We left the sunshine of Vegas on the morning of Saturday 1^st November headed towards the first of the National Parks we had on our itinerary for the next few weeks – Zion.  When we woke on Sunday morning in Zion it was pouring with rain. Hard to believe we were lounging round the pool 2 days ago and now were layering up with jeans, waterproofs etc.

The drive into the park was truly breathtaking. Not like anything we’d seen so far. The whole area was once was a desert larger than the Sahara which is the source of the sandstone and what gives it it’s deep red colour.  A million years of water & the Virgin River has carved a gorge so deep and narrow in parts that sunlight rarely reaches the bottom. It is immense! Unlike other canyons (like a certain ‘Grand’ one we planned to see a few days later) this one is ‘visited’ from the bottom with all the views looking up instead of the other way round.

The park is 232 sq. miles and includes gorges and canyons so deeply hidden that early surveyors overlooked some that are close to 20 miles long. It is stunning. We had only 2 days so on Sunday we took the shuttle through the Canyon Scenic drive which stops at all the key view points etc.

We walked the Riverside Walk and got as far as the part when you start to wade into the water to explore the 16-mile ‘Narrows’ properly. The Narrows is the spectacular gorge 16 miles long and 2000’ deep and at times only 20’ wide that offers an incredible 2-day hike with wild camping opportunities along the way.. We managed to persuade the kids that it wasn’t really the time of year and the weather wasn’t ideal for wading through a river up to our waists!

It is a strange mixture of arid desert and little pockets of lush vegetation.   Hanging gardens with water held in the stones and flash floods caused by storms miles away from the canyon itself are common here and mean that along the side of the river are areas of swampland, which look strangely out of place.

We spent the afternoon hiking the Emerald Pools trail. It took us through, up, down and over rock basins to the pools. The last of which was a hidden little oasis tucked into the side of a cliff – a grotto surrounded by cottonwood trees.

We’d decided we would take on the renowned Angels Landing hike the following day. Having looked it up and freaked myself out with all the pictures online of narrow rock faces with only a chain to secure the path I wasn’t convinced it was a great idea for 2 adults who don’t like heights with 2 kids in tow. But John and William were adamant that we had to do it.

I spent a sleepless night fretting over the safety of it all. Even now 2 weeks later as I write this my palms are sweating at the thought of it… Anyway, the sun was shining and we decided we would do what we could!!

Driving through Zion with the sun shining we got a totally different view of the park. The light reflecting off the red stone is something really special. While we were there it was the beginning of the Plein Air Exhibition. When Artists are invited to come and paint some of the many stunning vistas here. We nearly ran over a few of them – they seemed to erect their easels wherever the ‘light was best’ regardless of whether it put them in the path of oncoming traffic…

So back to ‘The Hike’. We set off at about midday and by then there were already people passing us on their way down again. We studied everyone we passed and asked ourselves whether we thought they looked fitter, braver, better prepared than us…. We asked a few people how it was and got a variety of answers. Some said they’d made it only part of the way before the fear of heights forced them to turn around. Others said that the kids would be fine as they were no doubt fitter and braver than anyone. There were a lot of ‘proper hikers’ but an equal number of people dressed in jeans and trainers who were obviously just up for the challenge.

So the hike is only a 6 mile round trip. But it crosses the river, hugs a towering cliff on a series of incredibly steep switch backs all dangerously close to the edge, then squeezes through a narrow canyon before taking you up Walters Wiggles then finally traverses a razor thin ridge where steel chains are the only safety net. It climbs 1400’ in all.

We loved it. The kids especially loved inching as close to the edge as possible and hearing us scream. It’s not natural to have your kids at great heights I’ve decided. It’s hard enough keeping them alive at sea level but I’m really not up to the challenge thousands of feet up!!

We stopped and had our picnic at the top of Walters Wiggles – well and to actually get our breathing back to normal – while we discussed whether or not we were going to take on the last section of the climb, up the chains… It looked horrendous and there were several families also at this stage turning back. In truth the hike up to that point was challenging enough!! The kids were desperate to try it and so we very carefully and slowly inched our way up the first section.

Clinging on to the chain for dear life while attempting to find a foot hold in the side of the near vertical rock, slipping and falling to a messy death seemed inevitable. As the Ranger back in the visitor centre had politely pointed out when we asked whether it was a good thing to do with the kids “There is just no margin for error up there!” In one of those rare moments when John and I wholeheartedly agree on something and further more reach that decision simultaneously we stopped for a rest and immediately agreed we had gone far enough.

We did enough of it that the kids got to experience it and maybe one day when some of us have longer legs to make finding the footholds a little easier (apart from me obviously) we will return. We shimmied down again on our bottoms clinging to the chains. Then enjoyed the downhill hike taking in the incredible views that we’d missed on the way up due to lack of oxygen. A truly incredible day and a real sense of adventure and achievement all round.

We all loved Zion and the many contrasts within it. Brimming with wildlife we spotted endless Wild turkeys, mule deer and even a coyote disappearing into the undergrowth. California condors are common here and it is the only place on earth where the Zion Snail lives. Although as it is the size of a pinhead we didn’t spot too many of those.

We left on the morning of Tuesday 4^th November. We had been told that the road from here to Bryce, Route 12 was something quite special. But first we had to get out of the park via the Zion Mount Carmel Highway which is 12 miles connecting the South and East entrances. Because we are an ‘oversized’ vehicle we had to pay $15 for the privilege of having the traffic stopped for us to allow us to drive through the middle of the 2 mile tunnel which is carved out of the side of a mountain.

We’d been warned that it was snowing up in Bryce Canyon so before we left town we bought everyone a cheap and cheerful beanie hat and gloves from a petrol station – no expense spared!! Sorry to keep carping on about it, but we were in our bikinis last week (well I was) and now we were worrying our duvets weren’t thick enough!! This country is crazy.