April 2009 – The Three Marys

The Three Marys is one of the most visible, and beautiful, landscapes in Zion Canyon. It’s right above the Lion Boulevard in Springdale, in full view of O. C. Tanner Amphitheater and the Canyon Community Center. I snapped this photo from the City Park last winter.

But in spite of that, it doesn’t seem to get any respect. That’s probably because one of the truely awe inspiring features of Zion Canyon, the West Temple, looms over them. (Playing around with Microsoft Virtual Earth, I discovered that the West Temple is simply too high for any of the “Birds Eye” views to capture the summit.)

I had some trouble even discovering the correct name. Several locals I asked just didn’t know. I finally got the name from the Information Officer at Zion Park who referred me to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. I learned that the Three Marys are properly classified as a “pillar” (not a “summit”). BigWall.com lists the first ascent of the Three Marys as “Ron Olevsky, Walker, Farber, 4/82″.

(To install on Windows XP and Windows Vista using Internet Explorer … Double click the thumbnail above to display the full sized image in your browser, then right click to display the context menu. Select “Set as Background”. If you have problems, leave a comment and tell me what problems you have.)