Although Zion is in an arid desert climate, the park has almost nine-hundred native species of plant

Zion National concert tickets cheap Park [1] is a United States National Park located in southern Utah . The park protects the incredible rock formations concert tickets cheap and high sandstone cliffs within its boundaries, and is a favorite spot for hiking, backpacking, concert tickets cheap canyoneering and climbing. In fact, Zion has some of the most spectacular trails in the National Park System. Visitors to Zion walk on the canyon floor and look up, rather than looking down from the rim as in many parks. In addition to the magnificent monoliths and cliffs, the park is known for its desert landscape of sandstone canyons, mesas, and high plateaus.
Mormon pioneer Issac Behunin built the first log cabin in Zion Canyon in 1863, which was located near where the Zion Lodge is today. Behunin Canyon, a technical slot canyon, was named after him. During the remainder of the century, small communities and homesteads in the area struggled to survive. Pioneers gave the canyon the name "Zion", a Hebrew word meaning safety, or a place of refuge. Despite concert tickets cheap the name, the canyon offered little arable concert tickets cheap land, poor soil, and catastrophic flooding, making agriculture a risky venture. By the first decade of the 20th century, the scenic qualities of southern Utah, and Zion Canyon in particular, had been recognized as a potential destination for tourism. In 1909, a presidential executive order designated Mukuntuweap National Monument. The new monument was, however, virtually inaccessible to visitors, since the existing roads were in poor condition and the closest railhead was a hundred miles away. The monument's name was changed to Zion National Monument in 1918, and in 1919 the monument was expanded and designated a national park. Visitation to the new national park increased steadily during the 1920s, and in 1930, the newly completed Zion-Mt Carmel Highway allowed motorists to travel through the park to Mount Carmel Junction , then on to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon . This highway was one of the greatest engineering feats of modern times, requiring the construction of a 5,613-foot tunnel, the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, to negotiate the vertical sandstone cliffs of Zion. The switchbacks leading concert tickets cheap up to the tunnel proved to be an even greater task to accomplish. The Kolob Canyons section of the park, located near Cedar City , Utah was established as a National Monument in 1937 and added to Zion National Park in 1956.
It's the surprisingly porous Navajo concert tickets cheap sandstone that makes up the high cliffs of Zion. Rainfall and snow melt collect on the top of the mesas and seep through the sandstone until it reaches the tougher Kayenta formation, where it is forced out of the rock, creating springs and allowing hanging gardens concert tickets cheap to grow. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Weeping Rock , which lies below the mouth of two hanging canyons. The canyons serve as drains, collecting surface water runoff and concentrating it into the Navajo sandstone, supporting the Weeping Rock spring. Other springs can be seen in various places of the park including along the popular Riverside Walk at the Temple of Sinawava.
In addition to plant life, the springs also provide a home for freshwater snails, like the tiny Zion Snail, which is only found in Zion National Park. Keep an eye out for other wildlife around the springs, such as birds, lizards, and various insects.
Zion National concert tickets cheap Park encompasses some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States. The park is characterized by high plateaus, a maze of narrow, deep, sandstone canyons and striking rock towers and mesas. The North Fork of the Virgin River has carved a spectacular gorge in the park called the Zion Narrows. concert tickets cheap The canyon walls in some places rise 2,000-3,000 feet above the canyon floor. The southern concert tickets cheap part of the park is a lower desert area where colorful mesas border rocky canyons and washes. The northern sections of Zion are higher plateaus covered concert tickets cheap by forests. To the east is the amazing slickrock country and a vast array of unpaved trails, hidden canyons and peaks to explore.
Although Zion is in an arid desert climate, the park has almost nine-hundred native concert tickets cheap species of plants, seventy-five species concert tickets cheap of mammals, two-hundred-ninety species of birds including the California Condor, forty-four species of reptiles and amphibians and eight native fish.
Mammals commonly found within the park's borders include bats, jack rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, gophers, kangaroo rats, beavers, mice, porcupines, coyotes, gray fox, ringtail cats, skunks, mule deer and the rarely seen, but quite present mountain lions. Peregrine falcons, rattlesnakes and numerous lizards are also species that visitors may recognize.
There is a wide variety of plant life in the park, seeing that the unique geology has created diverse environments such as deserts, canyons, slickrock, hanging gardens, riparian, and high plateaus. There are many beautiful wildflowers, including the Sacrad Datura, which is common in Zion and is often found along the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and on the canyon floor.
Weather in the park is considered to be mild, but varies greatly with elevation, and even at the same elevation may differ by over 30°F between day and night. In spring the weather is unpredictable, with both stormy, wet days and warm, sunny weather being common. Precipitation usually peaks in March, and summer days are hot (95-110°F), with overnight lows usually in a comfort zone(65-70°F). Afternoon concert tickets cheap thunderstorms are common from mid-July through mid-September, making hiking concert tickets cheap during concert tickets cheap a flash floods dangerous. Autumn days are usually clear and mild with cool nights. Winter storms bring rain or light snow to Zion Canyon, but heavier snow to the higher elevations such as the east side of the park, Kolob Terrace and Kolob Canyons. Clear days may become quite warm, reaching 60°F; nights are often in the 20s and 30s. Winter storms can last several days and cause roads to be icy, but the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, taking concert tickets cheap travelers from the south entrance to the main section of the park, all the way to the east entrance concert tickets cheap of the park, is owned by the park and the NPS keeps it in excellent condition even in the winter. The road then becomes maintained by Kane County, Utah on the east side of the park, which continues 12 miles to Mount Carmel Junction .
There are sections of the park that are not connected by road; the Kolob Canyons area is in the park's northern area and offers different canyon views and hiking from what is seen in the park's main section. The remote Kolob Terrace offers an uncrowded and scenic drive, as well as spectacular slot canyons and hiking. The highly photographed "Subway" is found in this section of the park. Zion Canyon is in the southern portion of the park and contains many of the park's most famous scenic wonders, such as Angels Landing and the Great White Throne. The east side of the park features magnificent landmarks and hiking concert tickets cheap such as East Temple, Checkerboard Mesa and the Great Arch. The Zion Narrows and Orderville Canyon, two of the parks most popular canyons begin on the east rim of the park and end in Zion Canyon.
The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway (SR-9) runs from the south entrance of the park to the east entrance, then continues 12 miles past the east entrance to Mount Carmel Junction , where SR-9 ends. At the terminus of SR-9, the road meets with US-89, which leads to other nearby parks. Bryce Canyon National Park is to the north, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is south. The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is only 11 miles from the junction at Mount Carmel Junction . Other nearby wonders include Dixie National Forest 's Red Canyon along SR-12 and Cedar Mountain which runs the length of SR-14.
concert tickets cheap I-15 passes west of Zion and connects with SR-9, just north of St. George. From there SR-9 travels through the towns of Hurricane, La Verkin, Virgin, Rockville concert tickets cheap and Springdale before entering Zion National Park.
US-89 passes east of Zion and connects with SR-9 (The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway) at Mount Carmel Junction . From there, SR-9 travels through concert tickets cheap the park's east Entrance and into the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. Travelers can continue to the south entrance of the park, or take the 6 mile scenic road into Zion Canyon.
NOTE : Visitors driving RVs, pulling trailers, or with any vehicle that is over 7'10" wide or over 11'4" tall should be aware that due to the small size of the tunnel a fee is required to pass through the Zion-Mt. concert tickets cheap Carmel concert tickets cheap Tunnel; which is valid for a round-trip. Most RVs, buses, trailers, 5th wheels, and some camper shells require this fee. Rangers are stationed at both ends of the tunnel from 8AM-8PM during the busy season, but the hours of travel through the tunnel decrease in the winter. The rangers allow one way travel through the tunnel when large vehicles want to pass. Semi-tractor trailers are not permitted in the park.
The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is accessible only by the Zion Canyon Shuttle the majority of the year, but usually from November until the end of March, private vehicles are allowed to drive into the canyon.
St. George is the closest city with commercial airline service. St. George opened the new, larger St. George Municipal Airport [2] in January 2011, which services the area with flights from Salt Lake City on Delta Connection and from Los Angeles on United Express . Both routes are operated by SkyWest . Flying into Cedar City (30 miles north of Zion National Park) from Salt Lake City on SkyWest is an additional option.
There is no public concert tickets cheap transportation into the park. Tour buses can be arranged through travel agencies, and Greyhound buses visit the cities of Salt Lake City , Cedar City , St. George , plus Las Vegas in Nevada. For Utah Greyhound information call +1 435 586-9465.
A $25 entrance fee is required for all private vehicles entering the park that is good for seven days; the America the Beautiful pass may be purchased concert tickets cheap for $80 that waives entrance fees for all federal lands for one year. Motorcycles, individuals on foot, and bicyclists are charged a $1