Zion National Park is situated in southern Utah.
Remarkably photogenic landscapes around Zion . . . this may be one of the best photos I have ever taken . . .
The geology and topography of Zion National Park is truly fantastic.
We stopped often along the winding road to marvel at the rock formations.
Massive stone mountains.
A lone pine with a geological marvel as a backdrop.
I cannot imagine what geological forces created this formation. AMAZING!
Around every curve in the road was another magnificent geological scene. WOW!
This road!
I love this scenery: pine trees nestled within desert rock formations.
Inexplicable shape and pattern.
Ancient trees among the desert mountain scenery: perfect.
Dry desert stone, a lone lizard . . .
A stack of giant stone pucks . . .
Yes, actual cactus in the desert . . . who knew?
A mix of many different geological formations . . . all overlapping.
Along the road that goes up and out of the park.
Just another grand and gorgeous landscape.
Zion must be a rock climber's dream!
A desert stream falling through a rocky canyon. So beautiful.
Three rocky peaks along the road . . .
Morning wild flowers.
The most popular part of the park are the deep, narrow orange canyons. To access this part of the canyon you have to board a shuttle bus. It's a good idea . . . it keeps the pollution down, and there would have to be huge parking lots in the narrow canyon.
The route to the park visitors center on the bus goes into an ever-deepening canyon.
Into the deep canyon . . .
More photogenic scenes than I had time to capture . . .
Sheer stone cliffs towering above the stream and greenery below.
Beautiful light on these carved cliffs . . .
Giant blocks of stone all around.
The trees contrasted against the backdrop of black and orange cliff faces was a magical sight.
Blackened cliff, greenery.
The Virgin River flows at the bottom of Zion Park canyon.
Many tourists visit Zion National Park every year. The path up into the famous narrow gorges crosses this bridge.
It was a hot day in June, so some of the tourists were cooling off in the Virgin River.
Looking up the Virgin River from the bridge. The path follows the river on the left bank up into the steep valley.
The path up into the park is well-worn by millions of tourists every year.
The path follows the Virgin River, offering wonderful views.
Up we went toward the "waterfall".
Hot tourists stopping to cool off to the steep uphill path.
Massive cliffs overhead at the "waterfall" - if you look closely you can see a trickle of water falling over the cliff.
The path under the "waterfall."
The "Waterfall." The display at the visitors center said it was a massive waterfall in late spring and when sudden summer flash floods made the streams rage. OK.
These squirrels and a few lizards were the only wildlife we saw.
And onward we hiked into the deep cliff-sided Virgin River valley.
The sight of these rapidly forming clouds convinced us not to go any further. We headed back down the trail to the visitors center.
The walk back down was just as beautiful.
Such a pleasant walk in such grand Nature.
We grabbed a bite to eat at the visitors center and sat on the big lawn under a tall tree.
We purchased a bag full of Zion park themed tourist curious at the visitors center and headed for the tourist shuttle bus.
The shuttle system works very well in the park.
The views from the shuttle bus were fantastic too.
Back to the camper and a drive out of the park . . . with a few stops for more scenic grandeur.
Back at our hotel. There was a small tourist town where we found a "cowboy steak house" - expensive, but delicious.