Zion National Park
Zion National Park is located near Springdale, Utah. A prominent
feature of the park is Zion Canyon, which is 15
miles long and up to half a mile deep, cut through the reddish
and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin
River. The lowest elevation is 3,666 feet at Coalpits Wash and
the highest elevation is 8,726 feet at Horse Ranch Mountain.
Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin,
and Mojave Desert regions, the park's unique geography and
variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal
diversity. Numerous plant species as well as 289 species of
birds, 75 mammals, and 32 reptiles inhabit the park's four life
zones: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. Common
plant species include cottonwood, Cactus, Datura, Juniper, Pine,
Boxelder, Sagebrush, yucca , and various willows. Notable
megafauna include mountain lions, mule deer, and Golden Eagles,
along with the reintroduced Bighorn Sheep. Zion National Park
also has rare and endangered species such as the Peregrine
Falcon, Mexican spotted owl, California condor, desert tortoise,
and the Zion snail which is found nowhere else on earth. Zion
National Park includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas,
monoliths, rivers, slot canyons, and natural arches.
Springdale, Utah
Springdale is the gateway community at the entrance to Zion
National Park. Here modern day explorers establish their base
camps at our bed and breakfasts, our nearly 700 motel rooms, or
at the more than 500 campsites in the immediate vicinity. From
your room or your tent you can see fanciful Eagles Crags,
magnificent Canaan Mountain, the noble Watchman, the towering
East and West Temples, and haunting Mt. Kinesava. Embraced by
the beckoning wilderness, you can saunter forth in any direction
and enter an incomparable landscape. Hawks and eagles soar
overhead, deer dance over the bushes, and cottonwoods grow tall
by the Virgin River.
Springdale is a year-round destination resort with a variety of
outdoor activities: hiking, swimming, tennis, and rentals
available for bicycling, tubing, hiking and horseback-riding. In
the midst of a natural rural setting you can enjoy many cultural
activities, entertainment and nightlife such as a giant-screen
Cinemax movie, a 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, a museum, art
galleries, bookstores, a playhouse, family concerts, a folklife
festival, and a bar featuring live blues, rock, jazz or folk
music. Our active arts council, Z-Arts!, sponsors creativity
workshops, concerts, and poetry readings.
Springdale is a haven for artists and writers. Many galleries
and shops carry paintings, photographs, masks, pottery and
jewelry by local residents. Several shops carry antiques,
collectibles, rocks, gems and high quality Native American arts
and crafts. Good food is a must for the adventurous traveler,
and several restaurants serve gourmet southwest cuisine, family
style, continental, Mexican, deli, steaks, hamburgers, Chinese,
pasta, pizza, bagels, and cappuccino. A fruit market sells
locally grown organic produce.
Zion National Park Angels Landing
The Angels Landing Trail is one of the most famous and thrilling
hikes in the national park system. Zion's pride and joy runs
along a narrow rock fin with dizzying drop-offs on both sides.
The trail culminates at a lofty perch, boasting magnificent
views in every direction. Rarely is such an intimidating path so
frequented by hikers. One would think that this narrow ridge
with deep chasms on each of its flanks would allure only the
most intrepid of hikers. Climbers scale its big wall; hikers
pull themselves up by chains and sightseers stand in awe at its
stunning nobility. The towering monolith is one of the most
recognizable landmarks in the Southwest.
Zion National Park Narrows
The diverse trek through Zion's premier canyon is one of the
most touted and breathtaking adventures in America.
Extraordinary beauty and unique character describe this amazing
gorge. Hanging gardens burst from dramatically colored
perpendicular walls while trickling water threads its way
through moss covered boulders. Gentle slopes give way to sheer
walls funneling streams of water into fluted slides and twisting
channels cutting deeper and deeper as the journey continues its
path southward. Along the sandy perches of the banks, towering
ponderosa send their roots downward, hungry for nutrients and
water. The entire trip is wondrous. The Zion Narrows deserves
its reputation as one of the best, if not the best, hike in the
National Park System.
