Yesterday I drove to St. George, a lovely desert town in the far SW corner of UT. I passed 5 National parks on the way. Eastern and southern UT is desolate and beautiful. The interstate exits are about 50 miles apart and all have the same name, "Ranch exit", and there are signs like "eagles on road". The closest park to here is Zion, about 50 miles back, so I am going there to hike today. I still have a full day tomorrow to drive the 400 mi remaining to LA where I am going to attend a couple days of the Cassini science meeting before going up to Mammoth for a few days, then Alta.

Try out Angel's Landing at Zion. It's both a workout and a thrill!!

Closed for the winter due to snow and ice. I'll have to come back in summer. The appeal of winter is that the area is empty vs. over run with crowds in summer. It's also pleasantly cool for hiking. The downside is that many of the most interesting trails are closed.

I did Sand Bench Trail and it was beautiful. I saw 2 people and 6 deer on the 6 mile round trip. There is no way to put Zion into words or capture it in pictures. You have to be there.

I agree. Zion is certainly a magical place that I can't wait to get back to. Hopefully sooner than later!!

Make sure you visit Snow Canyon State Park while your there in St. G. lots of petrified dunes, lava rock and red rock. Southern Ut is my favorite hiking areas.