Zion National Park

Posted On February 3, 2022

Dec 10, 2021

By Rylee Dull

I went to Zion National Park. It was amazing. I got to go on a little hike by the river in the canyon (River Trail) where I got to see mule deer footprints. It was cool to see what they look like in the mud. We also got to see a waterfall. Did you know that sometimes lightening can hit the rock and make a crack? It makes a waterfall.

While we were hiking I stopped and listened. I heard leaves rustling, the air, foot steps of other hikers, sticks cracking, the waterfall, and talking.

When we were driving I got to see mule deer, wild turkey, and ravens. My family went on a hike (Overlook Trail) and got to see big horn sheep and mountain goats. The goat jumped in front of us on the hiking trail and we watched it go up the mountain. I can’t wait to learn how it does that!

It was so fun. There isn’t another place like Zion. I had a lot of fun and am glad I went. You should go to Zion because it is really beautiful. There is so much to see and experience. It is an amazing experience and I think you should see if for yourself.

Additional from Heather

What a fun exploration of this canyon we had. Since it was winter the park wasn’t nearly as crazy as I hear it can be in the summer. It was relatively quite and peaceful. I hear during the summer months you have to park outside the park and take a shuttle in but we were able to drive in and park at all the trail heads we wanted to do. I’m not sure we would have enjoyed it as much if the park had been as crowded as we hear it gets in the summer but I also can see why this is one of the top parks to visit.

The beauty is astounding and diverse. The canyon walls are vibrant colors that look like a sunset when the the sun hits them. The Navajo sandstone lights up a beautiful, golden orange. Walking along the Virgin River Trail you can look up at the immense canton that the rivers have cut over centuries. You can’t help but be amazed at the amazing formations the rivers have cut as you look out at the Court of Patriarchs. We have lots and lots of pictures but it really doesn’t do justice to seeing it in person.

As Rylee mentioned we got to hike with the mountain goats and big horn sheep…definitely a highlight for all of us! And I was personally really excited to have been able to hike the Overlook trail. Definitely the most strenuous thing I’ve attempted post knee replacement and it did get great. I definitely would recommend being sure you hit this trail. We were there at sunset which was AMAZING but also made the trek back to the parking area a bit scarier in the dark (there are definitely parts where you are on a small ledge and with the canyon on one side). Definitely worth it though.

Rylee in particular is really excited to learn more about the big horn sheep and mountain goats. As we watched them scale the side of the mountain it left us with questions about they can do that. We’ll be looking forward to exploring that in our post trip studies.

Interested in knowing what we are using for some of our homeschool curriculum related to Bryce Canyon? Here’s a few of the things we checked out –