Towering vertical walls of colorful sedimentary rock surround you, relaying simultaneously a contradictory feeling of intimacy and overwhelming grandeur. Zion is one of the true gems of the national park system. If you are planning a visit – or if you wish to visit the park vicariously – having an understanding of its geologic foundation, plant and animal communities and human history can truly enhance your experience. Ranger Dave Gafney spent years interpreting Zion National Park for park visitors. His love for the park can be seen not only through his writing but in his stunning photographic images as well.
Zion National Park, An Interpretive Road Guide will leave you with a better understanding of:
• The foundation of everything at Zion is its geology and the geology of this park will blow you away!
• From Cacti to firs: *Zones of life* change with elevation and within this park, the botanical changes are truly dramatic.
• Two breathtaking switchback trails*the West Rim and the East Rim Trail*have been blasted into the canyon walls and allow hikers access to the high forested plateaus surrounding Zion Canyon.
• Two of the most dramatic half-day hikes found anywhere are opposites from one another: Angel*s Landing is a dizzying Knife edge ridge sticking perpendicularly into Zion Canyon, while The Narrows take you to a claustrophobic place where the canyon walls are 20 feet apart and tower a thousand feet above.
Whether observing desert wildflowers at the lower elevations, or hiking among firs and aspens of the high country; whether being exhilarated by wide open vistas from the canyon rim or being overwhelmed by the towering walls of *The Narrows,* it is possible to spend a lifetime here and never tire of the variety and diversity and beauty of this park. Zion National Park, an Interpretive Road Guide will provide a deeper appreciation of how such a beautiful place came to be.
