Zion Canyon

Coordinates: 37°09′54″N 113°00′43″W / 37.16500°N 113.01194°W / 37.16500; -113.01194
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Zion Canyon
Mukuntuweap
Zion Canyon from Angels Landing at sunset
Zion Canyon is located in Utah
Zion Canyon
Zion Canyon
Location in Utah
Floor elevation4,300 feet (1,300 m)
Geography
Coordinates37°09′54″N 113°00′43″W / 37.16500°N 113.01194°W / 37.16500; -113.01194 
RiversNorth Fork Virgin River

Zion Canyon (also called Little Zion, Mukuntuweap, Mu-Loon'-Tu-Weap, and Straight Cañon; weap is

Paiute for canyon) is a deep and narrow gorge in southwestern Utah, United States, carved by the North Fork of the Virgin River. Nearly the entire canyon is located within the western half of Zion National Park.[1]

Description

A side view of the canyon
The Zion Narrows
Large view of the canyon

The beginning of the canyon is usually delineated as the Temple of Sinawava, a vertical-walled natural amphitheater nearly 3,000 feet (910 m) deep. The canyon begins much further upstream, however, and runs southward about 16 miles (26 km) through the Narrows to reach the Temple, where a seasonal tributary of the North Fork plunges over a tall waterfall during spring runoff and after heavy rain. The gorge then runs southwest through the national park, approaching 2,000 feet (610 m) deep in places. While the canyon rim is dominated by desert, the canyon floor supports a forest and riparian zone watered by the North Fork Virgin River. The gorge then merges with Pine Creek Canyon as it winds out of the national park and past the community of Springdale, Utah. The canyon's end is where it meets the Virgin River; some 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Lake Mead, into which the river ultimately flows.[2][3]

Zion Canyon Drive and

Zion-Mount Carmel Highway are the two major roads throughout the canyon. Zion Canyon Drive ends at the Temple of Sinawava, where the Riverside Walk trail follows the river upstream to the lower end of the Zion Narrows. Hiking trails further upstream descend into the Narrows, where the canyon floor is, on average 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. Hiking is permitted in the Narrows when water levels are low enough; however, flash floods are known to rise quickly following heavy rainstorms. Many areas in the drainage of Zion Canyon have little or no soil cover, contributing to extremely brief but heavy storm runoff. In contrast, the floor of most of the main Zion Canyon is close to 1,000 feet (300 m) wide and is rich with river-deposited sediments. Tributaries to the river within the canyon include Deep, Kolob, Goose, Pine, and Oak Creeks.[4]

Geology and history

Zion Canyon viewed from a narrow point on the Angel's Landing trail, showing the immense vertical relief

Geologically Zion Canyon is part of the

hanging valleys
. Some of the largest tributaries have cut down to nearly an equal elevation as the valley floor.

Erosion continues to sculpt the canyon walls, creating natural arches and other rock formations. It is believed that there is another 1,000 feet (300 m) of vertical bedrock that the Virgin River can still erode.

springs fed by the surrounding groundwater, permitting water in the canyon to run year-round.[5][6]

Mormons migrated from the lower Virgin River area in the late 1850s. One of the Mormon settlers, Isaac Behunin, is credited with naming the canyon. While admiring the canyon, Behunin reportedly stated, "A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as he can in any man-made church; this is Zion",[7][8] though another wording is also reported.[9] The term Zion is found frequently throughout the Bible and can refer to both a literal and a figurative place. For many Christians, it represents a place appointed by God for peace, safety, and rest.[10]

Explorer

Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, cutting through Pine Creek Canyon and lower Zion Canyon, first opened in 1930.[6]

Observation Point

See also

References

  1. U.S. National Park Service
    . Retrieved 2009-11-03.
  2. ^ USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. ACME Mapper. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  3. ^ Zion National Park Maps (Map). Cartography by National Park Service. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
  4. ^ "Zion National Park". zionnational-park.com. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
  5. ^ "Zion Canyon Geology: Carving Zion Canyon". zionnational-park.com. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-7872-9970-7
    .
  7. ^ "Isaac Behunin". The Historical Marker Database. December 6, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Isaac Behunin Family (early settlers of Zion, Utah)". Washington County Historical Society. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Hidden Meaning Behind the Zion Name". Zion Ponderosa. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Lucey, Candice (July 3, 2019). "What Is the Meaning of Zion in the Bible?". Christianity,com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zion Canyon.
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