Zion Introduction

Zion National Park is one of the most impressive and recognizable places in the world. A first timer's drive through Zion Canyon might results in some serious neck cramps from admiring the enormity of the towering rock formations that draw almost 3 million visitors to the Park every year. Like many national parks, Zion offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking, rock climbing, canyoneering, and the casual "sight seeing." You don't have to get too far into the backcountry to be impressed by Zion's geologic features.

About 13 million years ago, the Virgin River began to cut into the rising Markagunt Plateau. This marked the early stages of the formation of Zion Canyon. Today, Zion Canyon continues to get sculpted and carved by the Virgin River. The main forces behind this are flash flood events; common occurrences in the desert where rain is infrequent, but it can be torrential.

As a kid growing up in St. George, Utah, by far the closest National Park was Zion. Whenever my family had visitors, we would always take them into the Park. We'd usually spend about half a day in the Park, sightseeing and maybe doing a short hike or two. One hike, Weeping Rock, was usually our family's "go to." It leads to an overhanging arch with year-round water trickling through it and raining down below. It's a scenic hike, and refreshing in the heat of the summer (although you're not going to get much of a workout from it.) I've lost count of how many times I've hiked that trail over the years. More than 20, or at least that's how it seems.

All the way through high school, I continued making frequent trips to Zion, sometimes with friends, sometimes with family. However, most of these trips consisted of short, easy hikes. Scenic, but not overly memorable. It wasn't until I was in my early 20's that I finally did any "serious" hiking in Zion.

Over the past few years, I feel like I have been able to appreciate my Zion visits much more than I did when I was a kid. Having lived less than an hour's drive from the Park, I think I was somewhat oblivious to the unique beauty of Zion. Now, having seen many other national parks and returning to Zion, I see that it really is on par with some of the most amazing places in the country. No national park is quite like any other national park.

I'm still by no means a Zion expert, and I'm embarrassed to say that I've yet explore some of the Park's best terrain. One day I hope to expand my knowledge of Zion, and explore more of the Park's remote backcountry. Fortunately, I have checked out some of Zion's most scenic and popular areas. Most of the time, there's good reason for popularity (an adjective I try to avoid when hiking, but sometimes the appeal to too large.)

I hope you enjoy my Zion adventures. I'm sure these places will be familiar to some of you. For others, hopefully you'll see what kind of adventure and beauty Zion has to offer.