Rain in the Desert: An April Fool's Day at Zion

Rain in the desert? Not what you expect — but it was April Fool's Day, so Mother Nature had to get a little joke in on us.

You might think rain is out of place in the desert, but at Zion, it's rain that made much of the magnificent landscape you come to see. Water erosion created the slot canyons, the sheer walls, and all those otherworldly shapes. Zion gets about 18 inches of rain a year, so an April shower isn't all that unusual.

Not exactly what you picture when you think "desert" — but the spring break crowd wasn't fazed.

The day we were set to ride the shuttle up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, it rained all day. We rode the shuttle anyway — and so did everyone else. The rain wasn't stopping the spring break crowd, clad in store-bought colorful ponchos. With everyone packed inside, the windows fogged up — a bummer for sightseeing, but motivation to get off and explore further. Thank goodness we had TheParkGuide audio tour, which was crucial for understanding the little we could see through the thick condensation.

While the bus ride wasn't ideal, I consider us lucky. Usually you see only the dry black streaks that mark where waterfalls flow and carve the canyon over time. That day, the water was actually flowing. Seeing those geological forces in action made it all worth it — even if we did get soaked.

The rain brought the canyon walls to life — waterfalls flowing where you usually only see dry streaks.