I’ll never forget my first trip to Utah. It was during the spring of my senior year in college. My boyfriend and I decided to drive from Wisconsin to Lake Tahoe for spring break and we stopped in Salt Lake, Utah for a night. It was March so there was still plenty of snow on the ground (and on the mountains) and I remember being struck by how crisp the air felt and how clean everything was. Our stay there was limited to about 40 hours and we didn’t get a chance to really explore the state as much as we would have liked to. Back then I pledged to take another road trip to visit the state’s national parks.
I’ve read a lot about Zion National Park and am anxious to see the deep canyons and soaring cliffs that many visitors rave about. According to the park’s website, early pioneers settling in southwestern Utah, where the park is located, referred to the area as Zion because it was a biblical reference — but they interpreted it to mean a place of refuge.
The park is known for its unusual rock formations and the multitude of colors in them that change from sunrise to sunset. I’m told that when the sun first rises it hits the temples and towers, and for a fleeting moment the light bursts into a prism of colors. The rocks themselves are colored with red and orange hues from excess levels of the mineral iron.
The area was once the size of the Sahara desert, but the sand eventually turned to sandstone and then was eroded by the Virgin River. Zion National Park is now filled with natural treasures that offer visitors a visual feast.
One of the park’s most famous spots is Weeping Rock. It’s a place where a thousand-year-old spring constantly drips water onto the rocks below. Some consider it an ancient waterfall and it has become one of the most photographed attractions in the park. Another one of Zion’s most popular attractions is the hanging gardens — where plants cling to the sandstone walls, creating a type of upside-down garden.
But, you don’t have to hike too far around the massive park to get a taste of its incredible beauty. On a bright summer day thousands of visitors line the canyon and simply soak up what’s in front of them—-the green cottonwood trees that line the valley floor, the huge red cliffs, all sitting under a cobalt blue sky.
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