After leaving Bryce Canyon, we continued on to Zion National Park. After checking into our hotel, Zion Lodge, we took a shuttle bus to the Temple of Sinawava, named after an Indian god. The Temple is surrounded by colorful sandstone cliffs, as seen in the picture above. After reaching the temple, we took a hike deeper into Zion Canyon along the Riverside Trail toward the Narrows. At the Narrows, the walls of the canyon are little wider than the Virgin River itself.
 

The following morning, my father and I set out on a hike along the Emerald Pools Trail. We set out from Zion Lodge, crossing a bridge over the Virgin River. The trail then began ascending fairly rapidly. This picture looks down from the Emerald Pools Trail at the bridge at the start of the trail.

We eventually reached the Middle Pool, seen here. This pool formed from water which permeated through sandstone until it reached a limestone shelf. The water could not penetrate the limestone, resulting in formation of a pool. Upper and Lower Pools also formed at different elevations on the canyon wall.

While we were descending from the Middle Pool, a hungry mule deer (so called because of its long ears) hopped onto the path ahead of us to nibble on some of the leaves on trees below the path.