Zion Canyon Loop - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 392

Checkerboard Mesa in Zion National Park gets its name from the crisscross pattern in this huge sandstone rock, a result
of both sedimentation and weathering.
7. Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnels
Returning to Rte. 9, the drive heads east on a steep stretch of road, completed in 1930, that
zigzags around—and tunnels through—Zion's formidable bulk. The first and longer of the
tunnels, more than a mile in length and some 800 feet above Pine Creek, is a marvel of
engineering. Although blasted from solid rock, it affords scenic passing glimpses through
occasional windowlike openings. Just east of the first tunnel, you can stop and stretch your
legs along the well-marked Canyon Overlook Walking Trail—an easy one-hour stroll per-
mitting views of Zion Canyon and Pine Creek that are normally reserved for Steller's jays
and ravens. Just below the overlook, the singular Great Arch of Zion resembles a cathed-
ral's flying buttress. Beyond the second tunnel, along Zion's high plateaus, lie petrified
sand dunes and other surreal monuments. Among them is Checkerboard Mesa—a giant
grayish formation cross-hatched over time with gridlike cracks.