An unexpected surprise awaits hikers at Zion’s Emerald Pools in Zion National Park, Utah.
I hiked the Kayenta Trail to the Emerald Pools. The park has 12 trails in Zion Canyon that most visitors traverse, and this one is popular because it’s pretty easy but unique and quick to tack on after one of the more extensive hikes like Angel’s Landing or the Narrows.
This trail is listed on the park map as a 1.5-hour hike on an unpaved path with moderate drop-offs and a 150-foot elevation gain. It says it’s connected to the Emerald Pools. However, of the Emerald Pools themselves, little is said, and that’s where the surprise comes in.
You will find lower, middle and upper pool trails along the trails. That is all the National Park Service deemed fit to tell. But this is their way – insanely understated.
Hiking to the Emerald Pools
Since the weather had been 100+ degrees for weeks and dry as a bone, any mention of “pool” sounded good to me. So off I went.
Running along the Virgin River, the trail was lightly trafficked on the day I went in the late afternoon and had scenic views. Alongside the river are massive granite canyon walls.
A Distress Call?
About one mile along the trail, it becomes more cliff-life, and the mossy signs of the nearby pool appear. Along with the moss, there was an unexpected noise. At first, I thought it must have been another hiker playing a sound on a device. Then, after a few minutes, it didn’t stop; I thought it sounded like an animal in distress, braying from somewhere within the canyon.
As I hiked, the noise would stop for a minute, and I was sure another hiker was playing a sound. Why they would do that, I don’t know. But then, after a few minutes, it would start up again. It must be an animal, I thought, but why was it so persistent? Was it hurt?
Finally, I reached the Emerald Pools
Three pools in the canyon create a unique oasis in this desert environment. They also provide year-round habitat for aquatic green algae, which is what the “Emerald Pools” are named. There is a distinct green cast to them.
The rock ledge above the pools seems to hang above the head. From it, mosses and grasses add bright green color to the rock face.
The softer rock layers have eroded, leaving a 100-foot drop and a waterfall that cascades into the lower pool. When I was there during a drought in mid-June, the waterfall is minor but still spectacular in this otherwise dry landscape. Though they say in spring, snowmelt causes a much more spectacular waterfall.
What I’m Hearing
I looked around for a wounded animal but saw nothing. Likewise, nobody was playing a sound on their phone, yet the bleating noise continued.
I stopped a few hikers coming from another direction.
“What’s that noise?” I asked.
They all laughed.
“We wondered the same thing,” a woman answered. “It’s frogs.”
The Surprise is Frogs, hundreds of them
I learned that Canyon Tree Frogs are common in the Emerald Pools. It sounds, in hindsight, exactly like a bleating sheep, and it is loud.
I stood for a while with my binoculars at the lower pool, trying to spot a frog. But they blend very well, and I couldn’t spot one.
Fun fact: These are a species of tree frogs native to the rocky plateau areas of the southern U.S. They are two to five inches long and can be brown, grey-brown, or grey-green in color, often with darker-colored spots. They adapt to match the soil or rock colors like camouflage, so if you can find one consider yourself lucky!
The shape of the canyon overhangs from the cliff face. This makes the sound of the frog’s echo and the noise much louder than it would be in another space.
An Alternative Route to the Pools
When I started on the Kayenta trail, I didn’t know that you could also get to the same spot from the more accessible, paved “Grotto Trail.” The Grotto Trail would be an excellent hike to the Lower Emerald Pool for children. They’ll get a big kick out of the surprise.
Also, if you enter the pool area from the Grotto Trail, there is a sign that tells you about the frogs, so you aren’t left wondering for a long time, but you’ll also miss out on the suspense of the mysterious canyon noise.
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