Morning on the Virgin River – Springdale, Utah, US
A chilly morning along the pristine Virgin River near Springdale, Utah.
The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about 162 miles long.
It was designated Utah’s first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.
The first known Euro-American party to encounter the Virgin was led by Jedediah Smith in 1826. Smith named it “Adams River”, after then-president John Quincy Adams. Later explorer and mapmaker John C. Fremont reported that it was called “Rio Virgen” but did not state the origin of the name. Hiram Chittenden speculated that Smith had later renamed the river after Thomas Virgin, who was badly wounded in an 1827 attack by Mohave people during the crossing of the Mojave Desert. Virgin recovered from his wounds but was later killed, along with most of Smith’s companions, in an attack by Umpqua people (in present-day Oregon).
Over the course of 13 million years, the Virgin River has carved through the red sandstones of Zion National Park to create some of the most unforgettable scenery in the National Park System.
In fact, this very act of natural erosion is responsible for “The Narrows,” which is one of the premiere hiking adventures in the United States, possibly the world. In addition, there are several easy trails along the river.
Video Source: The Virgin River from New Mexico Outdoor Sports Guide – NMOSG on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
