Zion National Park
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Zion National Park
Zion National Park is located in Southwest Utah at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert provinces
Zion National Park offers those looking for adventure travel a surplus of activities from which to choose. For outdoor adventure you will find climbing, hiking, backpacking, camping, horseback riding and archeological sites; just to name a few! Don’t miss out on seeing some of the most scenic canyon country in the US. Keep reading to get more great Zion National Park information.
Uniqueness
Most national parks offer a singular defining image. Not necessarily so with Zion’s mysterious montage of intriguing visions and experiences. Some of the natural structures even take on the appearance of grandiose ruins of some lost civilization from eons ago. One can almost envision a giant scale Roman Coliseum being built here and then left to decay and ruin for thousands of years. Home of the world’s largest arch; Kolob Arch spans at 310 feet! Zion National Park preserves a spectacular network of colorful canyons, forested mesas, and fascinating deserts.
Located in Washington, Iron and Kane Counties in Southwestern Utah, Zion National Park encompasses some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States. The park is characterized by high plateaus, a maze of narrow, deep, sandstone canyons and striking rock towers and mesas. Zion Canyon is the largest and most visited canyon in the park. The North Fork of the Virgin River has carved a spectacular gorge here, with canyon walls in most places rising 2000-3000 feet above the canyon floor. The southern part of the park is a lower desert area, with colorful mesas bordered by rocky canyons and washes. The northern sections of the park are higher plateaus covered by forests.
Zion National Park has a diversity of environments compressed into a relatively small space. A visit to Zion’s different habitats can happen within a day, or extend your visit camping under Utah’s stars. You can experience the varied landscapes of Zion by hiking, skiing, horseback riding, and/or wading through the canyon through the Virgin River. Transparently sparkling pools and cascading waterfalls add to the breathtaking scenery that is continuously unfolding around each giant buttress, or canyon wall, or over each rolling hill covered in the various wardrobes of rust colored iron oxide, olive green shrub, or winter’s snow.
Zion is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary, given to the canyon by Mormon pioneers. By the first decade of the 20th century, the scenic qualities of southern Utah, and Zion Canyon in particular, had been recognized as a potential destination for tourism. This unique geography and the variety of life zones within the park make Zion significant as a place of unusual plant and animal diversity. You will likely be impressed with Zion’s stunning beauty, and the many species that call this place home. Over 2.5 million people visit this park every year.
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