Zion National Park is one of my favorite places to visit in the state of Utah. Zion is located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. The park has a unique geography and a large variety of plants and animals, including 289 species of birds, 75 mammals (including 19 species of bat), and 32 reptiles within the park's four life zones: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. Zion's landscape includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers, slot canyons, and natural arches. The lowest point in the park is 3,666 ft (1,117 m) at Coalpits Wash, and the highest peak is 8,726 ft (2,660 m) at Horse Ranch Mountain.
The geology of the Zion includes formations that represent 150 million years of primarily Mesozoic-aged sedimentation. At various periods, the area was covered by warm, shallow seas, streams, ponds and lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateau lifted the region 10,000 feet (3,000 m) starting 13 million years ago.
The best time of day to go to Zion is at sunrise when the crowds have not yet arrived, and the sunlight makes the red color of the rock formations really pop. I took this photo early one morning, just as the sun peeked over the horizon. I didn't see another person in the park that morning. It was beautiful and peaceful.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor