Zion National Park229 square miles of Navajo sandstone — Angels Landing, The Narrows, and the only mandatory shuttle in the NPS

Zion was set aside as Mukuntuweap National Monument by President William Howard Taft in 1909, expanded and renamed Zion in 1918, and elevated to national park status by Congress on November 19, 1919 — Utah's first. The 229-square-mile park protects the spectacular sandstone canyon carved by the Virgin River, the high plateau of Kolob Terrace, and the parallel finger canyons of Kolob Canyons in the park's northwest corner.

The headline trails sit inside Zion Canyon: the 5.4-mile Angels Landing route up Walter's Wiggles to the chain-bolted spine (1,488 feet of gain, lottery permit required for the final half-mile); The Narrows wading hike up the Virgin River through 2,000-foot-tall slot walls (bottom-up day-hike up to 9.4 miles round trip; top-down 16-mile wilderness permit); the easy paved Riverside Walk to the Temple of Sinawava; the Emerald Pools loop; and the 1.0-mile slickrock haul up to Canyon Overlook off the Mount Carmel Highway. Outside the canyon, Observation Point (8.0 miles via East Mesa), the Kolob Arch backpack, and the Subway technical canyoneering route round out the park's signature objectives.

Plan two to four full days. From late February through late November, Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private cars — park at the Springdale lots or visitor center and take the free Zion Canyon Shuttle (every 7–15 minutes, 9 stops between Canyon Junction and the Temple of Sinawava). Summer afternoons hit 100°F — start hikes by 7 AM and watch for flash-flood warnings before entering The Narrows or any slot canyon. Spring (April–May) and fall (October) are the sweet spots; winter brings empty trails but icy chains on Angels Landing.