A few years ago I stumbled across a canyon trail that wasn’t listed on any Zion trail maps or on Alltrails (a popular trail app). It’s off the main scenic highway at the bottom of the switchbacks. Theres a small pullout but no trail sign anywhere.

I loved it the first time I discovered it and have always wanted to go back. This time the trail looked completely different as it was in winter mode. All of the lush trees were dormant and there were no beautiful green bushes or grasses. But the stream was still flowing nicely.

I love going back to favorite trails. It’s fun to find new things to see. Of course, this was Maddie’s first time on this trail. She thought all of the sand and sticks were awesome!

I was afraid to let her drink from the stream. Zion is known for a deadly algae in the Virgin River. It’s especially toxic to dogs. Even though this stream isn’t connected to the Virgin River, I was still hesitant to let Maddie drink from it. Thanksfully she hasn’t shown a lot of interest in playing in water. Of course, that may change once the warmer weather of summer gets here.

It was pretty cold in that canyon. I think it was about 21 degrees. I stayed pretty bundled up. But it didn’t deter me from exploring.

Maddie is a very energetic puppy. She just doesn’t want to sit still. It’s a real challenge getting her to stay in one place when I try to do photography. She will learn, but at 7 months it’s just too difficult to not keep exploring and playing. She also hasn’t learned how to do selfies with me. I must have taken 20 photos trying to get a decent selfie of us together.

These are my best results.

I would have liked to spend more time in the Zion area, but colder weather was on its way. I was also looking forward to going to Death Valley before it got too hot there.