Springdale UT – Las Vegas, Nevada
Wednesday and our last day. Our flight home was from Las Vegas airport at 17:35 so we had time for a last drive into Zion after a leisurely breakfast (as we also gained an hour crossing into Nevada).
Again we drove along the Valley Floor road where you can appreciate the wonderful views of the rock formations towering above you.
“ I have looked for this mountain all my life but never expected to see it in this world. This is the Great White Throne.“
After Fisher praised the striking presence of the Great White Throne he turned toward what would become Angels Landing and stated
“The Angels would never land on the throne, but would reverently pause at the foot [of Angels Landing].“
At the end of the Valley Floor road is the Temple of Sinawava with high sheer cliffs streaked black on the red iron oxide by waterfalls, many of which are dry in the winter months. A riverside walk runs alongside the North Fork of the Virgin River which leads in to the Narrows, named for the narrowest section of the canyon. This 16 mile narrow canyon is where hikers splash up or down the shallow waters. Parallel cliffs soar 2,000 feet overhead, only 30 feet apart in places.
Court of the Patriarchs was named for three towering figures of the Old Testament, these sandstone cliffs hold court over Birch Creek Canyon and this section of the Virgin River. In 1916 Fisher gave the religious names to the peaks; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Finally we left the park and headed west out of Springdale along Highway 9 following the Virgin River to Virgin and Hurricane and on to the Interstate 15 to Las Vegas, Nevada. Our final state of the trip.
In Virgin there is a turn-off to hike down the left fork of North Creek which leads to a geological feature called the Subway. Over time water rushing through a hole in the rock has formed a rounded out tunnel.
Near Hurricane you find the Quail Creek reservoir and the ghost town of Grafton where scenes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were filmed.
We had no intention of spending any time in Las Vegas other than reaching the airport and dropping off the hire car. As we neared the city the air above was yellow with pollution and the Interstate became much busier, so much so that we missed our turn-off and had to circle round which was a bit worrying as the fuel gauge was getting close to empty. I always find driving in strange cities quite stressful and even more so after days of being out in the vast open spaces with hardly any vehicles on the road.
So “Goodbye Las Vegas”.
It has been the most wonderful road trip and despite the overnight snowfalls, we have experienced lovely weather, cold, but dry. The Canyon Circle is fascinating – so many geological features to gaze at in wonder. We have nothing like it here on such a scale. I only wish we’d made more time and incorporated Monument Valley, Four Corners Monument, Arches National Park and The Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. Who knows whether we will ever come this way again?
When a man is away from Nature
His heart becomes hard
~ a Native American proverb
I have seen many sights on this road-trip to take my breath away, Sedona, the Red Rock Canyon, the Vermilion Cliffs, Balanced Rocks, Grand Canyon’s depths, Bryce’s hoodoos, Lake Powell’s stillness and Zion’s peace. A journey of over 1,000 miles in little over 6 days and every day even more amazing than the last.
TRAVEL WORDS 
Wow, what a trip Jude. Something to remember for a lifetime. Brilliant scenery and great shots to have as mementos too.
I have enjoyed visiting the area, courtesy of your articles.
Regards as always, Pete. x
Good to have you along Pete. It was indeed a memorable trip and now I can relive it at any time! It has taken me a while to get this one written!
What a trip, Jude! So many fantastic memories 🙂 I could fancy sloshing along there in the bottom!
Any ‘big’ trips in the planning?
Thanks Jo – hope to get to Seattle this year and maybe do a road-trip down to San Fran to complete the PCH trip. And I’m also hoping for Australia too! Lots of ideas, but nothing definite – yet!
I knew I shouldn’t ask 😦 I’m good at carrying luggage?
Haha, I shall bear that in mind! When are you retiring to Portugal then?
That is the $64,000 question!
I want to do all that you did and the bits you have yet to do, too.
Ah, yes, the bits I have yet to do. Maybe you can do them and I’ll travel along with you this time? I’ve just got so many other places to go to first!!
Always welcome new road trip companions.
So glad you shared this trip with us! Absolutely amazed by die beautiful rock formations! I would so love to see it too!
Aren’t they fascinating? I was surprised on a daily basis – and there is so much more to this region too!
Such an amazing part of the US with surprises springing out of the desert at every turn. Fantastic tour Jude!
Thanks Sue, 🙂 it is quite a region! One I’ll never forget.
Sounds like a great trip – I’ve really enjoyed reading my way through this series, and you’ve inspired me to start planning my own trip!
Job done then 🙂 Nice to know that the posts have inspired you. It is a great trip – maybe take a bit longer and add on the bits I missed out 🙂
Were you not completely overwhelmed with the scenery by then? What a fantastic trip!
Overwhelmed? We were gobsmacked every day! Just didn’t know what to expect next! And you have this almost on your doorstep!
What a fantastic trip – that region was one of my travel highlights too, the huge diversity of the landscapes just blew me away!
Incredible region isn’t it Lucy? But there are so many wonderful places to visit in the US – I need to do a proper 12 month road-trip, but then I’d probably end up like Carol (Whichwaynow101) and never want to settle down again!
Really enjoyed your Canyon Circle trip Jude, your photos became more stunning the further you drove! I wish I had taken this trip when I lived there but it just never occurred to us to do it. I suppose with three young children it would have been a lot more difficult. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful journey with us, at least I got to see it through your eyes 🙂
Hope you had a lovely Easter and now enjoying a super break in Cornwall, with lots of sunshine 🙂 xx
It is a very memorable trip Sherri. I am glad you enjoyed travelling with me. And you still have plenty of time to do it now. Cornwall is lovely though the weather isn’t – or wasn’t yesterday or this morning 😦 Brightening up now so hope we have a good few sunny days as I want to visit some gardens! Connection is poor though so I won’t be commenting or posting much this week. Talk to you soon 🙂
I did very much enjoy it. Hope the weather cheers up for you, got to get those excellent photos at the ready for us all to see when you return! Have a great time Jude and catch up soon 🙂 xx
Wonderful rock formations, Jude.The Great White Throne is fabulous. What a great trip you had.
It was fabulous Sylvia. So much to see in a relatively small region and every park different to the rest. It has been great fun reliving this trip with you all.