East Rim - Zion National Park

"Starting at the East Entrance Trailhead, the East Rim is a very well-defined sandy trail that heads north into a wonderland of the White Cliffs as it makes its gradual ascent to the top of the plateau. If you catch this stretch of trail during sunrise, it is a special experience; the section of trail in Cave Canyon is the quietest corner of Zion." [4feet]: We arrived at the Temple of Sinawava around 6:35 in the morning and attempted the Narrows (water trail). We brought plastic bags and sandals; hoped for the best that our sketchy preparation would be adequate for this famous water hike. We were wrong. Even wrapped up the shoes with a plastic bag, the river water still wetted our feet instantly. The river temperature in the morning was near the freezing point. The freezing water was like thousands of blades leaking into the shoes and cutting our feet. We turned back to the riverwalk trail immediately after merely two steps in the water. Without proper gears, it is an impossible mission to attempt the Narrows on bare feet in winter. After failed our attempt at the Narrows, we spent the rest of the morning exploring the park outside Zion Canyon Scenic Drive (the West Rim). The East Rim shows a different side of Zion National Park by several means. Once driving through the 1-mile tunnel and arriving on the eastern side of the park, we found more pine trees and ground-level vegetation. The color of rocks tended to be more vibrant, and the stone layers presented a more smooth surface. When approaching the end of the eastern side of Zion National Park (East Rim Trailhead), where the climate was cooler and more humid. The sand underfoot was semi-frozen, and snow accumulated alongside the trail. As we were hiking in the East Rim Trail, we hardly encountered any human traffic. Though usually compared unfavorably to its bigger brother (the West Rim Trail), a day hike along the East Rim Trail takes us through some wonderful scenery from the East Entrance through Echo Canyon down to Weeping Rock in the main canyon. Yet, we did not reach any viewpoint this time. East Rim Trail leads to multiple "trailheads" of more interesting attractions (Hidden Canyon, Red Cave, Cable Mountain, Deertrap Mountain, Echo Canyon Passage, and Weeping Rock), but the distance could easily be 10 miles and more from the entrance. As we planned to explore one interesting state park in Kanab before sunset, we turned back after 2.3 miles of the hike (total of 4.6 miles) and headed to Kanab in where we were going to live for the next 2 nights. 12/19/20