Location:

Zion National Park is located in Southwestern Utah, in Washington, Kane, and Iron counties.

Vital Stats:

Nearest airports: Las Vegas International Airport is 150 miles from the park's entrance. St. George, Utah, has a smaller airport, 46 miles from the park.

Established: First as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909, then as Zion National Park in 1919.

Size: 146,597 acres.

Park website: http://www.nps.gov/zion

Snapshot

Mormon pioneers named the canyon "Zion" in the 1860s, which they interpreted as a "place of safety or refuge." Within the park's 229 square miles lies a landscape of high plateaus, narrow gorges, sandstone cliffs, and giant rock towers. Zion Canyon—15 miles long and a half-mile deep—is the largest and most visited canyon in the park. More than 100 miles of wilderness trails crisscross the backcountry, while 15 miles of paved trails allow for casual visits and provide overviews of several of the park's features.

Did You Know?

As the intersection of three separate ecosystems, Zion has a variety of plants—more than 900 species—not found anywhere else in Utah. The 287.4-foot-long Kolob Arch, perched high on a canyon wall in the park's backcountry, is one of the world's largest freestanding natural arches. In 1920, Zion National Park had 3,692 visitors. In 1998, the park had 2.7 million visitors.

Scenic Drive

The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive offers the best overview of the park and can be completed during a one-day visit. The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway (Utah 9) descends nearly 2,000 feet from the high mesa country at the East Entrance to the lower South Entrance. Begin the drive in the east; you'll go through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, which was bored through canyon rock in the late 1920s—and became the longest tunnel in the U.S. Stop at Checkerboard Mesa for a view of the weathered sandstone beds. Get out of the car at the Canyon Overlook and walk the one-mile round-trip trail to view the West Temple and the Towers of the Virgin.