Amazing? Magnificent? Awesome? Truly there are no words for this place either! My experience of Grand Canyon was from up around the rims; but in Zion, I entered on the valley floor, and hiked along looking up at the cliffs, sky, and monoliths. Seriously, just stunning!

I spent quite a bit of time looking at the giant boulders and slabs next to the path, and then craning my neck to look straight up at the cliff to see where the rockfall came from. The sky was totally Utah crazy, and combined with the red and gold stone, the deep greens of the evergreen trees and the bright spring green of the new leaves budding out on the trees next to The Virgin River, I experienced the whole place in Kodachrome.

At one point I thought I found some cilantro growing out of the rock face, but a botanically astute hiker informed me that it was hanging columbine. I think perhaps she was mistaken, but I need to sit with my western guidebook and suss it out for myself.

Below is a gallery of my favorite photos from Zion National Park.