Hidden Valley Trail at Zion

Had a great day in Zion NP this past Tuesday.  I hiked several trails...including Hidden Valley, which I had done about ten years before on my last visit.  It's not long...only about a mile...but it's a steeeep mile...rising 850 feet.  500 feet per mile is a pretty rugged gradient.  I intended to go just a little way up the path, but by resting frequently to take pictures I wound up making it all the way to the valley.  You only have to go a few yards on the trail to get a fine panorama of the amphitheater in upper Zion Canyon.

The trail was cut out of the rock in many places.

The end of April is peak wildflower season in Zion.  There were a lot of nice blooms on the trail.

This patch of Indian paintbrush seems to be growing out of the rock.

More fine flowers.

Here I'm getting up into Hidden Valley.  It's a hanging valley, carved by wind and water far above the floor of Zion Canyon.  In the shelter of the notch, Douglas firs thrive in an otherwise semiarid climate.

The upper part of the trail gets quite precipitous.  In some sections chains have been installed to provide handholds.

In other areas, steps have been hewn into the rock.  It's an unusual trail!

Here's a particularly precipitous spot.  There's a dropoff of several hundred feet.  But the footings good and the path is about five feet wide.

Another panorama from the trail.