Zion National Park Owen O’Neill 11/20/15

What year did Zion become an official park and why? Zion became a National Park on November 19, y the 1900s, Zion Canyon had been recognized as a potential destination for tourism based on its beauty, which led to Around 1860, Mormons settled into the area. By the 1900s, Zion Canyon had been recognized as a potential destination for tourism based on its beauty, which led to President Taft naming the area a National Monument in 1909 to protect the scenery and the natural and historical items and wild life within it, under the name of Mukuntuweap National Monument. In 1918, the director of the newly created National Park Service changed the park’s name to Zion National Monument, the name used by the Mormons. The U.S. Congress then established the monument as a National Park in 1919.

Zion National Park Relief Map & Landform Features Zion National Park is 30 miles in length and 15 miles across at its widest point, totaling 148,000 acres. Elevations range from 4,000 to 8,700 feet. The Park has a landscape of beautiful, colorful deep canyons, high cliffs, mesas, and forested plateaus. The elevation differences in the park provides many types of habitat including grassland, desert, wetland, riparian, and forest. Zion Canyon, carved by the Virgin River, is about 15 miles long and about 2, ,000 feet deep. The river runs 162 miles through the states of Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Angels Landing is one of the world's best trails. It has awesome views of Zion Canyon and is pretty easy to hike. But if you’re afraid of heights, be aware! The final leg is very high and steep, with sheer drop-offs.

Map of the USA with Zion National Park Identified Zion National Park is located on the southwest side of the U.S, near St. George and Springdale Utah. It lies on the northwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Zion is part of the Southwest's "Grand Circle" of national parks, monuments, historic areas, and recreation areas, which is one of the world's biggest areas of great natural and cultural features. Cedar Breaks National Monument is nearby to the northeast, Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument are nearby to the east, Pipe Spring National Monument and the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park are to the south, and Parashant National Monument is to the southwest. Zion is right here!

Bibliography United States. National Park Service. "Nearby Attractions." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 28 Nov Web. 29 Nov United States. National Park Service. "Nearby Attractions." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 28 Nov Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park Trip Planning." St George Area Tourism Office RSS2. St. George Area Tourism Office, n.d. Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park Trip Planning." St George Area Tourism Office RSS2. St. George Area Tourism Office, n.d. Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park." Utah.com. Utah Travel Industry, Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park." Utah.com. Utah Travel Industry, Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park." - New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, 2 July Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park." - New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, 2 July Web. 29 Nov Hinton, Wayne. "The Development of Zion National Park." The Development of Zion National Park. State of Utah, Web. 29 Nov Hinton, Wayne. "The Development of Zion National Park." The Development of Zion National Park. State of Utah, Web. 29 Nov Braun, Joe. "Joe's Guide to Zion National Park - Zion 101: Introduction to Zion National Park." Joe's Guide to Zion National Park - Zion 101: Introduction to Zion National Park. N.p., Web. 29 Nov Braun, Joe. "Joe's Guide to Zion National Park - Zion 101: Introduction to Zion National Park." Joe's Guide to Zion National Park - Zion 101: Introduction to Zion National Park. N.p., Web. 29 Nov "USA National Parks Map." US National Parks. Maps of World, n.d. Web. 29 Nov "USA National Parks Map." US National Parks. Maps of World, n.d. Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park." Zion National Park History & Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park." Zion National Park History & Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov "Zion National Park." Compton's by Britannica. Britannica Online for Kids. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., Web. 19 Nov "Zion National Park." Compton's by Britannica. Britannica Online for Kids. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., Web. 19 Nov

What environmental issues are affecting Zion? Current environmental issues are automobile congestion, noise pollution, damage to vegetation near roads, litter, human waste, impacts on solitude, and increasing development around the area. Over two million people visit Zion every year. On a normal summer day, 4,000 to 5,000 cars enter the park. Two thousand cars drive the six-miles up Zion Canyon for which there are only 400 parking spaces. The canyon walls act like an echo chamber, echoing the sound of traffic, and sightseeing helicopters fly overhead. Both upset the peace and quiet so important to the national park experience. Hikers wander off marked trails, trampling vegetation. Tourists leave behind water bottles and other scraps of litter.

What special land forms or features are inside Zion? Special land forms inside Zion include its bodies of water and columns of vertical rock. The most well known river is the Virgin River. It stretches 162 miles through the states of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. The Emerald Pools is one of Zion's signature trails. Waterfalls, pools and dazzling monoliths create the Emerald Pools Trail System. The park has layers of sedimentary rock, which offer evidence that it has been underwater, uplifted, covered with volcanic ash, dried into a windswept desert, flooded again, and around 13 million years ago, lifted upward again. The canyon walls have a large amount of fossil record, which shows evidence that prehistoric peoples (Ancestral Pueblo Indians) once roamed the area. Angels Landing is a trail that is a half-mile of narrow rock protruding out of Cathedral Mountain and is probably the best known landmark in Zion National Park. If you’re afraid of heights, beware! The last leg is very steep, with sheer drop-offs. Virgin River Emerald Pools Trail Angels Landing

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Bibliography Chamber, Ruth. "Ruth Chambers' Blog." Ruth Chambers Blog. Wordpress.com, Sept Web. 27 Nov Chamber, Ruth. "Ruth Chambers' Blog." Ruth Chambers Blog. Wordpress.com, Sept Web. 27 Nov "The Grotto from the Virgin River - Zion National Park." Imgur. Imgur.com, n.d. Web. 27 Nov "The Grotto from the Virgin River - Zion National Park." Imgur. Imgur.com, n.d. Web. 27 Nov "Zion National Park - Towering Cliffs, Narrow Canyons." Hiking Tips For You. Hiking Tips For You, n.d. Web. 27 Nov "Zion National Park - Towering Cliffs, Narrow Canyons." Hiking Tips For You. Hiking Tips For You, n.d. Web. 27 Nov