Zion National Park - Watchman Trail - June 11, 2010 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Zion National Park - Watchman Trail |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Utah |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | June 11, 2010 |
| Duration: | 1 hour, 50 minutes |
| Trail Conditions: | Excellent |
| Trail Traffic: | Moderate |
| Trip Weather: | Partly Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | None |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 71-80, Low: 71-80 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | My wife, Debbi, needed some time in camp to study for her final exam, so I decided to take a hike on the Watchman Trail since it is the closest trail to our campsite in the Watchman Campground. I walked from the campsite through the campground and past the Visitor Center to the trailhead alongside the Virgin River. The trail was nearly empty -- I only saw an elderly couple on the trail ahead of me, and I soon passed them. The first little bit is a pleasant walk beside the Virgin River -- nearly level. Then the trail turned toward the canyon wall, crossed a service road, and started climbing up a side canyon. In this little canyon, the vegetation changed immediately to a more desert-like environment -- cactus, sage, and lots of soft red sand. The wildflowers were quite pretty in this area. Shortly after crossing a dry wash, the trail began climbing in earnest, culminating in a series of switchbacks up the back of the canyon going 300 feet up the canyon wall. I met quite a few Chinese coming down -- evidently a tour group had gotten an early start. With every step upward, the views kept getting increasingly expansive. When you are camping in Zion Canyon, you are, of course, aware of the vertical walls around you, and they are awesome. However, when you get a few hundred feet above the canyon floor, you can really see the towering mountains back of the canyon walls. At the top of the last switchback, the trail began a long gentle ascent around to the top of a ridge protruding into the canyon. At the top of the ridge, much of the canyon was obscured by vegetation, so I took the 0.6 mi loop trail around the top of the ridge, which keeps pretty close to the rim. This gave marvelous views all around. On the way down, I met literally dozens of late risers coming up the trail. Cool of the morning is when you want to do this trail. |
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