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Top Attractions in Zion National Park

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive

The Floor of the Valley Road, also known as the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, follows the canyon of the North Fork of the Virgin River, also known as Zion Canyon, through Zion National Park, Utah. A precursor to the present nine-mile road was first built in 1916, but was later redesigned by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Designs to highlight the natural features of the valley while presenting a natural-appearing built environment. The road begins at the south boundary of the park and ends at the Temple of Sinawava. The design uses local materials such as red sandstone and rustic construction techniques according to the prevailing 1930s Park Service policy of naturalistic design. The Cable Creek Bridge is separately nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as a particularly prominent example of the style. The road surface is coated with red aggregate to continue the design theme. From the South Entrance to Canyon Junction at the mouth of Zion Canyon the road has been reconstructed and has lost many of the characteristic features of the 1930s construction. The original 1916 road was built by Park Service engineer W.O. Tufts was a single-lane dirt road that extended as far as the Weeping Rock parking area. In 1925 a gravel-surfaced road, called the "Government Road" replaced the original road and extended all the way to the Temple of Sinawava.

Kolob Canyons

Kolob Canyons is the northwest section of Zion National Park. This section of the park is much less visited than the Zion Canyon section and well worth the visit. It's easily accessed from I15 - the park entrance is just off the motorway. The Kolob Canyons are part of the Colorado Plateau region of the park and are noted for their colorful beauty and diverse landscape. Mormon farmers from the Salt Lake area became the first people of European descent to settle the Virgin River region. In 1851, the Parowan and Cedar City, Utah areas were settled by Mormons who used the Kolob Canyons area for timber, and for grazing cattle, sheep, and horses. They prospected for mineral deposits, and diverted Kolob water to irrigate crops in the valley below. Mormon settlers named the area Kolob—in Mormon scripture, the heavenly place nearest the residence of God.

Taylor Creek Trail

Limited to 12 people per group. Follows the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek past two homestead cabins to Double Arch Alcove. This trail is awesome - it has a real wilderness feel to it. The first 2 miles or so you are crossing over the creek over and over again as it meanders out of the canyon. Once inside the canyon itself it's gorgeous, with high red cliffs on either side. The 'destination' is Double Arch Alcove, which is a large, open alcove that's almost a cave but not quite. However, this hike is more about the hike than the destination We did it in November and there was lots of snow for the kids to enjoy. Throwing rocks to break the ice in thee creek was lots of fun, as was seeing how far we could walk on the ice before it cracked... when we were there, the water underneath the ice was only a few inches deep, but take care all the same.

Zion Lodge

Zion Lodge is located in Zion National Park, Utah, United States. The lodge was designed in 1924 as a compromise solution between its developer, the Utah Parks Company, which wanted a large hotel, and National Park Service director Stephen Mather, who desired smaller-scale development. The Utah Parks Company had been formed in 1923 as a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, and was, like many similar programs, intended to stimulate passenger rail traffic to the national parks of southwest Utah. Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed the Zion Lodge as part of a series of similar structures for the Utah Parks Company at the north rim of the Grand Canyon and at Bryce Canyon National Park. Underwood's design was more modest in scale and detailing than those at the Grand Canyon and Bryce, substituting milled lumber for whole logs in a "studs-out" style. Underwood used less stonework, in smaller pieces. The structures were designed to be more in keeping with the character of the valley floor, which at the time of construction was still inhabited by settlers. Underwood would go on to design all of the Utah Parks Company buildings in the valley, many of which are included in the Zion Lodge Historic District, which surrounds the lodge. A fire in 1966 destroyed the original lodge. It was rebuilt within 100 days, but the original rustic look was lost in favor of expedience in reopening the lodge. A 1990 remodel restored its original look. In addition to the main lodge building there are a number of original buildings that remain in the lodge complex. This includes guest cabins built in 1927 and 1929, employee dormitories built in 1927 and 1937, and a few support buildings. All were designed by Underwood. On April 12, 1995, a landslide blocked the Virgin River downstream from the lodge. Over a period of two hours, the river had carved away 590 feet of the only exit road from the canyon, trapping 450 guests and employees in the lodge. A one-lane temporary road was constructed within 24 hours to allow evacuation. Access to the lodge was restored on May 25, 1995. Zion Lodge is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Zion – Mount Carmel Highway

The Zion Mount Carmel Highway was proposed by the Utah Parks Company, which managed tourist concessions in Zion National Park, as a means to link Zion with Grand Canyon National Park and other attractions in northern Arizona. The road runs from the entrance to Zion eastward to Mount Carmel Junction with US 89 as a portion of Utah State Route 9. The road became part of a loop tour of Zion, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The route was surveyed in 1923 by B.J. Finch, district engineer of the US Bureau of Public Roads, Howard C. Means, a Utah state engineer, and John Winder, a local rancher. The National Park Service evaluated alternative routes, including one that used Parunuweap Canyon, but settled on the Pine Creek route, which required a tunnel through the Great Arch. Detailed design work on the road was carried out by the Bureau of Public Roads. Details including bridges, retaining walls, culverts and other features were designed by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Design under the supervision of Thomas Chalmers Vint. Work began in 1927 on a total of 25 miles of road, which was completed in 1930.

Zion Lodge Historic District

The Zion Lodge Historic District surrounds the rustic lodge originally designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood in Zion National Park. The lodge served as the center of a group of cabins, employee dormitories and support buildings which are included in the district. A swimming pool and bathhouse were demolished in 1976. The district was expanded in 1986 to include an Underwood-designed former photography studio and additional cabins. The Zion Lodge complex was developed by the Utah Parks Company to provide lodging for tourists at Zion. The Utah Parks Company was owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, which had developed a strong relationship with Underwood. Underwood designed most of the structures in the lodge community using principles of rustic design favored by the National Park Service, a style that was developed and promoted, in part, by Underwood himself. The district is centered on the Zion Lodge. Underwood's National Park Service Rustic style lodge burned in 1966 and was replaced by a prefabricated structure on the same foundation. A 1990 renovation added elements of Underwood's original design to the 1966 structure. The district includes: Female Dormitory Built in 1927 to Underwood's design, in the "studs out" style with wall framing exposed outside of the wall sheathing. The one story building measures approximately 36 feet by 69 feet with a log-framed hipped roof. The entry porch features stone piers and heavy log roof construction. Male Dormitory Built in 1937 as an enlarged version of the female dormitory in a manner sympathetic to Underwood's original design. The one story building measures approximately 36 feet by 112 feet . Standard Cabins Also known as "Pioneer Cabins" and "Frontier Cabins", built in the "studs out" style with an anticipated life expectancy of 20 years. The standard cabins were built beginning in 1925. In the 1940s small additions were made for bathrooms. Western Cabins Also known as "Deluxe Cabins, the duplex and quadruplex cabins built in a substantial manner with massive stone piers and fireplaces and open log truss ceilings. Infill walls are built in the studs out style. The Western Cabins were built beginning in 1927.
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