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Zion National Park is a United States National Park located in the Southwestern United States. This Utah park is located between Springdale, to its south, and Mount Carmel Junction, to its east. A prominant feature in the 229-square-mile (593 km²) park is Zion Canyon, 15 miles (24 km) long and up to half a mile (800 m) deep, which was cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. The road into Zion Canyon is 6 miles long, but the Zion Narrows continue past the Temple of Sinawava, located at the end of the road leading into East Zion where the Zion Narrows Trail begins. The Zion Canyon Road is traveled only by shuttle from early April to late October, but the main section of Zion, the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway can be traveled year-round in private vehicles.

The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway travels from the south entrance to the east entrance. On the east side of the park notable park features include Checkerboard Mesa and the East Temple. In the Kolob sits the worlds longest arch, the Kolob Arch. The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area includes nine formations that together represent 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation. At various periods in that time, warm, shallow seas, streams, ponds and lakes, vast deserts and dry near-shore environments covered the area. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3000 m) starting 13 million years ago.

Human habitation of the area started about 8,000 years ago with small family groups of Native Americans; the semi-nomadic Basketmaker Anasazi (300 CE) stem from one of these groups. In turn, the Virgin Anasazi culture (500 CE) developed as the Basketmakers settled in permanent communities. A different group, the Parowan Fremont, lived in the area as well. Both groups mysteriously disappeared by 1300 and were replaced by the Parrusits and several other Southern Paiute subtribes. The canyon was discovered by Mormons in 1858 and was settled by that same group in the early 1860s. Mukuntuweap National Monument was established in 1909 to protect the canyon, and by 1919 the monument was expanded to become Zion National Park (Zion is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary). The Kolob section was proclaimed a separate Zion National Monument in 1937, but was incorporated into the park in 1956.

Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, this unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. A total of 289 bird species, 75 mammals (including 19 species of bat), 32 reptiles and numerous plant species inhabit the park's four life zones: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. Notable megafauna include Mountain Lions, Mule Deer and Golden Eagles, along with reintroduced California Condors and Bighorn Sheep. Common plant species include Cottonwood, Cactus, Juniper, Pine, Boxelder, Sagebrush and various willows.

Geography

The park is located in southwestern Utah in Washington, Iron, and Kane counties. Geomorphically, it is located on the Markagunt and Kolob plateaus, at the intersection of three North American geographic provinces: The Colorado Plateaus, the Great Basin, and the Mojave Desert. The northern part of the park is known as the Kolob Canyons section and is accessible from Interstate 15, exit 40.

The 8,726 foot (2660 m) summit of Horse Ranch Mountain (Horse Ranch Mountain-1.jpeg) is the highest point in the park; the lowest point is the 3,666 foot (1117 m) elevation of Coal Pits Wash, creating a relief of about 5,100 feet (1500 m).

Streams in the area follow rectangular paths because they follow jointing planes in the rocks. The headwaters of the Virgin River are at about 9,000 feet (2700 m) and the river empties into Lake Mead 200 miles (320 km) southeast after flowing 8,000 feet (2400 m) downward. This gives the Virgin a stream gradient that ranges from 50 to 80 feet per mile (0.9–1.5%)—one of the steepest stream gradients in North America.

Spring weather is unpredictable, with stormy, wet days being common, mixed with occasional warm, sunny weather. Precipitation is heaviest in March. Spring wildflowers bloom from April through June, peaking in May. Fall days are usually clear and mild; nights are often cool. Summer days are hot (95 °F to 110 °F; 35 °C to 43 °C), but overnight lows are usually comfortable (65 °F to 70 °F; 18 °C to 21 °C). Afternoon thunderstorms are common from mid-July through mid-September. Storms may produce waterfalls as well as flash floods. Autumn tree-color displays begin in September in the high country; inside Zion Canyon, autumn colors usually peak in late October. Winter in Zion Canyon is fairly mild. Winter storms bring rain or light snow to Zion Canyon and heavier snow to the higher elevations. Clear days may become quite warm, reaching 60 °F (16 °C); nights are often 20 °F to 40 °F (−7 °C to 4 °C). Winter storms can last several days and make roads icy. Zion roads are plowed, except the Kolob Terrace Road, which is closed in winter. Winter driving conditions persist from November through March.

Notable geographical features of the park

Human history

Archaeologists have divided the long span of Zion's human history into four cultural periods, each characterized by distinctive technological and social adaptations.

Archaic period

The first evidence of human use in the region dates to about 8,000 years ago when small family groups camped wherever they could hunt or collect plants and seeds. About 2,000 years ago, some groups began growing maize and other crops, leading to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Later groups in this period built permanent villages (often called pueblos). Archaeologists call this the Archaic period and it lasted until about 500 CE. Baskets, cordage nets, and yucca fiber sandals have been found and dated to this period. The Archaic toolkits also included flaked stone knives, drills, and stemmed dart points. The dart points were hafted to wooden shafts and propelled by throwing devices called atlatls.

By about 300 CE, some of the archaic groups developed into an early branch of seminomadic Anasazi, the Basketmakers. Basketmaker sites often have grass- or stone-lined storage cists and shallow, partially underground dwellings, called pithouses. They were hunters and gathers who supplemented their diet with limited agriculture. Locally collected pine nuts were important for food and trade.

Protohistoric period

The Parrusits and several other Southern Paiute subtribes lived in the Virgin River Valley south of Zion Canyon for hundreds of years following the departure of the Anasazi and Fremont Indians. Tradition and some archaeological evidence holds that they are a Numic-speaking cousin of the Virgin Anasazi. Parrusits seasonally migrated up and down the valley in search of wild seeds and nuts in what is called the Neo-Archaic period. Some farming and hunting supplemented their diet.

Evidence suggests that the Parrusits had great reverence for the large monoliths and turbulent waters in Zion Canyon. They also believed that they were responsible for the streams and springs they depended upon by communicating with the rocks, animals, water, and plants that make their home there. Modern bands of Southern Paiute still visit sites within the park to perform rituals and collect plants.

Historic period

Early exploration
The Historic period begins in the late 18th century, with the exploration and settlement of southern Utah by Euro-Americans. Padres Dominguez and Escalante passed near what is now the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center on October 13 1776, becoming the first white men known to visit the area. In 1826, trapper and trader Jedediah Smith led 16 men to explore the area in a quest to find a route to California. These and other explorations by traders from New Mexico blazed the Old Spanish Trail, which followed the Virgin River for a portion of its length. Captain John C. Fremont wrote about his 1844 journeys in the region.

Mormon pioneers and the Powell expedition
In the 1850s, Mormon farmers and cotton growers from the Salt Lake area became the first white people to settle the Virgin River region. In 1851, the Parowan and Cedar City, Utah areas were settled by Mormons who used the Kolob Canyons area for timber, and for grazing cattle, sheep, and horses. They prospected for mineral deposits, and diverted Kolob water to irrigate crops in the valley below. Mormon settlers named the area Kolob - in Mormon scripture, the star nearest the residence of God.

In 1858, they had expanded 30 miles south to the lower Virgin River. That year, a Southern Paiute guide led young Mormon missionary and interpreter Nephi Johnson into the upper Virgin River area and Zion Canyon. Johnson wrote a favorable report about the agricultural potential of the upper Virgin River basin, and returned later that year to found the town of Virgin. More settlers arrived in 1860 and 1861 and settled the towns of Rockville and Springdale. Catastrophic flooding by the river (especially in the Great Flood of 1861-1862), little arable land, and poor soils made agriculture in the upper Virgin River a risky venture.

In 1861 or 1862, Joseph Black made the arduous journey to Zion Canyon and was very impressed by its beauty. His stories about the Canyon were at first seen as exaggerated, prompting his neighbors to call the Canyon "Joseph's Glory". The floor of Zion Canyon was settled in 1863 by Issac Behunin, who farmed corn, tobacco, and fruit trees. The Behunin family lived in Zion canyon near the site of today's Zion Lodge during the summer, and wintered in Springdale. Isaac Behunin is credited with naming Zion, a reference to a place of peace mentioned in the Bible.

Two more families settled Zion canyon in the next couple of years, bringing with them cattle and other domesticated animals. The canyon floor was farmed until Zion became a Monument in 1909.

The John Wesley Powell expedition entered the area in 1869 after their first trip through the Grand Canyon. Powell returned in September 1872 and descended the East Fork of the Virgin River (Parunaweap Canyon) to the town of Shunesberg. He may have made the climb up to Zion Canyon, and named it Mukuntuweap under the impression that that was the Paiute name. In the same year, Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert, working with the Wheeler Survey, descended the North Fork of the Virgin River from Navajo Lake to Zion Canyon, making the first recorded descent of "The Zion Narrows". It is likely that he named this remarkable section of canyon in the process.

Powell Survey photographers, Jack Hillers and James Fennemore, first visited the Zion Canyon and Kolob Plateau region in the spring of 1872. Hillers returned in April of 1873 to add more photographs to the "Virgin River Series" of photographs and stereographs. Hillers described wading the canyon for 4 days and nearly freezing to death to take his photographs. Geologist Clarence Dutton later mapped the region and artist William H. Holmes documented the scenery.

Protection and tourism
Paintings of the canyon by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh were exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, followed by a glowing article in Scribner's Magazine the next year. That, along with previously created photographs, paintings, and reports, led to U.S. President William Howard Taft's proclamation creating Mukuntuweap National Monument on July 31 1909. In 1917, the acting director of the newly created National Park Service visited the canyon and proposed changing its name Zion from the locally unpopular Mukuntuweap. That occurred the following year. The United States Congress added more land and established Zion National Park on November 19 1919. A separate Zion National Monument, the Kolob Canyons area, was proclaimed on January 22 1937, and was incorporated into the park on July 11 1956.

Travel to the area before it was a national park was rare due to its remote location, lack of accommodations, and the absence of real roads in southern Utah. Old wagon roads were upgraded to the first automobile roads starting about 1910, and the road into Zion Canyon was built in 1917, to as far as The Grotto.

By the summer of 1917, touring cars could reach Zion Canyon, and the Wylie Camp was established - a tent camp providing the first visitor lodging in Zion Canyon. The Utah Parks Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, acquired the Wylie Camp in 1923, and offered ten-day rail/bus tours to Zion, Bryce, Kaibab, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Zion Lodge complex was built in 1925 at the site of the Wylie tent camp. Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed Zion Lodge in the "Rustic Style" and the Utah Parks Company funded the construction. In 1968, the main lodge building was destroyed by fire but was quickly rebuilt. The detached Western Cabins (Western Cabins of Zion Lodge.jpeg) survived and were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Work on what is now known as the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, started in 1927 to provide reliable access between Springdale and the east side of the park. The road opened in 1930 and park visitation and travel in the area greatly increased. The most famous feature of the highway is the 1.1-mile (1.8-km) Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel, which has six large windows cut through the massive sandstone cliff. Switchbacks take motorists from the tunnel to the floor of Zion Canyon.

In 1896, local rancher John Winder improved the Native American footpath up Echo Canyon so he could travel on horseback up to the East Rim, and hence to Long Valley. This trail was improved again about 1925 and became the East Rim Trail. Other trails were built in 1925 including the West Rim Trail and the Lady Mountain Trail. The auto road was extended to the Temple of Sinawava, and a trail built from there one mile to the start of the Narrows. The next year saw construction of the Angels Landing Trail, and two suspension bridges were built over the Virgin River. The Hidden Canyon trail was built in 1928. The West Rim and East Rim Trail were built for horse-back riding visitors, and were blasted out of the sandstone in many places.

The original ranger cabin was built at The Grotto in the 1920s. A real visitor center was first built in the 1950's, facing the Temples and Towers of the Virgin. Park facilities were redesigned in 2000, with the visitor center converted to a human-history museum (Zion National Park Human History Museum.jpeg) and visitor center functions moved to a new solar powered facility adjacent to the south entrance.

The six mile road, Zion Canyon Scenic Drive provides access to Zion Canyon. Traffic congestion in the narrow canyon was recognized as a major problem in the 1990s and a public transportation system using propane-powered shuttle buses was instituted in the year 2000. From April through October, the scenic drive in Zion Canyon is closed to private vehicles, and visitors ride the frequent shuttle buses. The new plan restored natural quiet to the canyon.

On April 12, 1995, a landslide blocked the Virgin River in the Canyon. Over a period of two hours, the river had carved away 590 feet (190 m) of the only exit road from the canyon, trapping 450 guests and employees in the Zion Lodge. A one-lane temporary road was contructed within 24 hours to allow evacuation of the Lodge. A more stable, albeit temporary, road was completed on May 25, 1995 to allow summer visitors to access the park. This road was replaced with a permanent road during the first half of 1996.

The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, can be traveled year-round, 24 hours a day.

The 5 mile (8 km) Kolob Canyons Road was built in the mid-1960s to provide a scenic drive and access to the Kolob Canyons section of the park. This road often closes in the winter.

Geology

Main article: Geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area

The nine known exposed formations visible in Zion National Park are part of a super-sequence of rock units called the Grand Staircase; they represent about 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation in that part of North America. The formations exposed in the Zion area were deposited as sediment in very different environments:

  • The warm, shallow (sometimes advancing or retreating) sea of the Kaibab and Moenkopi formations
  • Streams, ponds, and lakes of the Chinle, Moenave, and Kayenta formations
  • The vast desert of the Navajo and Temple Cap formations
  • The dry near-shore environment of the Carmel Formation

Uplift affected the entire region, known as the Colorado Plateaus, by slowly raising these formations more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) higher than where they were deposited. This steepened the stream gradient of the ancestral Virgin and other rivers on the plateau.

The fast-moving streams took advantage of uplift-created joints in the rocks to remove all Cenozoic-aged formations and cut gorges into the plateaus. Zion Canyon was cut by the North Fork of the Virgin River in this way. During the later part of this process, lava flows and cinder cones covered parts of the area.

High water volume in wet seasons does most of the downcutting in the main canyon and carries much of the 3 million tons of rock and sediment that the Virgin River transports yearly. The Virgin cuts away its canyon faster than its tributaries can cut away their own streambeds, so tributaries end in waterfalls from hanging valleys where they meet the Virgin. The valley between the peaks of the Twin Brothers is a notable example of a hanging valley in the canyon.


''' ''' ''' ''' ''' ''' ''' ''' '''
Rock Layer Appearance Where To See Deposition Rock Type Photo
Dakota Formation Cliffs Top of Horse Ranch Mountain Streams Conglomerate and sandstone
Carmel Formation Cliffs Mt. Carmel Junction Shallow sea and coastal desert Limestone, sandstone and gypsum
Temple Cap Formation Cliffs Top of West Temple Desert Sandstone
Navajo Sandstone Steep cliffs 1,600 to 2,200 ft (490 to 670 m) thick

Red lower layers are colored by iron oxides

 Tall cliffs of Zion Canyon; highest exposure is West Temple. Cross-bedding shows well at Checkerboard Mesa (Checkerboard Mesa in Zion National Park.jpeg)

 Desert sand dunes covered 150,000 mile² (390,000 km²)

Shifting winds during deposition created cross-bedding

 Sandstone
Kayenta Formation Rocky slopes Throughout canyon Streams Siltstone and sandstone
Moenave Formation Slopes and ledges Lower red cliffs seen from Zion Human History Museum Streams and ponds Siltstone and sandstone
Chinle Formation Purpleish slopes Above Rockville Streams Shale, loose clay and conglomerate
Moenkopi Formation Chocolate cliffs with white bands Rocky slopes from Virgin to Rockville Shallow sea Shale, siltstone, sandstone, mudstone, and limestone
Kaibab Formation Cliffs Hurricane Cliffs along I-15 near Kolob Canyons Shallow sea Limestone

Biology

The Great Basin, Mojave Desert, and the Colorado Plateaus converge in the Zion and Kolob canyons area. This, along with the varied topography of canyon-mesa country, differing soil types, and uneven water availability, has provided diverse habitat for the equally diverse mix of plants and animals that live in the area. In 1999, biologists counted 289 bird species in the park. 75 mammal and 32 reptile and amphibian species are also found there. These organisms make their home in one or more of four different life zones in the Zion and Kolob canyons area:

Desert conditions persist on canyon bottoms and rocky ledges that are away from perennial streams. Sagebrush, Prickly pear Cactus, and Rabbitbrush, along with Sacred Datura and Indian Paintbrush, are common. Utah Penstemon and Golden Aster can also be found. Milkvetch and Prince's Plume are found in pockets of selenium-rich soils. Common daytime animals include squirrels, Pinyon Jays, and Whiptail and Collared lizards (Collared lizard in Zion National Park.jpg), while Desert Cottontails, Jackrabbits, and Merriam's Kangaroo Rats come out at night. Coyotes, Gray Foxes, and Ringtails are the top predators.

Cooler conditions persist at mid-elevation slopes, between 3900 to 5500 feet (1190 to 1680 m). Stunted forests of pinyon pine and Juniper coexist here with manzanita shrubs, cliffrose, serviceberry, Scrub Oak, and yucca. Stands of Ponderosa Pine, Gambel Oak, and aspen populate the mesas and cliffs above 6000 feet (1830 m).

Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, and White-throated Swifts can be seen in the area. California Condors as well as Bighorn Sheep were reintroduced by the mid-1990s. Nineteen species of bat also live in the area.

Boxelder, Fremont Cottonwood, maple, and willow dominate riparian plant communities. Animals such as the Bank Beaver, Flannel-mouth Suckers, gnatcatchers, the Virgin Spinedace, and Water Striders all make their homes in the riparian zones. Mule Deer browse on vegetation throughout the park.

Activities

For many, the highlight of Zion is a trip up the main canyon to the Temple of Sinawava, via the park-run propane-powered free shuttle buses (operating April 1st to October 31st) or driving in their own vehicles the rest of the year. Spectacular, colorful sandstone cliffs soar into the sky above a flat-bottomed, forested valley floor.

Driving through the beautiful east side of Zion to the junction of Highways 9 & U.S. Route 89 at Mount Carmel Junction, then taking U.S. Route 89 either north to Bryce Canyon or South to the north rim of the Grand Canyon is popular. Due to the narrowness of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, RVs and buses must obtain a special pass and run through the tunnel between 8 am and 8 pm.

The more primitive sections of Zion include the Kolob Terrace and the Kolob Canyons. The Grotto in Zion Canyon and the viewpoint at the end of Kolob Canyons Road have the only designated picnic sites.

More than 150 miles (240 km) of maintained trails provide access to the roadless interior. Seven popular trails with round-trip times of half an hour (Weeping Rock) to 4 hours (Angels Landing) are found in Zion Canyon. Two popular trails, Taylor Creek (4 hours round trip) and Kolob Arch (9 hours round trip) are in the Kolob Canyons section of the park (near Cedar City).

Hiking up into The Narrows from the Temple of Sinawava is a popular summertime diversion. Orderville Canyon a narrower slot canyon is also a favorite of visitors to the park. Heartier souls can backpack down The Narrows from the top in two days, or hike down in one long day (16 hours). Other popular backpack trips include the West Rim Trail and LaVerkin Creek/Kolob Arch.

Zion is a center for Rock climbing, with short walls like Touchstone, Moonlight Buttress, Spaceshot and Prodigal Son being very popular. There are many short free climbs, and a large number of hard, long aid climbs. Rockclimbing does not require a permit, though any anticipated bivy on a wall does. Certain areas are closed for raptor nesting in the spring.

Zion is the USA's most concentrated center for canyoneering. Popular routes like Pine Creek and Mystery Canyon were first descended in the 1950s and 1960s, with the last of the big drainages (Heaps) descended in 1982. Zion has a concentration of about 50 technical canyons, characterized by downclimbing and rappels in beautiful sandstone canyons. The most difficult canyons have long sections of entrenched narrows, with keeper potholes that require techical gear and specialized techniques to escape.

Lodging in the park is available at Zion Lodge, located halfway through Zion Canyon. Zion Lodge is open year-round and has motel units, cabins, a restaurant, café, and gift shop but rooms fill up fast. Three campgrounds are available; South and Watchman at the far south side of the park, and a primitive site at Lava Point in the middle of the park off Kolob Terrace Road. Watchman is the only campground in the park that takes reservations and Lava Point has only primitive facilities and is usually open from May to October. Camping in the backcountry requires permits.

Guided horseback riding trips, nature walks, and evening programs are available from late March to early November. The Junior Ranger Program for ages 6 to 12 is active from Memorial Day to Labor Day at the Zion Nature Center.

Rangers at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and the smaller Kolob Canyons Visitor Center can help visitors plan their stay. A bookstore attached to the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, run by the Zion Natural History Association, offers books, maps, and souvenirs for sale, with proceeds benefiting the park. The Association also runs the Zion Human History Museum.

The southern adjacent town of Springdale, Utah and Mount Carmel Junction on the east side of Zion Park offer additional services such as lodging, food, and entertainment.

References

  • Geology of National Parks: Fifth Edition, Ann G. Harris, Esther Tuttle, Sherwood D., Tuttle (Iowa, Kendall/Hunt Publishing; 1997) ISBN 0-7872-5353-7
  • Secrets in The Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks: Third Edition, Lorraine Salem Tufts (North Palm Beach, Florida; National Photographic Collections; 1998) ISBN 0-9620255-3-4
  • Zion National Park: Sanctuary in the Desert, Nicky Leach (Mariposa, California; Sierra Press; 2000)
  • Kolob Canyons Road Guide, Stuart Schneider (Zion Natural History Association; 2001) ISBN 0-915630-28-1
  • National Park Service: Zion National Park *," target="_blank" >* (some adapted public domain text)
  • The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
  • A History of Southern Utah and Its National Parks, Angus M. Woodbury (Utah State Historical Society, Vol XII Nos. 3-4, July-October 1944; revised and reprinted, 1950 (No ISBN, no further publishing information available)).

External links

Gallery

National Parks of the United States | Landmarks in Utah | Iron County, Utah | Kane County, Utah | Washington County, Utah

Národní park Zion | Zion Nationalpark | Zion-Nationalpark | Parque Nacional Zion | Parc national de Zion | Parco Nazionale di Zion | פארק לאומי ציון | Nationaal park Zion | Park Narodowy Zion | 宰恩國家公園

 

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