Escape to Zion National Park

I was literally born and raised among the fortress-like cliffs and secret canyons of Zion National Park, and it has always been my place of refuge. I become an optimist when I visit Zion and see delicate wildflowers growing out of crags and pine trees clinging to sandstone ledges. I love to hike the park’s trails. The rhythmic motion commands my attention but the simple activity gives my subconscious freedom to wander... to process.

Zion seemed particularly beautiful on my March trip. A storm had just ended and an orphaned cloud was lost against the cliffs, which were shimmering with red as light rays broke through the clouds.

Recent storms have been generous in southern Utah – after three years of serious drought – and nature is responding. This could be the best spring in a decade for wildflowers, and the show will be very impressive in April and May.

I enjoy bringing people to Zion and I’ve developed an itinerary to help them discover its wonders. We always hike the Narrows and Angels Landing. The Narrows hike is exciting because you wade right up the river, with towering cliffs closing in all around you. Angels is fun because it does things to people — particularly young people. When they have to scamper up ledges and across narrow ribbons of sandstone, 1000-foot drop-offs on both sides, they often discard pretense and discover they have more internal fortitude than they realized.

From the top of Angels you can see where the Virgin River breaks free from the Narrows, winds through the Temple of Sinawava, and then continues past Weeping Rock (where water trickles from the cliff face and falls as individual droplets across a cavern’s mouth). The river continues down the canyon, past the majestic Great White Throne and down into the Court of the Patriarchs.

How many hundred thousand years has it taken the river to carve Zion Canyon? The water continually gnaws at the rock but a thousand years from now it will have made scant noticeable difference.

The cliffs of Zion are massive, solid, enduring. I like the perspective they provide.

A thousand years from now humans, if we survive that long, will continue to seek solace behind the veil of tears at Weeping Rock.

I’m home now, trying to concentrate, fighting the compulsion to check the headlines ever few minutes, longing to get lost in Zion’s backcountry. I have a feeling I’ll spend a lot of time in Zion and our other parks this year. Come join me if you’re looking for adventure or sanctuary.

Zion is my park, but I’ll share.

– Dave Webb

I’ve worked with Utah.com to create a series of guides to help people discover the wonders of our canyon country. The first two are complete and cover Zion, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Moab, Arches and Canyonlands. Two more will be completed within the next few weeks. You can order them online: http://www.utah.com/travelplanning/guide/nationalparks.htm

Other Tips/News

New backcountry regulations are in effect at Zion National Park, because canyoneering is becoming so popular. Pine Creek, Orderville, Keyhole and the Subway (Left Fork of North Creek) are zoned primitive and will be limited to 50 people per day. Mystery, Imlay, Kolob, Behunin, Heaps, Echo, Spry, Englstead, Bulloch, Ice Box and the Upper Right Fork of North Creek are zoned pristine and will be limited to 12 people per day. Check with the rangers at the backcountry desk for permits. Details

Personal watercraft use may be allowed on Lake Powell at the beginning of summer, if a new lawsuit is successful. The suit seeks to lift the ban on personal watercraft before the start of the 2003. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has submitted a management plan that would allow personal watercraft use in many areas on the lake, but final approval of the plan is not expected until sometime later in the season. Details

Launch ramps are being extended at Lake Powell, now that the lake has dropped about as far as expected. Spring runoff will allow the lake level to rise and the new concrete will be flooded, providing improved launching conditions this season. At this low water level, launching conditions are poor at Hite but good at all other Marinas. By Memorial Day, conditions should be excellent at all marinas. Current launching details

Ferry service will not be available between Bullfrog and Halls Crossing on Lake Powell until further notice, while the ferry ramp is improved and other issues are resolved.

Tours of Glen Canyon Dam have been suspended to protect the dam from the possibility of terrorist activity.

Bug activity is picking up on Utah's trout streams. Many people think mid-April through mid-May offers the best dry fly fishing of the year on the blue ribbon section of the Green River. Expect great Baetis hatches, particularly on overcast days. Nymph fishing is also very productive at this time. All of our major streams should fish well, including the Provo, Blacksmith, Ogden, and Weber rivers. Details

BLM is offering a reward for info about the vandalism of some of the oldest petroglyphs in San Juan County. Sometime between late December 2002 and February 2, 2003, a stone was used to scratch stick figures and other designs next to and on top of petroglyphs located a quarter of a mile upstream from the Sand Island Campground. The panel has petroglyphs dating from 3,000 B.C. to 1300 A.D. Details

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