Zion’s charm glows even through blanket of snow

When unexpected opportunity arose to spend a few days outdoors with my three daughters, we invested this windfall of time in a winter visit to Zion National Park. Though we love the park in spring and fall, winter offers an uncommon and stark beauty that is good for the heart.

A spur-of-the-moment weekend like ours isn't possible in Zion much of the year, because lodging and even campgrounds fill up ahead of time. During August 2008 alone, some 400,000 people visited the park, but last February brought only about 15 percent of that figure.

The park's elevation ranges from 3,666 to 8,726 feet, with its high country often covered with snow all winter. In Zion's main canyon, though, snow is measurable only a few times a year, so the majority of the park's most popular hiking trails remain usable.

On this trip, we tried one of Springdale's newest lodging choices, Cable Mountain Lodge, which opened in September. One of its best points is being the closest lodging to the park, just a walk of one or two minutes from Zion's main visitor center and entrance. Since there were four of us, we opted for a suite, which was roomy and elegant yet homey, with deep, comfortable club chairs, a large sofa and a dining table. It had its own kitchen and a private balcony that afforded sweeping views into the park's Bridge Mountain area.

Our first outdoor destination was the six-mile Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. It's one of the most popular places in Zion, perhaps because repeat visitors seem to never tire of seeing it. The North Fork of the Virgin River carved this colorful canyon into a visual masterpiece of red, pink and tan sandstone walls 2,000 to 3,000 feet high. The drive follows the east side of the river, passing ancient landslides and towering monoliths, and offering access to many of Zion's most famous hiking trails. Winter is the only time you can drive it on your own schedule; a shuttle bus is the only motor transport allowed from April to October.

Although a rare snowstorm had hit just before our arrival, we found only patches of snow in the community of Springdale and outside the canyon entrance. But in the canyon itself, where the low winter sun doesn't reach deep, there was almost a foot. Barring an exceptionally heavy storm like this, you still can take many of the popular hikes. I wouldn't recommend attempting any of the steeper trails, for example Angels Landing or Observation Point, since the combination of high drop-offs and potentially icy patches could be extremely dangerous. The best way to handle hiking in Zion is to stop in at the visitor center and get updated on which trails are safe at the time of your visit.

Our first stop was at the Emerald Pools Trailhead. From here, one can choose the lower, middle or upper pool trails, but in winter, it's best to avoid the upper and middle because they have higher drop-offs and steeper terrain. The lower one is enchanting enough; a mere 0.6 miles brings you to the base of a hundred-foot waterfall, then the trail dips down and behind the falling water.

While some of Zion's wild animals hibernate or seek warmer climates in winter, many are still out and about. "I have seen bald eagles near Big Bend (along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive) flying parallel to the river," said Michael Plyler, director of the Zion Canyon Field Institute. "There are also lots of ducks that hang out all winter like buffleheads and hooded mergansers."

Wild turkeys often walk along the scenic drive near the Zion Lodge.

Some of the other visitors we encountered were equipped for the snow, but a high percentage wore street clothes and shoes better suited for a dry sidewalk. On the Weeping Rock Trail, we watched a group just in front of us, unprepared for the trail, fall like dominoes, then try to help each other up, only to fall again. They were all laughing, so it was more comical than sad, but I'll bet they wished for fleece jackets and snow boots.

We followed the scenic drive all the way to its end at the Temple of Sinawava, which is where the Riverside Walk begins. This easy and fairly flat two-mile paved round-trip trail follows the north fork of the Virgin River about one mile upstream to the gateway of the Zion Narrows. The famous Narrows is a two-mile section of river canyon, with walls more than 2,000 feet high yet, in places, only 20 feet apart. Since hiking the Narrows requires walking in the river itself, it's best done in warmer weather.

But the Sand Bench Trail, also off the scenic drive, can be hiked only in winter; from March through October, it's used for trail rides. This 3.6-mile loop takes you over the Virgin River, by Birch Creek and the horse corrals, and offers the park's best views of the Court of the Patriarchs. These three towering sandstone monoliths -- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -- were named by a Methodist minister in 1916. One can access this trail either from the Court of the Patriarchs parking area or from Zion Lodge.

That night, we went to the Bit and Spur, one of Springdale's most popular restaurants. We chose traditional Mexican entrees, but it also offers steaks, surf-and-turf combinations and lamb.

Back at the lodge, the girls headed into the 30-degree night to try out the spa. They said the novelty of steaming in a hot tub, outdoors on a cold night, was worth a chilly walk back to the suite.

We spent the next day on Zion's east side. The drive itself is great, ascending about 1,100 feet through a series of steep switchbacks and then traveling more than a mile through the narrow Zion Mount Carmel Tunnel, an engineering marvel completed in 1930. We found snow a couple of feet deep, a glorious sight contrasted against the red sandstone formations, green pinyon and juniper trees and bluebird sky. The east side is a good place to look for bighorn sheep who might be out sunning themselves on clear days.

We had to return to the visitor center to settle a sibling challenge. My youngest daughter, age 12, has earned Junior Ranger badges in dozens of national parks, and insisted that her older sisters try to earn one each. This program normally caters to children 6 to 12 years old, and her sisters are in their 20s, but they didn't find it child's play. One activity asked participants to match animal tracks to the beasts that made them. Lizard and frog tracks were easy, but by the time they had to differentiate between the spoor of skunk, coyote and ringtail cat, the grown-up girls were seeking help from the 12-year-old expert.

For an even deeper adventure in learning, adults should consider the Zion Canyon Field Institute. The institute offers dozens of workshops and service projects throughout the year; some last only one day. This spring, workshops range from wildlife walks to a look at Zion's low desert wildflowers, watercolor journaling and photography.

From the visitor center, you can set out on three different trails. One of the best is the easy 3.4 mile round-trip Pa'rus Trail, which flanks the Virgin River to Canyon Junction. This paved trail is the only one in the park that is open to bicycles as well as dogs on a leash, and is also a great one to see mule deer.

More challenging is the 2.7-mile round-trip Watchman Trail. This hike takes you up to a natural bench that affords excellent views down to Springdale and the main campgrounds and visitor center complex. It is one of the best places to view the prominent formation called the Towers of the Virgin and a great place to catch a legendary park sunset.

More than 400 archaeological sites have been documented in Zion, but the public is allowed access to very few. One is the Watchman Site, an ancestral Puebloan food storage location used approximately 1,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found two storage rooms, three storage cists (stone bins that were sealed with mud for protection), two fire hearths and tools for preparing food.

Circumstances did not allow us to spend a second night in Zion, but we had already decided that what we didn't get to do this time, we will the next. When visiting Zion in the winter, it pays to build flexibility into your plans for outdoor activities, because weather can be unpredictable. But no matter what Mother Nature brings, a winter trip to Zion will set a feast before your eyes, and a calmness upon your soul.

Contact Deborah Wall at deborabus@aol.com.