In Zion National Park in soutwestern Utah we entered the park through the east entrance and followed the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway to Canyon Junction and turned north on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.  This road is closed to private vehicles between March 29 and October 29 and you must use a park shuttle for the trip. Since we were there early in March we were able to drive ourselves, which allowed us to stop as often as we wanted to take photos.

About 6.5 km (4 miles) of scenic road past the Court of the Patriarchs you reach the end of the road at the Temple of Sinawava. It was a lovely to stroll along the Riverside Walk  amid the towering cliffs and barren trees.                                            The Great White Throne We drove back down to Canyon Junction and out the south entrance of the park.Highway 9 goes west along the base of Hurricane Mesa before meeting Highway 17, then 15 north at La Verkin.  About 30 km (19 miles) up Highway 15 is the entrance to Kolob Canyons, the northern part of Zion National Park.  The Kolob Canyons Viewpoint is only about 8 km (5 miles) from the highway, so off we went to see the view.  Back on the main road we drove north to Cedar City and then turned east, making our way to Ruby’s Inn; our stop for the night at the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park – the next red rock natural wonder.             Winter was hanging on at the higher elevations. The sun was getting low as we approached Ruby’s Inn and the red rock turned to flame.