It rained a LOT during our time in Zion National Park (NP). I don’t know if it broke any records but it was unusual enough that everyone was talking about it.
Shuttle Drivers Know Things
Most of the park has limited vehicle access. There’s a great shuttle system that runs from the Visitors Center (stop 1) to the Temple of Sinawava (stop 9; and also where the Narrows are which means you can’t go any further in a vehicle of any sort). During both our trips to Zion, we used the shuttle system extensively to get around the park.
Talk to the shuttle drivers. They drive and they know things. On one trip we learned that the normal flow of the river at this time of year (end of December / early January) is 15 feet per second. The day we talked about it, it was around 1,000! Needless to say, it was forbidden to hike in the Narrows. Far too dangerous.
During another trip, the shuttle driver was being awesome by pointing out all of the various waterfalls that the rain had brought. One of the things he pointed out was the rare sight of 3 waterfalls feeding the 3 different Emerald Pools. Generally, there’s only 1 waterfall visible flowing into the Lower Pool but the rain had been so intense that all 3 of the Emerald Pools (Upper, Middle, and Lower) were being fed copious amounts of water.
Behind the Waterfall
Day 4 of the REI trip was our last in Zion NP. Because of the insane amounts of rain causing the waterfalls to rage, our tour guide suggested a visit to the Emerald Pools before heading out to Bryce NP. The Pros were overwhelming:
- The hike to the Lower Emerald Pool is pretty short, about a mile.
- It’s super easy.
- We get to go behind the waterfall!!!
Obviously, we all leaped at the rare opportunity since there were no Cons.
Sunshine Steve
Our group of 12 contained 2 Steves. One of them was always extremely optimistic about the sun coming out and so we nicknamed him Sunshine Steve.
Sunshine Steve went to university for photography and he was always very meticulous about his photo shoots. He took his time. He veered left when the rest of us veered right. He hung back while we charged forward.
During our trip behind the waterfall was no different. We were all wet. We’d had our fill (well, most of us) but Steve was still behind the waterfall taking photos. Our tour guide had to wait for him and, as he was our driver and couldn’t leave without us (me!), I went back behind the waterfall to play some more.
Mother Nature is incredibly powerful. I can’t possibly describe what it felt like to stand behind this waterfall. The noise. The volume of water. The feel of the gritty spray. It was intense. It would have been scary under other circumstances but in this case, it was wonderful.
Au Revoir
Sunshine Steve and I eventually had our fill and were absolutely soaked to the bone. We piled into the van with everyone else and we took off for Bryce NP and our next adventure.
