I can’t believe I completely skipped past two amazing hikes I did in Utah when I wrote my last post. After I had met with my photographer friend, Seth Hamel, I stayed another night in Virgin, Utah. I wanted to drive the scenic highway through Zion National Park and then hike a trail I have wanted to do for some time.

I woke up early the next morning so I could hike the Many Pools Trail in Zion. It’s a trail right off the scenic highway that follows a runoff area that is composed almost entirely out of sandstone. It’s named Many Pools because there are several areas that have been eroded into holes along the slope that catch and hold rainwater.

I was excited but nervous to drive my RV through the scenic Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel on Highway 9. This tunnel was built in 1930 and is relatively the same as the day it was completed. The tunnel is a little over a mile long. If your vehicle is over 11’4″ tall or taller and/or wider than 7’10” wide, then you have to buy a Tunnel Permit that allows you to have two trips through the tunnel on the same day. The reason you need a permit, is because vehicles over these limits have to drive down the center of the tunnel in order to clear it. The roof was constructed in an arch design so the sides slope down on sides of the lanes. To be able to drive through the center of the tunnel, the traffic has to stop in the opposite direction. Also, you are only allowed to drive your oversized vehicle through the tunnel between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Once I was through, I thought that was a pretty cool experience!

Just a little ways down the highway, I found the pullout for the trailhead. Thankfully the space was just big enough to fit my RV.

To get to the trail, you have to go down the slope next to the road, hike a short arroyo, and then go through a tunnel under the highway.

The trail is a steady incline up the sandstone rock face. Lots of Ponderosa Pines have managed to find places to root along the trail.

The view up the canyon was so beautiful, and the weather was the perfect hiking temperature. It was so nice to hike in the sunshine.

After hiking uphill for a while, I finally started seeing the pools. They weren’t very deep but they all had water in them. If I looked closely in the pools, there were a lot of tiny little insects inhabiting them.

The further up the trail we went, the more steep the trail became. When I turned around to look downhill, I could definitely see the steep incline I had climbed. This also revealed a line of all the pools I had passed.

Maddie thought the day was a little too warm after she had been climbing and exploring the trail. She managed to find a small spot of shade to cool off.

While Maddie enjoyed her shady spot, I took a few selfies. My friend Dia is always telling me to take selfies. I forget quite often to do this because I’m always concentrating on taking photos from behind my camera.

At this point, the trail became too steep for me to climb. So I decided to turn around and head back downhill. I came across a couple climbing up the trail, and I asked them to take a picture of Maddie and me.

Now to go back under the highway in the tunnel. I loved how the fall foliage shone at the end of the tunnel.

After hiking all morning, I continued down Highway 9 toward Kanab. After a few hours of driving, I decided to boondock near the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 89. I found a lovely spot all to myself near the Virgin River. I had a wonderful night’s sleep.

Next post I will write about the other amazing hike I took before leaving Utah and heading south.