Zion National Park is a park of many habitats.
- Zion National Park is a natural park found in the area adjacent to Utah’s Springdale, in the United States of America.
- Zion National Park covers an area of 593 square kilometres (229 square miles), and features forest, desert and riverside habitats, with sandstone canyons and steep cliffs, waterfalls and gorges.
- ‘Zion National Park’ was originally named ‘Mukuntuweap National Monument’, issued when it was first protected in 1909, by the then president of the United States, William Taft.
- Zion National Park’s indigenous name was changed to ‘Zion National Monument’ in 1918, as the former name was not favoured, due to Mormon folk who had occupied and previously referred to the area as ‘Zion Canyon’.
- The highest peak of Zion National Park is named Horse Ranch Mountain, reaching a height of 2,660 metres (8,726 feet).
Part of Zion National Park
Image courtesy of Rene Schwietzke/Flickr
- Zion National Park has a varied climate, with snow in the winter and hot, desert-like summer temperatures, as well as storms and flash flooding.
- Zion National Park is said to have been first visited by Europeans in 1776, by Franciscan priests Silverstre Escalante and Francisco Domínguez, while in the mid 1800s the area was explored, and in the early 1860s Mormon farmers established agriculture enterprises in the area with produce like sugar cane, tobacco and fruit.
- Zion National Park is hit by floods each year due to high rainfall, and the water removes up to a combined total of 2.7 million tonnes (3 million tons) of earth and stone from the canyon area via the Virgin River annually.
- Many species of animal reside in Zion National Park, like the fox, coyote, jay, deer and squirrel, and there are more than 65 mammal species, over 200 bird species, almost 30 reptile species and a number of water creatures, as well as much flora, including cacti and pine and at least a thousand other species of plants.
- Zion National Park is visited by up to 3 million tourists annually, and rock-climbing, horse-riding, bird watching and hiking are popular activities.
Bibliography:
Zion National Park, 2014, National Geographic, http://travel.nationalgeographic.com.au/travel/national-parks/zion-national-park/
Zion National Park, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National_Park
Janiskee, B, Would You Love Zion National Park As Much If It Were Called Mukuntuweap National Park?, 2008, National Parks Traveller, http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/07/would-you-love-zion-national-park-much-if-it-were-called-mukuntuweap-national-park
Zion: Nature and Science, 2014, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/zion/naturescience/index.htm
