Observation Point via East Mesa Trail
Today we continued our exploration of the east side of Zion, taking the East Mesa Trail to Observation Point. This moderate, 7 mile out-and-back trail brought us to a magnificent overlook of Zion Canyon. We looked across the canyon and down on the hikers on Angels Landing, and beyond that we could see the South Campground and the town of Springdale. Looking the other way, we could see the Virgin River winding up the canyon, the shuttle buses that looked liked ants crawling up the road.
That’s Angels Landing in the center-right, below, with a steady line of people hiking out to the point and back, no doubt holding on tightly to the chain haha!
Looking down into the canyon, you can see the Virgin River snaking along.
Proof we were actually here. Love the USGS geodetic survey markers!
Even though the temperature was only 46 degrees when we began at 9am, lots of flowers were blooming … sunflower-like asters, pink and white phlox, desert evening primrose, and various larkspurs … but no honey bees :-( on any of these flowers.
We saw several spotted towhees at one point, singing loudly in the trees and chasing grasshoppers on the ground. (Our friend Kathy’s father is an avid bird-watcher, and got us hooked on using an app called Merlin, put out by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to identify bird sounds. It’s a hoot — no, that’s an owl. Give it a try!)
On the way home we watched a herd of desert bighorn sheep grazing on a hillside in East Zion just before the tunnel.
Views, wildflowers, and fun animal/bird sightings! Great day :)