In Zion

Royden Card

Zion National Park is Utah’s first National Park. It is located within three separate counties in southwestern Utah. Within its 232 square miles, are high plateaus, a maze of sandstone canyons, and the Virgin River and its tributaries. The park is distinguished by Zion Canyon’s steep red cliffs. On 31 July 1909 Taft set aside approximately 16,000 acres for Mukuntuweap National Monument to preserve its “many natural features of unusual archaeologic, geologic, and geographic interest.” In his proclamation, the President noted the “labyrinth of remarkable canyons with highly ornate and beautifully colored walls, in which are plainly recorded the geological events of past ages.” In 1918 Munkutuweap National Monument became Zion National Monument, and in 1919 the named changed again to Zion National Park. On 22 January 1937 President Roosevelt established a second Zion National Monument, preserving over 36,000 acres. The second Zion National Monument, which is now referred to as Kolob Canyons was incorporated with Zion National Park in 1956. On 30 March 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act into law designating 124,406 acres of Zion National Park as Wilderness. Visitors to the wilderness can enjoy backpacking, canyoneering, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, and river rafting. Over four and half million people visited Zion in 2023.