Les Flâneurs: Zion Canyon Day One

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Zion Canyon Day One

[Tuesday 12 September]

Our first full day in Zion Canyon and we cannot stop being in awe of this place. The sheer weight of the canyon walls surrounding us is daunting but at the same time engages our imagination. The names of the various stops along the park’s scenic drive, accessible only by the shuttle bus, help to stoke those feelings: Courtyard of the Patriarchs, Weeping Rock, Temple of Sinawava (according to the Paiutes, one of the two gods of creation). This is a place that warrants the use of the word awesome.

It was overcast when we first awoke. Breakfast in our room was simple: coffee for both of us and a muffin for Susie and a bagel for me from the lodge cafe. Prepackaged and easy to hand out the food was as unremarkable as our supper the evening before. Still, we are HERE and our space is lovely, with incredible views off our terrace.

After showering and getting dressed — two things one should always strive to accomplish while traveling — we made our way to the shuttle bus stop. Our first goal for the morning was to make our way to the park visitor center next to the village of Springdale. It started to rain by the time we got to the bus but had abated somewhat by the time we reached the visitor center.

It should be pointed out right here that the shuttle system both in the park and in Springdale are free, easy to use and with numerous stops that make spending your time a breeze.

Anyway, we made our way to the ranger information desk and reserved two spaces for the Ride with a Ranger tour for tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:30. A ranger takes a group of no more than 25 people in a special bus and tours the various major points in the park, stopping along the way to explain the history, flora, fauna and much more about the park.

That done, we planned to pop into town and pick up a few food necessities at a grocery store just outside the park proper: decent breakfast food, some milk, wine, bananas, that sort of thing. Well, I had failed to bring my Senior Pass with me — the pass that gets us free entry into all national parks including this one of course — so it was back on the shuttle to the lodge to grab said pass. Whew! Now we could leave and enter the park as we pleased.

Leaving the park shuttle system, we made our way to the Springdale shuttle, offering many stops along the main drag of the town. I should say how wonderfully signed everything in the park is and how easy it is to get from one place to another without having to use your car.

Once we had identified the Happy Camper grocery right outside the park entrance as our food shopping spot, we hopped on the Springdale shuttle to stop 5 to have lunch at Oscar's (recommended by park staff as a favorite). Lunch was very good, a salad for Susie and turkey sandwich for me, leaving quite a bit of both to take home for supper. Another goal achieved.

Our next objective, the state liquor store, was a bit more of a puzzle. Whether on purpose or simple oversight, the store was buried inside a gift store that was itself somehow squeezed into the complex that we thought mainly a restaurant, neither of which were marked. But we picked up a couple of bottles of red wine and headed back to the shuttle stop close by.

Once we had stopped at the Happy Camper for our breakfast supplies, we headed back through the park entrance waving our Senior Pass like an old hand.

We unloaded our groceries and made our way back to the lodge cafe for an afternoon “hot beverage,” in this case two cups of basic brewed coffee since the espresso machine was broken. Sitting in a pair of rockers in front of the lodge (like a couple of old fogeys), we enjoyed watching the flow of humanity across the lodge grounds.

After a short respite it was back to the shuttle stop -- but this time we were headed up canyon all the way to the last shuttle stop, the Temple of Sinawava and the riverside walk to the Narrows.

A mile of paved path along the north fork of the Virgin River, the river that pretty much cuts through Zion Canyon, ends at a fording space which itself leads into the Narrows. This canyon trek is not for the faint of heart and is perhaps the most famous attraction in the park. Note that it is often closed to the public due to flash flooding, which was the case today. (In fact the Narrows has been closed off and on quite a bit in recent days).

We had neither the proper gear or shoe wear to go traipsing in the river and opted to leave it to the truly die-hard trekkers.

But the riverside walk was one of never-ending dramatic features that soared over our heads, truly a “place of tall land.”

Back at the lodge we showered to get the sunscreen off and sat outside on our terrace that evening with a glass of wine enjoying the occasional flock (herd, gaggle, passel?) of turkeys walking right by us soon joined by a small group of mule deer that could apparently care less we were there.

What an incredible experience this is turning out to be.