A Few Views from Zion National Park

Red Rock and Rainbow

Red Rock and Rainbow © 2010 Bo Mackison

After our visit to Cedar Break National Monument, we traveled a couple of hours south to Zion National Park. We saw a rainbow as a passing storm system heading away from us.

Hiking in Zion

Hiking in Zion © 2010 Bo Mackison

With the elevations in Zion ranging from 3,600 to over 8,700 feet, the park is home to many habitat communities.  There are species from the Colorado Plateau, Basin and Range, and the Mojave Desert, and these all blend to create a place for more than 900 species of plants, from riparian (river) plants to desert plants.

Sunset Glow, Incoming Storm

Sunset Glow © 2010 Bo Mackison

Zion National Park is on the edge of the Colorado Plateau. The many layers of rock have been pushed upward and tilted to form a geological feature called Escalante, or the Grand Staircase. This amazing line of cliffs stretches from Bryce Canyon to the Grand Canyon. One of the large steps stretches from Bryce Canyon, the bottom step, to Zion, the top step. Another step rises from Zion, the bottom step, to the Grand Canyon, the top of the step.

Cliff Tree

Cliff Tree © 2010 Bo Mackison

In 2009, President Obama declared much of Zion as a Natural Wilderness Area. According to Congressional Guidelines, a wilderness area is, in part, defined as:

“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

About Bo Mackison

I'm a photographer, book-artist, traveler, naturalist, and creator of the Contemplative Creatives Journey, An Online Workshop and Community and Desert Wisdom Cards and Workshops. Though often not well known, I find the desert a welcoming place - a healing space. Its mysteries and gifts transformed me several years ago. Since that first encounter, I return again and again to fill my well in what most people think of as a desolate region. I'd love to share my desert discoveries and wisdom with you. Please subscribe to receive my five part mini email course The Gifts of the Desert. It's my gift to you.

Comments

  1. Those are nice shots. I’ve visited there and would really like to return and spend more time there.

  2. Wonderful photos. It looks spectacular.

  3. The rainbow brings such hope, as does the lone tree. Fabulous captures. The light, as always, magnificence.

  4. Seems like a place one would want to spend more time.

Leave a Reply to Gandalf Cancel reply

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.