ZION NATIONAL PARK

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Angel's Landing

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Campgrounds

Zion National Park has three campgrounds. South and Watchman Campgrounds are in Zion Canyon. The Lava Point Campground is in Zion Canyon on the Kolob Terrace Road.

Cabins

Twenty-eight cabins have two double beds, while the remaining twelve have one queen bed. All cabins have a gas log fireplace, private porch and full bath. These cabins are within walking distance of the lodge.

Hotel Rooms

Most rooms have two queen-size beds, full bath and private porch or balcony. Some rooms do have a king-size bed. The hotel rooms are equipped with a 37-inch flat-screen television with satellite reception. They are clean, comfortable and within walking distance to trails and main lodge.

Activities

Backpacking

Bicycling

Birding/ Bird watching

Camping

Canyoneering

Climbing

Hiking

Horseback riding

Kolob Canyons

Ranger-led Activities

River Trips    

The Narrows

Shopping

bookstores

boutiques

gift shops

galleries

museums

hardware stores

markets

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Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Cliffs

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How to get there!

Plane

Daytona Beach, FL -> Saint George, UT 

Car 

Get on I-95 N from N Ridgewood Ave and U.S. 1 N 11.5 mi / 19 min

Continue on I-95 N. Drive from I-10 W, US-98 W, US 49 N, I-20 W and TX-114 W to Wichita Falls.

Take exit 3A from I-44 E 1,208 mi / 17 h 34 min

Get on I-40 W/US-287 N in Amarillo 212 mi / 3 h 12 min

 Follow I-40 W to US-491 N in Gallup. Take exit 20 from I-40 W 430 mi / 6 h 5 min

Take AZ-264 W, US-89T and US-89 to UT-9 W in Kane County 354 mi / 6 h 11 min

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Zion's Biomes

Pinyon-juniper and conifer woodland communities contribute to Zion's biomes. Neighboring ecosystems such as the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, and the Rocky Mountains are also contributors to Zion's biomes.

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Semi-Arid Desert Biome

This type of desert includes the sagebrush of Utah, Montana, and Great Basin. There are long and dry summers but mild rainfall (2-4 cm per year) in the winters. The soil ranges from sandy and fine to loose rock fragments.

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Desert Biome

This occurs when there is less than 50 cm of rain per year.  Most deserts occur at low latitudes, but cold deserts occur at higher latitudes.  They contain little or no organic material, even though the soil is filled with nutrients.  Reptiles are dominant throughout deserts.  Deserts can be classified as hot and dry, semi-arid, cold, or coastal.

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Riparian Biome

These are wetland ecosystems that are located along the banks of rivers, tributaries, or other water networks.  They have soils that range from moist to saturated. The riparian biomes are inhabited by a wide variety of organisms and that are used as “highways” for the organisms that inhabit the area.  

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Alpine Forest Biome

They are found in mountainous regions all over the world and consist mostly of evergreens. This biome can be found in the Sierra and Cascade. Alpine forests are also found on tectonic plates. Rainfall varies depending on the elevation level, but it overall tends to rain frequently due to all of the clouds.  At 3,000 feet above sea level, temperatures reach as low as 0 degrees Celsius.

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Emerald water pool

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The health of the park’s natural systems relies on the presence of predators, such as the Cougar. Healthy ecosystems provide benefits to humans such as clean water,forest regeneration, seed dispersal, natural pest control, disease regulation, improved nutrient cycling, climate regulation, healthy native plant communities in upland and riparian settings, which contributes to soil fertility, stream bank stability, healthy fish and insect populations, and much more. Literally thousands of studies have shown that when predators are removed from their food webs, the systems become unbalanced and unhealthy, triggering often catastrophic problems  that can never be reversed.

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While in Zion National Park, you may have the opportunity to spot one of 16 species of lizards or witness one of 13 snakes. Zion's Virgin River is home to 4 species of native fish, the Virgin River Spinedace, Speckled Dace, Flannelmouth Sucker, and Desert Sucker. The Peregrine falcon, the California condor, and the bald eagle are all found in the park. The most frequent mammal sightings are mule deer, foxes, bats, bighorn sheep, and rock squirrels. The weather and climate conditions are abiotic factors that affect Zion. 

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The park has more than a 1,000 species of plants, approximately 67 species of mammals, 29 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians, 9 species of fish, and 207 species of birds. The geologic formations of Zion, formed over approximately 250 million years ago, showed periods of time when the area was covered by a shallow sea.

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Endangered California condors and threatened Mexican spotted owls live and can be spotted in Zion's narrow canyons.

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Random Facts

                            The ring tail cat is an abundant mammal in Zion. However, it’s rarely seen.

Kolob Arch in Zion’s back country is one of the world’s largest freestanding natural arches. It measures about 287 feet in length.

The Olympic Torch passed through Zion on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Games.

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