Cable Mountain - Zion National Park

Zion National Park is a fantastically beautiful place.  We find ourselves there at least once a year to hike, climb and photograph like crazy.  Zion is characterized by colorful sandstone cliffs in reds, oranges, yellows and even purple.  On our honeymoon trip to the park, we decided to try a few new hikes off the usual beaten paths, which led us to Cable Mountain.  Back in the early 1900s, a sawmill was operated on the rim, and a cable car was built atop Cable Mountain to transport the lumber down to the canyon floor.  The original cable system was hit by lightning and burned down in 1911, only to be rebuilt and operated until about 1930, when it was abandoned due to a lack of lumber supply.  The ruins of the cable structure still stand on the top of Cable Mountain today.

The view across the canyon on the way up to Cable Mountain, seen on the left.

The ruins of the cable system still stand precariously on the very edge of the canyon rim.

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!