Lava Rock Viewpoint and into Zion National Park, UT

A beautiful night and a beautiful morning with bright sun. I've lost an hour now that I am in Utah, so low and behold its 7:30am, which is 6:30am, in Arizona. I usually never sleep this late, so I was anxious to get started.

I headed towards a place called Lava Rock viewpoint, which is on the western side of Zion. It's a remote drive about 30 minutes straight up to nearly 8,000 ft. elevation. Naturally I heard my ears pop in my head and pressure increase the higher I went, which also included ice and snow on the ground.

The last 1.8 miles to Lava Point was muddy dirt, so I took the chance and hoped for the best. There was plenty of ice and snow, a lot of straddling, crunchy, crackling, and some steeper climbs which I added gas for traction. I parked in the one remaining spot as this is a very remote space with not much parking. It was 36° at 11:30am. The views were beautiful going towards Zion, facing south, with some gold and orange fall foliage.

I checked into Watchmen Campground in Zion. I will spend the next four nights here and I'm already peopled out! There are people in and off the shuttles, in the visitor center, and along the roadway retail shops. The parking is full everywhere, so I am glad I have a place to stay overnight. Its like a city here! Whoa!
 
Anytime there's a concentration of people, there's a concentration of noise. The older I get the more noise sensitive I become. It's no wonder why I like BLM and State or National Forest camping, if I can find a spot by myself. I seriously must be that old. I do my best to ignore it. So I took several walks with Jo Jo today and I plan on getting up painfully early tomorrow to beat the crowd, to catch the shuttle bus, and take it all the way down into this valley. I am surrounded by the famous red rocks of Zion!



















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