Introduction :
Zion National Park is located near the county of Springdale in the state of Utah in USA. The national park is the oldest national park in Utah and measures around 593 square km in area. The main features in the park is the 24 km long and 800 m deep Zion Canyon which is cut through the reddish Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. Hiking the trails in the Zion National Park is almost a must with the Angel Landings and The Narrows trail being the most popular with visitors.
View of the Zion National Park from above
Image attribution to docsearls @ Flickr
Trail at the Angel’s Landing
Image attribution to jiashiang @ Flickr
Smooth waters at the Virgin River near The Narrows
Image attribution to Alaskan dude @ Flickr
Spectacular view at the top of the Angel’s Landing
Image attribution to jiashiang @ Flickr
History :
The geological history of the Zion National Park dates back to 150 millon years ago of the Mesozoic aged sedimentation and the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region by 3000 m from 13 million years ago. Human inhabitants around the region started some 8000 years ago with groups of Native Americans. In 1909, President William Howard Taft declared the region a National Monument to protect the canyon naming it Mukuntuweap National Monument which was later named as the Zion National Park in 1919.
The Slot Canyon is also known as The Subway
Image attribution to sufw @ Flickr
Stones at the Temple of Sinawava
Image attribution to panr @ Flickr
The Archangel Cascades
The Great White Throne is one of the main landmarks of the national park
Image attribution to baka_san @ Flickr
Flowers in the national park
Image attribution to whittlz @ Flickr
Getting there :
The nearest airport to the national park is the St George Municipal Airport (SGU) which is mainly served by flights from Salt Lake city and 43 km away from the Zion National Park. The nearest international airport is the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas which is 170 km away from the attraction.