Zion National Park

A park in southwestern Utah, near the town of Springdale, standing at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert. That meeting of regions gives it four life zones – desert, riparian, woodland and coniferous forest – and unusual variety for its size: 289 species of bird, 75 mammals and 32 reptiles. The ground rises from 3,666 feet at Coalpits Wash to 8,726 feet at Horse Ranch Mountain, and the prominent feature of the 229-square-mile park is Zion Canyon, 15 miles long and up to 2,640 feet deep between reddish and tan walls.