Zion Flash Flood

In the fall I made a trip out to Zion National Park.  I was too early for the fall colors but still hoped to enjoy the canyon and see what might be possible.  Late summer and early fall is the monsoon season in the desert when the tropical storms send rain showers across the southwest.  We flew into Las Vegas and started the drive up to Springdale in rain.  We arrived in Zion to find it in flash flood conditions.  The river was up and roiling.  The park even closed for a couple of hours.

After they reopened we went in to see what the river looked like.  It was roaring, running fast and deep.  It was something I had never seen there and it was a treat in a way.  I made my way to the famous view off the bridge toward the watchman and photographed the river.

We took the shuttle up to the lodge and went to see the river there and the roar was load by the edge of the water.

One of the hikes I was looking forward to doing on this trip was the Zion Narrows but with the flood conditions, I knew that might not now be possible.  

I walked along the river and took in some of the well flowing waterfalls that had formed along the canyons edge.

Water is a powerful force and the rain here was was showing what it could do.  It was impressive and it also allowed me to get a different image from the canyon than I had in past trips.

Just a few hours here and I already had some interesting things in the bag.