Zion National Park

Zion National Park, established in 1919, protects a stunning canyon of towering red and cream sandstone cliffs in southwestern Utah, on the western edge of the Colorado Plateau. The Virgin River carved Zion Canyon deep into the rock, leaving sheer walls that rise as much as 2,000 feet from the narrow green valley floor. Its accessibility and dramatic beauty have made it one of the most visited national parks in the country, with nearly five million visitors a year.

The park's signature hikes lead up to the dizzying spine of Angels Landing and into the Narrows, where the canyon pinches so tight that hikers wade up the river between walls only a few feet apart. Above the main canyon spread slickrock plateaus and high desert. The intense color of the cliffs, stained by iron in the sandstone, glows especially at sunrise and sunset.

• Utah
  The Beehive State, red rock and the Great Salt Lake located in
• The Colorado Plateau
  The high red-rock heart of the Southwest part of
• Grand Staircase-Escalante
  A giant geologic staircase of cliffs in southern Utah related