Zion National Park
Utah’s oldest and most popular park
Voted one of the best places to hike in America, enchanting Zion shows off the best of nature’s power and delicate beauty. The red and white walls of Navajo sandstone from the Jurassic Era rise 2,000 feet to the sky. Discovering Zion means discovering secret waterfalls draped with hanging gardens, world-famous slot canyons, natural arches and other marvels.
Entering Zion from Mount Carmel Scenic Byway (East Gate), you will immediately find yourself overwhelmed by fantastic rock formations. Curious big-horn sheep may stare at you as you drive past. Just before entering the historical Zion Tunnel, pull over for your first rewarding hike; The Canyon Overlook – a short, steep hike with dramatic views. Enjoy your drive through the historic 1.1 – mile tunnel, take in teasing views from the giant slot ‘windows’ looking down into the canyon below. Continue zip-zagging along the switchbacks and pause at pull-outs with awesome views.
Convenient and free shuttle buses will be waiting at the Visitor’s Center to take you to the park; past the Virgin River, narrowing canyons and soaring plateaus of Zion. Each bus stop is the beginning of a great hiking adventure.
https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm
Grand Canyon National Park
North Rim of the Grand Canyon – mysterious, unspoiled…incredibly special
Kane County serves as the “Gateway to The North Rim of the Grand Canyon”. A scenic 80-mile drive from Kanab, through the beautiful Kaibab National Forest, brings you to the edge of the giant 225 mile rift in the Earth’s surface: The Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon overwhelms the senses through its immense size and inspiring landscapes.
This National Park is one of the world’s premier natural attractions; but because of its remoteness, the North Rim hosts only 10% of the annual 5 million international visitors. Thus, the North Rim offers a very different, more personal experience: Solitude, a slower pace, and the feeling of going back in time. Kick back in the comfy rockers on the patio of the historic North Rim Lodge, venture out on Bright Angel Point to peer into the mile-deep bowls of the Canyon, or take a mule ride down to the Mighty Colorado River to meet the actual artist who sculpted this magnificent Canyon. The Grand Canyon is a massive chasm that was cut by the Colorado River and its tributaries over the past 6 million years. It is over 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and one mile at it’s deepest. It is located in north western Arizona and was one of the first national parks in the United States.
The Grand Canyon is very diverse biologically. It contains four of the five types of desert found in the United States and five of the seven life zones. The zones include the Lower Sonoran, Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian. The park’s drastic changes in elevation and its varying climate levels throughout the elevations are responsible for the wide variety of plant and animal life.
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/directions_n_rim.htm
Bryce Canyon National Park
This forest-like landscape of Bryce with extreme rock formations is best described as being – well, simply “hoodoo-iferous”
Bryce Canyon, only an hour and a half from Kanab, offers an amazing world of rock sculpted into spectacular ten-story sized sedimentary pillars. 50 million years in the making, this series of ampitheaters has been sculpted into bizarre shapes, slot canyons, windows, fins and surprising colorful spires called, “hoodoos.” The surreal formations make up a “fairyland” of mystical castles, temples and elegant structures of stone. You can enjoy the canyon on a 37-mile scenic drive or explore the wonders of Bryce on foot from numerous trails.
Visiting nearby Bryce Canyon National Park is easy from Cannonville. After spending time in Bryce, visit nearby Red Canyon and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
Bryce Canyon located in southwestern Utah in the Dixie National Forest, is a beautiful place full of twisted rock spires and capped domes. In actuality Bryce Canyon isn’t even a canyon at all, but is a series of eroded rock amphitheaters on the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The orange, red, yellow and white colors of the limestone formations make Bryce Canyon one of the world’s most breathtaking locations.