"Zion National Park--sanctuary" Zion National Park by Segolily

I went to college in Cedar City and we would go to Zions for fun. Back then in the Spring there were very few visitors and it was like our own backyard park. Some things we did are not allowed now. I learned to love it then. Since then I've learned to love other parks as well, but Zions is my first favorite. And every time I visit I am filled with wonder and amazement at this truly special place.

Checkerboard Mesa

Zions is not a very large park. Besides which the most accessible parts of the park are even smaller still. It is similar to Yosemite in that it is a dead end canyon surrounded by tall cliffs and mesa tops. However Zion is more intimate and colorful. Created by ancient sand dunes over 3000 ft deep the eroded cliffs of Zion reveal arches and alcoves, crossbedding and shear height.

The white Navaho Sandstone that covers most of the park is the White Cliff portion of the geologic Grand Staircase...a huge layered rock climb starting at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Because these layers of the Colorado Plateau have not warped or twisted they are easily seen in the order they were created.

The plants of Zion are just as unique. A convergence of the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin and Mojave deserts meets in Zion and creates a environment where plants are diverse and several species that are found only here.

Virgin River

The heart of the park is this seemingly mild river. It isn't a big river as rivers go, and yet it's relentless washing away of the rock debris that has come its way over the eons of time through the occasional huge flood that will surge through it continues to do its work, gently most of the time, rolling through the main canyon.

• Pros:Unique and outstandingly beautiful
• Cons:Some might say the summer crowds
• In a nutshell:This park never fails to amaze me