Zion National Park (Coffee Table Series)

As I write this, I have just returned from Zion National Park and I can tell the reader this book is a favorite around Zion for good reason. Zion has long elicited a sense of awe and sanctuary from Native Americans as well as the Mormons and other explorers who have known this part of Utah. Leach's book starts with an almost invocation. Zion is on the western edge of what is known as the Grand Circle. Within 250 miles are 12 national parks, 14 national monuments, 17 wilderness areas, and more. Mesa Verde, Four Corners, Monument National Park, and the Grand Canyon are all a part of the Grand Circle. Zion is 229 square miles of high, forested plateaus, deep, narrow, desert canyons, rock towers, and mesas. Zion Canyon is a spectacle to behold. There the Virgin River and its tributaries have gorged through the sandstone to create canyon walls that rise 2000 feet or more. Geologically nine different strata of rock can be see at Zion. The basement rock began to take shape 260 million years ago in the shallow Permian Ocean which covered the western portion of the supercontinent Pangaea. 175 million years ago, increasing heat and aridity led to the formation of a Sahara-like desert that covered 150,000 square miles of the West. Leach rounds out her book with sections on the flora and fauna of Zion. There are 289 different species of birds that can be found at Zion as well as 75 mammal species and 32 reptile species. Finally there are a few notes on lodging, camping, road conditions, other regional sites to see, more information and other suggested reading. I recommend taking a waterproof camera and some gear to hike at least a part of the Virgin Narrows. The water gets chest high on the average person, but the sites will make it all an experience to remember forever.