April, the boys, and I were looking to beat the heat so we packed up and headed down south to find some water filled canyons. Our first hike of the weekend was Kanarra Creek just outside of Cedar City. The 1 mile approach hike provided very little shade but made the creek feel that much better once the canyon slotted up. We made our way up to the first waterfall and ladder then slowly worked our way back down canyon and back to the car in 3 hours.
Next we made our way over to Zion National Park where we set up our tent at the Watchman Campground and rode the shuttle bus into the main canyon. We checked out the weeping wall and made a short hike along the river in the shady canyon. That night in the campground it was hot and loud, there was a quite a fiesta going on a few hundred feet away and around midnight the cops finally showed up and we were able to get the kids to sleep.
The next morning we were up bright and early and on the shuttle bus headed to the Narrows (along with what seemed like everyone else in the park). I was a bit worried the hike would be too hard for Bowen (3yo) due to the deep water but he managed with some help on the deeper crossings just fine. There was not a shortage of people in the narrows that day but I was still able to get some decent shots and the kids had a blast. Hiking at Bowen’s pace the entire time with lots of stops for lunch, snacks and playing in the mud we ended up spending7 hours in the narrows.
Lanik’s Jump
Aprils Jump
While April and Bowen stayed back to play in the mud Lanik and I hiked a ways up Orderville canyon.
After a quick stop at camp for some fresh clothes we grabbed a burger in Springdale then fought our way beyond the construction to the east side of the park. I really enjoyed this end of the park especially the equipment parked at the Checkerboard Mesa view point. We stretched our legs, took a few photos and did a bit of light painting before we made our way back to camp.
Traffic
Me
Us
We spent yet another very warm (and slightly more peaceful) night in the Watchman campground before we packed up our gear. We made one last trip on the shuttle bus to the Zion lodge where we hiked the Emerald Pools then got the kids some ice cream cones.
As always the kids had a great time and really enjoyed all the hiking we did in the water. Zion was just like I remembered it… packed full of tourists.
Tags: emerald pools, kanarra creek, kanarraville, slots canyon, star trails, the narrows, Utah, watchman campground, water