|
Emerald Pools: Zion's gems in the desert |
|
|
|
|
Written by Julie Chapman
|
|
Wednesday, 13 August 2008 |
With three pools, each progressively further up a side canyon from the Virgin River in Zion National Park, and each progressively more difficult to get to, the Emerald Pools hike is an option with something for everyone. We gathered our four kids, hopped off the Zion National Park free shuttle at Zion Lodge and hit the trailhead across the street from the lodge.
The trail to the first of the three pools is broad, mostly paved, with a slight incline. As it twisted around, following the contour of the cliff face, we were alternately in sun and shade, grateful for the respite from the desert heat. The trail is busy on the way to this first pool, as it is the most easy to reach. Lower Emerald Pool forms in a bowl just below an undercut alcove in the cliff, with a waterfall cascading over your head into the pool below.
From there we followed the trail as it circumnavigated the Lower Pool, and rose in quick steps cut into the rock, then twisted to slant upwards between two rocks as big as houses.
This was my favorite section of the trail. I could reach my arms out to either side and trail my fingers along those enormous rocks. Thanks to their height they were bathed in shadow, and we took a short rest and water break while leaning against their cool surface.
After rising through these two rocks the trail takes a sharp left turn, still climbing upward, and comes to Middle Pool after another 10 minutes of hiking. Middle Pool is actually a series of two small pools, one right on the edge of an overhanging red rock cliff, the other tucked back just up the slope, closer to the back of the cliff wall.
We stopped here for quite a while, taking a break from hot hiking boots as we dipped our feet in the cool water, and enjoyed our modest lunch. We almost headed back down, but pride got the best of us and we decided to forge on to the third pool.
The trail from Middle Pool to Upper Pool is longer, steeper and more rocky than any other part of the trail. The trail is also much more exposed to the sun, with prickly bushes happy to scratch you as you push past, but no refreshing shade trees along the way.
We were all hot, tired, and wondering whether this was a good idea or not. Just when the kids felt like they had done all they could, we quickly dropped down a series of boulders and into an expanse of soft sand, interspersed with red rock slabs, stretching to the largest of the pools, Upper Pool. The water is blue-green, smooth, and cool. The cliff rose up behind it in a colossal, final ascent of a few hundred feet, to the canyon rim. We rested and the kids played in the sand at the edge of the water.
After more than two hours of hiking and soaking in our surroundings we headed back down the trail. As is often the case, though it was important to go slowly and carefully over the rocky trail, the descent was satisfyingly quicker than the ascent had been. Just below Middle Pool we opted to head left on the trail that skirts the canyon wall and comes out at The Grotto, rather than backtracking to Zion Lodge. Again, hot and dry, we had just enough water to make it to The Grotto (and refill our canteens there), but our trip took us past some of the most stunning pink and yellow cacti flowers I have ever seen — one more reminder of the variety and harsh beauty of life in the desert.
|
