Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Canyon, with a spectacular natural amphitheater filled with stone spires, arches,
and columns, and painted in reds, purples, oranges, and ochers. You can camp
among the spruce, firs, and wildflowers that blanket the 10,000-foot plateau each
summer.
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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
(near Bryce Canyon National Park):
This vast wilderness, covering almost 1.9 million acres, is known for its stark,
rugged beauty, including striking red-orange canyons and deep river valleys.
Unlike most other national monuments, almost all of this sweeping area is un-
developed—there are few all-weather roads, only one maintained hiking trail,
and two small developed campgrounds. But for the adventurous, there are miles
upon miles of dirt roads and practically unlimited opportunities for hiking,
horseback riding, camping, and exploring.
A Look at Zion
While it may be easy to conjure up a single defining image of the enormous Grand
Canyon or the delicately sculpted rock hoodoos of Bryce, Zion is more difficult to
pin down. Here you'll find a collage of images and secrets, an entire smorgasbord
of experiences, sights, and even smells, from massive stone sculptures and monu-
ments to lush forests and roaring rivers. Zion is a park to explore, not merely to
see; take time to walk its trails, visit viewpoints at different times of the day to see
the changing light, and let the park work its magic on you.
First established as Mukuntuweep National Monument in 1909—
mukuntuweep
is a Paiute Indian word meaning “straight arrow”—its name was changed to Zion
National Monument in 1918, and the area gained national park status the follow-
ing year. Comprising more than 147,000 acres, the park covers a wide range of el-
evations—from 3,700 to 8,726 feet above sea level—and terrain that runs the gamut
from desert to forest, with a dramatic river canyon known as the Narrows thrown
in for good measure.
These extremes of elevation have resulted in extremes of climate as
well—temperatures in the desert areas soar to well over 100°F (38°C) in the sum-
mer, while higher elevations are sometimes covered with snow and ice in the
winter. Due to this variety of conditions, Zion harbors a vast array of plant life,
ranging from cactus and yucca to ponderosa pines and cottonwoods. In fact, with
almost 800 native species, Zion National Park is said to have the richest diversity of
plants in Utah. Be sure to watch for hanging gardens, kept alive with water from
porous rocks, which you'll see clinging to the sides of cliffs.
