Tag Archives: rain in Zion

Flooding in Zion Last Week

Posted on September 19, 2011 by

Last week brought heavy rains, flash floods, canyon closures, and inaccessible roads to many of us in Zion Canyon and Southern Utah. The graph above of the Virgin River flow at Springdale shows the four “gully-washer” rain storms (and the consequential flooding) we received in the space of five days. And what day were we spared a downpour? The day of our Zion Adventure Company 15th Anniversary celebration. The Narrows and many canyons closed due to Flash Flood Warnings, and rock falls and muddy roads caused access issues to the Top-Down Narrows and other roads in the park. As of now, all canyons and roads have re-opened. Last week’s flooding topped-off most of our canyons in the park, including Pine Creek. For current conditions on some of Zion’s Canyons, take a look at my last post here. And if you want to SEE some good flooding footage, check out this video that shows the flooding on the east side and the Pine Creek drainage on Sept 14th! …AND the weather forecast for this week? Sunny and beautiful!

Posted in Autumn, Canyoneering, In the News, Road Conditions, Seasonal, Seasons, The Narrows, Weather & Climate, Zion, Zion National Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When Rain Falls in Zion

Posted on October 26, 2010 by

In a store that sees tens of thousands of people walk through the door each year, sometimes I forget the specialness of each individual. Inevitably, there are those I remember, and many I do not. In my second season at Zion Adventure Company, I find myself cherishing my moments more. Meeting our visitors, our clients, improves my quality of life tremendously. The slow rainy days especially make this apparent. These are the days I can actually sit down and get to know people, on a much more personal level. I share Zion every day, which is simple and extraordinary, but when I have time to ask people about their experiences, to exchange stories and adventures, it takes those relationships to a entirely different level. One of the best experiences I have had in my two seasons here was meeting some ‘blokes’ outside of the shop recently, Mark and Robbie, from England and Scotland. These two are on a three month journey from L.A. to New York City, and they devoted 5 days to Zion! Spending time with them reminded me it isn’t what you do, it’s who you do it with. I hear that plenty, but it is so true. These guys … Continue reading →

Posted in Weather & Climate, Zion National Park | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Big Rains Yesterday Cool Things Down, Flood the Narrows

Posted on October 5, 2010 by

It has been incredibly hot in Zion this summer. We have been flirting with and/or breaking heat records all summer and into fall, and everyone seems to be ready for a respite. Yesterday, Zion had its first long, drenching, all-day rain of the fall, signaling fall is finally here. While most locals welcome the rain, many eager Narrows hikers will be forced to change plans today, as the Virgin River volume spiked dramatically overnight. The United States Geological Service, or USGS, has a number of monitoring stations along the Virgin, which anyone can view on their website. Here’s the visual representation of how yesterday’s rain affected the water volume in the Narrows: Zion National Park closes The Narrows to bottom-up hiking whenever the Virgin River rises above 140 cubic feet per second (cfs). The Park opens The Narrows back up only after the volume has fallen below 140 cfs for 24 hours. If you ever want to know where the Virgin River’s volume is, feel free to check at the USGS site, or stop into Zion Adventure Company, where we not only have the information on hand, but we can help you interpret it and give our best guess about … Continue reading →

Posted in Canyoneering, Hiking, Safety, The Narrows, Zion National Park | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment