Zion National Park -The Riverside Walk in the Temple of Sinawava

The end of the Zion National Park shuttle line in Zion Canyon is the orange walled natural amphitheater of the Temple of Sinawava. High above the canyon floor the top of the cliff is sparsely edged with evergreens. The tallest of the evergreens, which appears to be 40 to 50 feet tall, stands 11 stories in height. Everything in Zion National Park is on a grand scale!

Stone native to Zion is used for retaining walls and the facilities at the shuttle stop making the human intrusion less disruptive than it would be otherwise. My visit to the Riverside Walk in Zion National Park was made in the late afternoon when the sun was shining on the sheer walls but the Riverside Walk trail enjoyed defused sunlight. Although the tourist season officially had begun the week before, visiting Zion National Park on April 26, 2009 it seemed like Zion was lightly populated.

Look for the trail head on the left hand side of the Zion shuttle stop patio. Bordered with a simple rail fencing, to keep visitors off the fragile landscape, there are several wide, level avenues that branch off the main Riverside Walk and lead to the sandy Virgin River. Within 50 yards of the Zion shuttle stop visitors can find a spot along the rivers edge to enjoy the coolness and music of the water moving over the rocks. There are several logs scattered about for natural seating. In the Spring the Virgin River flows can run to 3,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) but the river tapers down to flows of 75 cfs for 90% of the year. April of 2009 the river was flowing cold and swift at the high end of normal.

The Riverside Walk is a 2 mile round trip that takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours to stroll or roll. The Riverside Walk is one of the two relatively flat, wheelchair accessible trails at the South entrance of Zion National Park. There are many places along the path that will cause you to pause which is why such a short distance warrants allowing for so much time. Moving further along the tree lined main path you instantly loose sight of the restrooms and shuttle stop and are enveloped in the majesty and beauty of the final stretch of Zion Canyon.

Shaded and Paved

Oak, birch, and pinion pine shade the path and frame the incredible views along the Riverside Walk. About 15 minutes down the winding trail the path takes a bit of an incline and curves around a rock outcropping. A striking arch streaked with black, white and tan comes into view when you round the corner. Two gigantic boulders and a rock outcropping form an alcove on the right side of the trail. Trees and several stone benches provide shaded seating in this serene spot. Just a few steps past this well-placed resting spot on the Riverside walk, a stone bridge spans a small stream-bed. While standing on this bridge looking to the right will give you a full view of the colorful rock alcove. Water seeps from different areas in the rock wall and forms small pools in the sandy floor each Spring. Lush plants drape artistically down the walls. The contrast of rugged stone stained from mineral deposits with rich green vegetation growing directly out of the rock cervices is moving. The Zion canyon continues to narrow and the towering walls reveal different stunning formations at each bend in the path. Plants hang down from the walls anywhere that water, which fell on the plateau above thousands of years ago, seeps out between the sandstone and harder rock layers of the canyon walls. Wild flowers lend colorful highlights of yellow, orange, lavender, and white to the Riverside Walk in April. Small informational trail-side markers point out several features along the way.

The Riverside Walk is beautiful both ways and on any day

The Riverside Walk ends in a cul-de-sac with stone steps down to a wide sandy beach. This is the point of debarkation for The Narrows Bottom Up Hike. Swollen with snow run-off The Narrows trail, which involves wading through the Virgin River in many areas, was closed to hikers during April 2009. Zion National Park permits are issued for hiking through The Narrows when the water flow is below 120 cfs. When the flows are less than 140 cfs the Bottom-Up hike can be started where the Riverside Walk ends. When the river is flowing high with snow melt standing on available rocks and peering upriver at the sight of the canyon walls nearly coming together over the river is all that can be done. The large boulders provide picnic spots or places to sit and simply gaze at the unique Zion canyon walls for awhile before beginning your walk back to the Zion shuttle stop if the benches are full.

Walking back the sights change due to lighting and viewing angles. The 30 to 45 minute walk back along the Riverside Walk is as interesting as the stroll out was. Spring (April 4- May 16) and Fall (Sept 13-Oct. 25) the Zion free shuttle runs every few minutes from 6:45 am until 10 pm which provides the opportunity to experience the Riverside Walk anytime from dawn to well after dark. With a sweatshirt to fend off the cooler ends of the day the Riverside Walk can be enjoyed throughout the day since the April temperatures range from a low of 43 to a high of 73 degrees.

A rainstorm is a terrific time to take in The Riverside Walk. Waterfalls appear almost as if by magic. Sunsets are stunning to watch from the Temple of Sinawava. The stars are extraordinary over the deep darkness of the canyon. The Riverside Walk at the Temple of Sinawava in Zion Canyon is one you may want to plan to take in more than once.