This Is: Zion National Park
This Is Zion National Park
Where red rock deserts collide with rushing mountain rivers in a scene that must be experienced to be believed
Zion National Park is a simple place, but in the most complex of ways. A park consumed in contradiction, but in the best of ways. A place designed to provide an inspiration for exploration, in ways you have yet to experience. Zion isn’t just another National Park; it’s an outdoor wonderland that, in so many ways, is unlike any other.
It’s hard to describe areas of such grand beauty as Zion National Park. With jagged mountain peaks stretching into the clear blue sky, rivers continuously carving out canyons, infamous hiking trails as rewarding as they are stunning, and valley views that will be burned into your memory forever. This is a sanctuary, a haven for those with a desire to live their lives knowing they were a part of the best this reality has to offer.
The second you enter the valley gates, it’s apparent that nothing compares to Zion. A V-shaped canyon of rocky terrain towering above the ground hits you with a realization of just how massive this planet is. Lush vegetation lining the canyon floor, continuously being carved from millennia after millennia of ancient rivers, coming together to paint a picture that says all is right in the world.
Zion is an area of amazement that dazzles at every turn. Dry, rocky terrain and terrifyingly tall vantage points give off a feeling of harsh, inhospitable environments far too extreme to hold such beauty. But within those unforgiving surroundings are pockets of utter enchantment. Streams and vistas combining in an unforgettable conservation not just of natural landscapes, but of perfect harmony.
Those that venture into the park expect world class hikes and top tier vistas, and you can undoubtedly find them, but what catches people off guard is the stunning sense of scale. A magic trick of deceptive scenery that first looks like averaged sized surroundings, but the closer you get, the more these natural behemoths begin to grow. Everything from immense valley cliffs to flowing curved rivers appear as though they have been injected with a healthy dose of steroids. It isn’t until you are face to face with the cliff walls that you can finally grasp the full magnitude of this National Park.
Zion National Park isn’t a newly discovered secret oasis, being a national park since 1919 and welcoming nearly 5 million people per year. However, what is still a secret is how strikingly magnificent every corner of this park is. While the main attractions of Angels Landing and The Narrows get most of the attention, it’s the other overlooked hikes and viewpoints that really make this area magical. It’s the peaceful cascades of Emerald Pools, the secluded sandy trails of Sand Bench Loop, or the sunset sights of Canyon Overlook that elevate this national park from something special to a place truly extraordinary.
Of course, the more popular parts are still well worth checking out.
Like the treacherous cliffside trail of Angels Landing. A hike where many have fallen off the uneven cliffs to their ends, all in an effort to come face to face with a sight far more breathtaking than anything ever created by man. An overlook of the long idyllic valley and distant horizon that lets you know, this is what life is all about.
Or the towering gorge walls of The Narrows. A perfect clash of biomes with dry, rocky cliff sides following alongside plant filled rushing riverbanks. Both in a serpentine like canyon of picturesque proportions.
Zion is a park of wonder and discovery where you can experience something you have yet to even dream of. Here you won’t find boring paved trails to overhyped lookouts you’ve seen a hundred times before. No, when it comes to Zion National Park, you will only find a collection of impossibly beautiful overlooks and hikes, each more incredible than the last.
A park of adventure that makes you feel alive in a way few others can. Whether it’s anxious excitement as you traverse ice cold waterways while an unexpected rainstorm could whisk you away at a moment’s notice. Or the rush of hiking razor thin ridgelines knowing one slight misstep will send you plummeting towards certain death. It’s the thrill of pushing the line between safe adventure and deadly exploration that makes this place completely unmatched.
A park that evolves and transforms as the seasons do. From dry, sweltering heat attracting all sorts of desert creatures such as snakes, lizards, and even desert tortoises that help to create a harsh, rocky desert like atmosphere. To powdery white snow lightly coating the cliffs in a scenic wintery wonderland. Few parks in the world can match Zion’s level of incredible variety, which keeps this place fresh and always worth coming back to.
At its peak, Zion National Park is a place of euphoric outdoor astonishment and, at its worst, is still a sight to behold. The best spots in the park like Angels Landing and The Narrows, regarded as two of the best hikes in the world, or indescribably beautiful vistas that stretch through carved valleys and extend into the distance beyond, are what transcends this area beyond a place of spectacular sights, and into something utterly astounding.
As for similar places you can go, it’s impossible because there simply aren’t any. Zion is a unicorn, an anomaly among the Utah mountains, a mistake in the most magnificent of ways. Zion takes the best from parks around the country and balls them up into one gorgeous concoction of the highest regard. As if the grandiose vistas of Yellowstone began to combine with the scenic red rocks of Sedona to create a true one-of-a-kind landscape, the likes of which have never been seen before.
Zion is an environment too good to be true, like a place that shouldn’t exist, yet against all odds, it has found a way to thrive. Gazing down the valley as the sun sets into the horizon, it’s clear to see how this place of creation and imagination leaves a memory that lasts a lifetime.
This is the pinnacle of beauty, where the pure power of nature is put into perspective. This is where environments clash and dreams come true. This is a beacon of hope, reassuring people that no matter how chaotic and destructive the planet becomes, if a place like this can still exist, then anything is possible.
This is Zion National Park
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