Zion National Park

Massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. To experience Zion, Biblically named, meaning "Place of Refuge or Place of Peace", we walked among the towering cliffs, and in the small narrow canyon at the Temple of Sinawava. These unique sandstone cliffs range in colour from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons. To protect this beautiful canyon, a free shuttle service in the nearby townsite of Sprucedale transports passengers to the entry gate and then a free shuttle within Zion transports to the different trailheads. Bicycles are also allowed. Vehicles are allowed to travel to the Zion Mount Carmel Highway, but there is a tunnel on that highway, through which for a fee, long, wide, high loads are escorted.
This impressive monolith, The Great White Throne, rises 6744 feet above the canyon floor and was so named in 1916 by a Methodist minister, Frederick Vining Fisher who along with his friend, Claud Hirschi, son of the Bishop of nearby Rockville, named many of the mountain beauties. Below is the Court of the Patriarchs; from left to right, Biblically named from the Old Testament; Peak Abraham, Peak Isaac and Peak Jacob, the white behind the red Mount Moroni, named from the Book of Mormon.

Mormon farmers settled in the area after the Anasazi and Paiute Indians disappeared. The Virgin R., which many archaeologists believe was responsible for carving out this canyon, provided irrigation for tobacco, corn and other grains as well as grazing land for sheep and cattle. Mormons farmed the area until Zion was named a National Monument in 1909.

Although she is keeping a watchful eye, this cutie just kept eating, 5 feet away, unperturbed by gawking photographers and rambunctious children. Mule deer are very numerous in the park. Plant life grows abundantly on the valley floor, naturally fed by the numerous waterfalls, weeping rock walls and springs, now running with the spring melt. Sunny skies and warm Spring temperatures made for a perfect two-day "Place of Refuge"..