Zion National Park - Part 1

This is the last featured destination of our spring trip to the Southwest USA! You had to wait a long time for this stop, but it was truly the “dessert” of our tour. Welcome to Zion National Park! As I was going through my pictures, it was pure torture for me to decide which photographs to share with you. My indecision is your gain. This is the first of two posts for this magnificent park!

Originally designated as a national monument by President Taft in 1909, Zion will soon be celebrating its 100 year anniversary as a member of our national park system. There is one word that kept getting stuck in my head while I was dropping my jaw and taking in all the scenes with my eyes and camera. The word is immense.

The park road winds into a big canyon and you spend much of your time looking UP at the mountains soaring above you. We were blessed with terrific weather during our stay. The tour reserved our rooms and meals at Zion Lodge, located in the heart of park, so everything was convenient. The rooms were comfortably modern and the food was delicious. Our room was located in the first building on the left in the photo below.

Standing in the front yard of the main lodge building, these are the incredible views. Can you imagine walking over from your room to the main lodge for breakfast and having these scenes to accompany your stroll?

The park shuttles were operating, and we made full use of them to explore the length of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. It was incredibly easy to pop on and off the shuttle at the various stops along the park route, and the free transportation system eliminates traffic and parking issues.

There are scores of hiking trails to enjoy, ranging from easy, paved ones to steep trails that edge cliffs soaring 1500 feet above the canyon floor. Guess which ones we went on, LOL? Here are some spectacular views from the northern half of the park.

Doesn’t all of that beauty make you want to pack your bags and head on out there? Please come back and visit my blog again soon when I feature a few more beautiful Zion pictures and wrap up our incredible Southwest USA trip!