Fremont cottonwoods, willows, and velvet ash trees line the banks of the Virgin River, providing shady spots for a picnic or short walk. Mule deer and many birds, too, seek refuge from the extreme midday heat of summer beneath this canopy. Other wildlife, including ringtail cats, bobcats, foxes, rock squirrels, and cottontails, rest under rocky ledges.

The best times to spot animals are early morning, evening, and at night, when they are most active. These are also ideal times to see the conspicuous white trumpet-shaped flowers of the sacred datura. This common roadside plant is also called moonlily, because its blossoms open in the cooler hours of evening and wilt with the rising heat of the day.

Anasazi and Paiute Indians may have lived in Zion Canyon year-round. Mormon settlers once did. They were here in summer, when dramatic thunderstorms send dozens of waterfalls, large and small, cascading off the cliffs; in autumn, when the green canyon trees turn gold; in winter, when light snow dusts the rocks; and in spring, when the first wildflowers bloom.

Although the Virgin River is, for the most part, tranquil, there are periodic flash floods during which the river's immense strength is unleashed in a wild fury, tossing great boulders and tree trunks about like pebbles and matchsticks.

Links to Other Resources
(These open a new browser window.)

Area Map of Zion National Park. Includes links to more detailed park maps.

Detailed Topographic Map of Zion NP, From Topozone. You can change the scale or scroll this map in any direction, across all of Utah if you wish.

Geology of Zion National Park.

If you spot a dead link, please let us know at feedback@GetOutdoors.com!