National Parks of America

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781760340643
• eBook ISBN: 9781760341787

To celebrate America's amazing national parks, Lonely Planet, the world's leading travel publisher, takes you on an informative and gorgeous tour of all 59 parks with our lavishly finished hardcover gift guide packed with detailed itineraries and practical tips on what to do and see in each park to get you started planning your next adventure. America's national parks are full of timeless marvels that still rejuvenate the soul: the world's largest trees in Sequoia; its most spectacular geothermal site in Yellowstone; the grandest canyon. From Acadia to Zion, this beautiful introduction to America's preserved natural treasures is packed with landscape photography, original wildlife illustrations, and practical information. You will surely be inspired to rediscover these incredible spaces and find out why they're worth celebrating and you'll have all the tools to plan the first of many exciting trips. This book is intended to be a practical introduction to each of America's 59 national parks, distilled by Lonely Planet's expert authors. We highlight the best activities and trails, explain how to get there and where to stay, show you the wildlife to watch out for, and suggest ideal itineraries. Whether you're lucky enough to have a park on your doorstep or need to travel further, we hope that the following pages inspire you both the iconic and lesser-known gems that make up the USA's diversely breathtaking expanses. Covers all 59 US National Parks: Acadia American Samoa Arches Badlands Big Bend Biscayne Black Canyon of the Gunnison Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Carlsbad Caverns Channel Islands Congaree Crater Lake Cuyahoga Valley Death Valley Denali Dry Tortugas Everglades Gates of the Arctic Glacier Glacier Bay Grand Canyon Grand Teton Great Basin Great Sand Dunes Great Smoky Mountains Guadalupe Mountains Haleakal? Hawaii Volcanoes Hot Springs Isle Royale Joshua Tree Katmai Kenai Fjords Kings Canyon Kobuk Valley Lake Clark Lassen Volcanic Mammoth Cave Mesa Verde Mt Rainier North Cascades Olympic Petrified Forest Pinnacles Redwood Rocky Mountain Saguaro Sequoia Shenandoah Theodore Roosevelt Virgin Islands Voyageurs Wind Cave Wrangell-St Elias Yellowstone Yosemite Zion About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

59

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Zion National Park

Narnia, Mordor, Westeros…Zion? With its castle-like walls, weeping rocks and shadowy narrows, Zion Canyon beckons like a valley of enchantment in an epic storybook.

Your adventure begins on the Zion–Mt Carmel Hwy as it twists through groves of golden sandstone. Gripping the wheel more tightly, you wonder about the 1.1-mile (1.8km) tunnel ahead, a Depression-era marvel that jackhammers through a sandstone wall. And whoosh – you’re suddenly inside its inky darkness. Arched galleries flash past, offering a whip-fast glimpse of the red rock grandeur to come. Back in the brightness, the road plummets through six tight switchbacks, squeezed close by red rock walls.

The heart of the park is Zion Canyon, a verdant valley flanked by sheer walls of Navajo Sandstone. These red rock cliffs, soaring more than 1000ft (305m) feet overhead, began as sand dunes more than 200 million years ago. After a turbulent period of geological uplift, the Virgin River and its tributaries began carving the canyon and its narrows. Today, the riparian landscape attracts wildlife galore – as well as beauty-seeking tourists. To reduce congestion, the park prohibits cars on the canyon floor from mid-March through October and on weekends in November; park shuttles stop at nine sights and trailheads. The Kolob Canyons section of the park, home to a high-elevation scenic drive, is 40 miles (64.4km) northwest.

Southern Paiute Indians roamed these lands before the arrival of Mormon settlers in the mid-1800s. Mukuntuweap National Monument, which was named after the Southern Paiute word for ‘straight canyon,’ was created in 1909. The name was changed to Zion National Monument in 1918 – ‘Zion’ being a biblical term for a place of refuge or sanctuary – and the national park was established the following year. Today, with its skinny slot canyons and vertigo-inducing cliffs, the park is a prime spot for outdoor adventure: canyoneering and wild hiking, from the Narrows to Angels Landing, bring the adrenaline junkies. But the allure of the park is also writ small. The low-key spots – a weeping rock, hanging gardens, hidden ponds – may impress you as much as the red rock.

THE VIRGIN RIVER FLOWS THROUGH THE PARK.

Getty Images | SUSANNE KREMER

Toolbox

When to go

High season is May through September, but temperatures commonly soar to 100°F (38°C) while visitors clog the canyon floor. May brings both wildflowers and bugs. Fall is cooler and ideal for hiking.

Getting there

Zion Canyon borders the town of Springdale in southwestern Utah. The park can be reached from the west or east on Hwy 9 (called the Zion–Mt Carmel Highway between Zion Canyon and the east park entrance station). Las Vegas is 160 miles (257.5km) southwest via Hwy 9 and I-15. Kolob Canyons is 30 miles (48.3km) northeast of St George, Utah, off the I-15.

Park in numbers

229

Area covered (sq miles)

75

Species of mammals

6521

Height of Observation Point (ft)

Stay here…

Zion Lodge

The wide and grassy front lawn here is a gorgeous place to daydream. Crisp blue skies, crimson cliffs and a homespun brown lodge frame this inspiring spot. Rooms in the lodge and its cabins channel the Old West with a bit of style – and no TVs. Overnight guests are permitted to drive into the canyon to park at the lodge.

South Campground & Watchman Campground

A dip in the adjacent Virgin River is a pleasant way to cool off before settling into your camp chair. Once settled, cottonwoods provide the shade while sandstone cliffs offer the view. Both campgrounds are within walking distance of the Zion Canyon Visitor Center.

Under the Eaves Inn

The details close the deal at this quaint 1930s bungalow, with a clawfoot tub in the suite, arts-and-crafts style in the living room, and Adirondack chairs in the garden. Seven rooms are scattered across the main house, a cabin and a cottage.

Do this!

Canyoneering

Rappelling into a narrow slot canyon is just one part of a canyoneering adventure in Zion –
expect to do some wading, scrambling, swimming, hiking and problem-solving (‘Just how do we escape this diabolical maze?’). The names of Zion’s most famous slot canyons evoke their individual charms: the Narrows and the Subway.

Cycling

Pull on your ‘Life is Good’ T-shirt for a morning pedal on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. This 7-mile (11.3km) strip of easy pavement runs alongside the Virgin River as it unfurls beneath iconic big rocks, from the Court of Patriarchs to Angels Landing. No cars are allowed in high season.

Bird-watching

As you scan the skies from your perch atop Angels Landing, keep watch for California condors soaring gracefully between the sandstone monoliths – their 9½-ft (3m) wingspan is something amazing to behold. But California condors are just the start: the bird list at Zion includes 288 species.

Hike this…

01 The Narrows

Iconic and challenging, this 16-mile (25.8km) one-way hike squeezes through wet and skinny canyons along the Virgin River’s North Fork.

02 Angels Landing

Possibly America’s best day hike, this 5.4-mile (8.6km) round-trip trail hugs a cliff, climbs tight switchbacks and crosses a thin ridge flanked by sheer drops. The reward? An epic view of Zion Canyon.

03 Emerald Pools

Streams of water tumble into tiered pools on this 5-mile (8km) round-
trip climb into Zion Canyon’s greenery.

What to spot…

Elevation at Zion stretches from 3666ft (1117m) at Coal Pits Wash to 8726f...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Map
• Introduction
• Acadia
• American Samoa
• Arches
• Badlands
• Big Bend
• Biscayne
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison
• Bryce Canyon
• Canyonlands
• Capitol Reef
• Carlsbad Caverns
• Channel Islands
• Congaree
• Crater Lake
• Cuyahoga Valley
• Death Valley
• Denali
• Dry Tortugas
• Everglades
• Gates of the Arctic
• Glacier
• Glacier Bay
• Grand Canyon
• Grand Teton
• Great Basin
• Great Sand Dunesz
• Great Smoky Mountains
• Guadalupe Mountains
• Haleakalā National Park
• Hawai‛i Volcanoes
• Hot Springs
• Isle Royale
• Joshua Tree
• Katmai
• Kenai Fjords
• Kings Canyon
• Kobuk Valley
• Lake Clark
• Lassen Volcanic
• Mammoth Cave
• Mesa Verde
• Mt Rainier
• North Cascades
• Olympic
• Petrified Forest
• Pinnacles
• Redwood
• Rocky Mountain
• Saguaro
• Sequoia
• Shenandoah
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Virgin Islands
• Voyageurs
• Wind Cave
• Wrangell–St Elias
• Yellowstone
• Yosemite
• Zion