A colossal canyon tour

Zion Canyon has towering canyons and other spectacular features

Today we visited Zion Canyon, near Kanab, Utah. Just after you leave the National Park entrance you will see the checkerboard mesa. This unique rock face looks like someone carved straight lines in a criss-cross pattern to form a checkerboard. It is all natural, though. The drive to the visitors centre took us past many straight high rock bluffs where the colours are striking.

We drove through the 1.1-mile long tunnel. If you are pulling a trailer or have a unit that is over a certain measurement, you will need to pay a fee. The rangers will then stop traffic and allow vehicles to pass through, one way at a time. Large units have to travel right on the centre line to avoid scraping the walls or top of the tunnel.

From the visitors centre we took a free shuttle along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to the Temple of Sinawava. This area is the last stop on the shuttle run and gateway to the very narrow canyon that leads up the Virgin River. The canyon walls eventually close in to a width of twenty feet.

There is a one-mile walk along an easy paved path to the spot where the canyon becomes very narrow. During a dry spell one can walk up the river, into the narrow gorge. The walls tower hundreds of feet above you all the way along the path; and of course the scenery is breathtaking. This is a stop many people have made and it is worth repeating. Visit the park website for more information.