A dirt trail with wooden fences on either side leads into a desert landscape with colorful red and orange rock formations, trees with yellow and brown leaves, and a blue and partly cloudy sky.

Golden Pathway

On a late afternoon in mid-November, this Zion National Park Trail’s delightful warm hue resulted from the red rock earth footpath, the golden autumn leaves, and the warm glow of the setting sun reflected by the surrounding canyon and rock formations.

A ranger at the Zion National Park Visitors’ Center encouraged us to hike the Pa’rus Trail in the late afternoon and enjoy the changes in the towering canyon wall as the day’s brilliant sun slowly set. The horizon and the rock formations changed with each turn in the path. Named after the Paiute word for "bubbling water," the trail follows alongside, crosses over, and meanders at a distance from the Virgin River.

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