Our trip started with the long drive out to Zion National Park.  We arrived on Saturday night, just in time for sunset.  After sunset we checked into our hotel, the Pioneer Lodge in Springdale.  This was my favorite hotel of our vacation.  The decor was great and the beds were really comfy.  I’m sure that during the regular season it is overpriced, but we got a good deal since this is supposed to be the off-season. We just lucked out with the record high summer-like temperatures.

Sunday morning we woke up early so that we could get in as much hiking as possible before the sun set.  Our first stop was the Weeping Rock, a short little hike to a neat arch in the canyon walls.  Here, water has seeped through the sandstone and collided with a shale layer.  The water is forced out of the side of the rock here and drips down, forming a year round seep.  After visiting the Weeping Rock we continued up and up the trail to the Hidden Canyon, a beautiful hanging canyon with dryfalls, steep walls, and arches.

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