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The Ultimate Southwest Vacation includes Zion National Park, Utah!

Stay in Mount Carmel Junction, the heart of the parks, and visit the treasures of the Southwest.

Zion Park 12 miles
Grand Staircase 9 miles
Sand Dunes 11 miles
Dixie Forest 22 miles
Cedar Breaks 45 miles
Red Canyon 47 miles
Coyote Butte 57 miles
Bryce Canyon 60 miles
North Rim 85 miles
Toroweap 90 miles

In these pages you will find insiders information on Zion National Park lodging, adventures and hikes. This detailed guide includes road maps, park maps, pictures, trail beta, backpacking, history, fees, geology, flora, fauna, campgrounds, things for kids to do and even information on Zion's hidden treasures.

Making summer memories in the Utah National Parks and National Monuments.

Utah!

Zion National Park Map

Directions to Zion National Park
From Salt Lake City: Travel I-15 south, past Beaver. Exit on Hwy 20. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to Zion's east entrance.
From Arizona: Travel 89A through Fredonia, Arizona and Kanab Utah. Follow US-89 to to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to the east park entrance.
From Las Vegas: Travel I-15 north. Take exit 16 and travel through Hurricane. Make a right on U-9 at the second traffic light in LaVerkin. Continue on U-9 to the south entrance of the park. U-9 through Zion National Park is always open and is also called the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.

Oversized Vehicle Information
Zion Canyon Shuttle Information

Zion Photo: The Petroglyphs in Zion are not abundant, but there are some magnificent drawings in the park. The panel above is from Petroglyph Canyon found in the main section of Zion. Visitation to the site requires talking with a Zion National Park ranger, so directions will not be given here. Please respect the outdoor museums of Zion National Park in the same way that you would an indoor museum.

The Kokopelli (Gray Flute) is one of the symbols found in Petroglyph Canyon and is a popular design found today throughout the Southwest. This anthropomorphic hunched back flute player is the casanova of the Cliff Dwellers.

Much of the rock art in Zion is thought to have been made by the Virgin River Anasazi. Evidence of their existence is usually found on river terraces along the Virgin River and its major tributaries such as in Parunuweap Canyon.

Petroglyphs and Pictographs
Brown Petroglyphs
Kinesava Petroglyphs
Deertrap Petroglyphs
Sacrifice Rock
Cave Valley
Petroglyph Canyon
Parunuweap Canyon

Nearby Pictographs
South Fork Indian Canyon
and Hell Dive Canyon Pictographs

Zion Trail History

Many of Zion's front country trails were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. The Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) made Zion's hiking trails using picks, shovels and explosives. Even though mules carried much of the burden, the work was difficult. Water and cement mix were brought up the the Zion Park trails. These were difficult times. America entered World War I in April 1917 and the great depression ranged from 1919-1922. The Riverside Walk (Gateway to the Narrows), Emerald Pools, Observation Point and West Rim Trails were all constructed in 1925. The path to Angels Landing was finished a year later. Canyon Overlook was constructed in 1932 and the Watchman Trail was completed in 1934. The newest trail in the park is the Pa'rus trail, constructed in 1995.

Zion Human History Museum

The Zion Human History Museum has interesting displays on the human history of the Zion National Park area. Displays at the museum include information on native americans, historic pioneers and how the park itself has evolved and changed over time.

A bit of Southern Utah history - The homestead

Zion National Park History

Pre-Columbians, better known as ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi Indians), and later Paiutes have left behind petroglyphs in Zion National Park giving us insight into how they lived. There are two basic types of ancient rock art: petroglyphs and pictographs. Petroglyphs were carved into rock, often in soft sandstone like the rock in Zion National Park. Pictographs were painted using natural pigments. Due to the delicate nature of ancient paintings they are usually only found in caves or other areas where they have been protected from the elements. There are a few pictographs in Zion National Park, but most are petroglyphs. Included among the odd doodle-like designs are figures carved into the sandstone. Human figures (anthropomorphs) and animals figures (Zoomorphs) are common. Evidence shows that the ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi Indians) had been in the Zion National Park area for about two-thousand years and the Paiutes have been in the area for about eight hundred years.

Zion Photo: Cave Valley Pictograph

Petroglyphs in Zion National Park

Although there are several petroglyphs sites in the park, few are made public due to past, and possible future, vandalism. Treat ancient rock work as you would any work of art found in a museum. Look and admire, but never touch. A simple touch damages ancient rock art.

Sacrifice Rock - This is the easiest rock art site to get to in Zion National Park. Look for a single, flat rock located about fifty yards east of the the south entrance to the park. There is a small NPS sign by the petroglyph inscribed rock. Of most interest is the ancient summer solstice marker. The date to watch is June 21st, when a rock from above will cast its shadow upon Sacrifice Rock. The shadow is said to resemble the "open jaw of a coyote."

Petroglyph Canyon - This side canyon located in Zion National Park is protected due to past vandalism. A ranger at the Zion Canyon Visitors Center must be consulted to visit the site.

Cave Valley Pictographs - These are some of the best in Zion and are found along the Kolob Terrace Road. Again this rock art is protected so ask at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center for directions.

There are twenty-six known prehistoric sites with rock art, abandoned cliff houses, chipping sites or some other type of artifact in Zion National Park today. Other sites are not as easy to get to. There is a site in Clear Creek that is easy to get to, but angled, and up high, so its difficult to see. There are also remote sites in Spry Canyon and on Mt. Kinesava that require scrambling up steep slickrock to see them. Cave Canyon in the Kolob Terrace is a remote site with nice rock art. There are also the well-known and protected Parunuweap ruins, but again, a park ranger needs to be contacted for more information and most of the sites are off limits to all but research personnel.

There is a wonderful pictograph site located past the east side of Zion National Park that is open to the public. The South Fork Indian Canyon pictographs are at the end of a fun and easy trail near the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. (photo tour) A Tour Guide can be contacted for a tour to the remote site or you can find them on your own, if you have a 4WD.

In 1908, Utah ranchers applied for a survey of land near Little Zion Canyon. The results of the survey resulted in a new monument proclaimed.

Nineteenth-century Mormon settlers left their mark, giving Zion National Park the name that would eventually remain. Awed by the immense beauty of the canyon, the early Mormon settlers called the canyon, "Zion" after the heavenly city described in the Old Testament. One settler said: "These great mountains are natural temples of God. We can worship here as well as in the man-made temples in Zion, the biblical heavenly "City of God". The Mormon leader, Brigham Young, traveled from Salt Lake City, and even though he agreed with the immense beauty, he would not allow an earthy place to have the name, "Zion." Unable to fully accept this, the Mormon settlers referred to the area as, "not Zion" or as "Little Zion."

In 1909 when the canyon was declared a national monument the Paiute name Mukuntuweep (sacred cliffs) was chosen. In 1917, lodging was built in Zion Canyon. Yard, a member of the American Civic Association requested the name be changed to Zion Canyon. When the size of the monument was expanded from the original 5,840 acres to 76,800 acres, canyon was no longer appropriate. The name Zion National Monument was given in 1918. A year later the monument was declared a national park and the name Zion National Park was set in stone by President Wilson. Zion National Park is the oldest national park in Utah. In 1930, the Zion-Mt Carmel Highway was completed. This engineering wonder opened up the park on the east side giving easier access to Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon and greatly increasing the number of visitors to Zion National Park.

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Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters. -- Norman Ma clean Photo: Pine Creek Waterfall © Photography by Tanya

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