Weeping Rock, Natural rock formation in Zion National Park, Utah, United States.
Weeping Rock is a sandstone formation in Zion where water continuously seeps through the porous stone layers and flows down the rock face. The flowing water originates from above and nourishes lush green plants that hang along the cliff.
Weeping Rock is a bowl-shaped alcove at the Temple of Sinawava, where the lower sandstone layer was washed out to leave an overhanging cliff. Rainwater absorbed by the Navajo sandstone seeps down until it meets the harder, less permeable Kayenta layer and drips out of the rock. The hanging gardens that grew there include Foster's columbine (Aquilegia fosteri).
The hanging gardens at Weeping Rock are named for the plants that grow on the overhanging sandstone, watered by dripping springs. The best-known species is Foster's columbine (Aquilegia fosteri). Of the several hanging gardens in Zion National Park, this is the only one reached by a direct trail.
The trail to Weeping Rock is about 600 metres long, paved, and climbs roughly 30 metres, ending on a platform beneath the overhanging rock behind a curtain of dripping water. Along the way it opens views of the Great White Throne and parts of Zion Canyon.
The hanging garden here is the only one of several in Zion National Park reached by a direct trail. Its best-known plant is Foster's columbine (Aquilegia fosteri), which grows on the rock behind the curtain of dripping water.
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