NP region. Afterwards, we got back on the park shuttle and rode it back to the visitor center. We then walked across the bridge where we caught the Springdale shuttle. We had a short ride to the Pizza & Noodles restaurant for dinner.

Our picture in front of the National Park sign as we were leaving the park for the day.