Zion National Park ⓘ

People have lived in and around Zion Canyon for thousands of years. It has been home to a number of native peoples including but not limited to the Archaic, Ancestral Puebloan, and Southern Paiute. These indigenous people built homes, raised families, and established communities on land that is now part of Zion National Park. In the mid-1800s, Mormon Pioneers began establishing European American communities on some of the same land. Later, government agencies like the Bureau of Public Roads , Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service itself, also contributed to the park's archeological record. These communities' descendants still live in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, and their family records and vibrant oral traditions provide valuable insight into our understanding of Zion National Park's natural beauty, human history, and its' archeological record.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law. This law empowered the president to provide protection for nature and history on Federal land. President William Howard Taft used this authority to establish Mukuntuweap National Monument at Zion Canyon in 1909. In 1919, in response to support from local advocates, Congress passed a bill that elevated the area to national park status and officially changed its name to Zion National Park. President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill that same year. The recently established National Park Service hired professional archeologists led by Ben Wetherill (whose family also worked for the National Park Service in other national parks) to investigate and record archeological sites in the area. Ben Wetherill’s excavations in the 1930s recorded the locations of houses, granaries (food storage structures), and cists. They yielded artifacts such as projectile points (likely from arrows or spears), ceramic containers, sandals, and baskets. These artifacts led archeologists to believe that people lived in the parts of Zion they surveyed from about about 700 CE to 1200 CE. Wetherill’s work also helped archeologists learn that the inhabitants of this area had a unique identity that they named the Virgin Branch of the Ancestral Puebloan people.

Today, archeology in the National Park Service is very different than in Wetherill’s time. Sites are only excavated if there is a risk of damage from natural or human causes such as erosion, flooding, vandalism, or construction. Archeologists instead prefer to leave sites and artifacts undisturbed in order to preserve the context in which the objects were discovered and care for them through surveying, recording, monitoring, and stabilization. Tribal consultation is also an important part of this process. Consultation between associated tribes and park staff helps develop best management practices for the protection of archeological sites and significant cultural resources for future generations. Archeologists at Zion currently care for over five hundred sites within the park and regularly record new ones.

Under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, before the National Park Service changes anything about the park, we have to study how change might affect plants, animals, and history. In order to do that, archeologists survey the project area to see if work might affect buried artifacts. This assists both archeologists and project managers in minimizing or eliminating potential effects. If discoveries are made during the project, park archeologists secure and investigate the area in order to prevent damage. Any new discoveries are reported to state and federal agencies.

Park archeologists depend on the general public to act as site stewards and help protect cultural resources. Because looting and vandalism present such significant threats to archeological sites and artifacts, the National Park Service relies on volunteers to help document and monitor these important resources. Learn more about how to best preserve and protect the past.

Treat the archaeological site like a crime scene: document the site location, take photographs, and report the information to a park ranger.

Almost twelve thousand years ago, the first peoples to inhabit what is now known as Zion Canyon tracked mammoths, Shasta ground sloths, and camels across Southern Utah. Four thousand years later, due in part to both climate change and overhunting, these animals became harder to find. The early inhabitants of Zion Canyon turned to mid-sized animals and edible plants as their main sources of food.

Seven thousand years later, farming and agriculture had become the normal source of food for people in the region. The geology of the canyon provided farmers with a rare combination in the desert – a wide and level place to grow crops, a river to water them, and growing season that was long enough to sustain them. The elevation of the canyon, ranging from about 3,700 to 8,700 feet, was ideal not only for growing crops, but also for maintaining a diverse ecosystem of plants and animals from juniper and cottonwood trees to mule deer, whiptail lizards, and big horn sheep.

The late 1700s saw initial exploration of the area by European American fur trappers and government surveyors. In 1872, John Welsey Powell travelled through the area on the first scientific exploration of southern Utah. Around the same time, pioneers sent by Brigham Young from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints began settling the area. The first homestead was constructed in 1863 by Issac Behunin near the present-day location of the Zion Lodge . Unfortunately, due to flash flooding and crop-burning drought, the canyon proved to be a risky venture for the settlers, and they soon abandoned the area for more favorable locations.

However, the beauty and majesty of the place had not been lost on the explorers and in 1909, the canyon was designated as Mukuntuweap National Monument by President William Howard Taft under the authority granted by the 1906 Antiquities Act . The next decade saw an increase in roads and infrastructure in and around the canyon. The area was then designated as Zion National Park by Congress on November 19, 1919.

Visitor numbers at Zion National Park have continued to increase over time, necessitating the construction of trails , campgrounds , and other facilities . The economic benefits of tourism now support the small communities surrounding the park, ensuring their survival into a new millennium of human history.

Museums in the National Park Service collect, preserve, study, and provide access to both natural and cultural resources and preserve these materials as educational tools for staff, researchers, and the public. The Museum Collections and Archives at Zion National Park manages over 880,000 of these important items including archival documents, natural history specimens, archeological artifacts, photographs, historic objects, ethnographic objects, and fine art. These collections contain materials which detail the history of the park from early park development and the Civilian Conservation Corps to the plants and animals which call the canyon landscape home. Select artifacts from the collection are on display in the Zion Human History Museum.

Zion museum and archives staff are currently working on a wide range of projects to ensure long-term preservation and access to museum collections and archives. Collaborative work with National Park Service conservators has identified preservation needs and guided staff in best practices for proper collections care and safe storage. Public benefit from the collections is provided through permanent and temporary exhibits, as well as recent efforts to digitize collections for public use. Digital collections are made available through NPGallery , the digital asset management database used by the National Park Service.

Zion National Park also manages the museum collections and archives for Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument. Similar to the museum collections and archives at Zion, the collections of Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks detail the history of each park culturally, naturally, and administratively. Learn more about the collections of all three parks.

Right image, ZION 10660: The men of the CCC wore military-like uniforms in either denim or olive green. This shoulder patch insignia belonged to Norman Pierce Crawford, who served in the CCC at Zion.

New Deal programs strove to stimulate the economy during the difficult times of the Great Depression. The purpose of the CCC was to implement new conservation projects and to provide financial relief to unemployed young men and their families. CCC enrollees traveled across federal and state lands to complete a wide range of projects including, but not limited to, road construction, flood and erosion control, firefighting, and planting millions of trees. In addition to monetary compensation, participants received hands-on training and education. This assisted them in finding permanent employment or preparing them to enter the military. Overall, more than 3 million young men participated in the program throughout its nine-year existence. As for the name, due to the popularity and dominating use of the term CCC by the press and public, the ECW was officially renamed the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937.

There are archeological sites throughout Zion National Park. Studying these areas can help us understand the past. Because most sites can easily be damaged by people, only a few are open to public viewing. With your help, we can protect these fragile sites so that people can continue to learn from them long into the future. Thank you for being a courteous guest!

Oils from your skin damage pictographs (rock paintings) and petroglyphs (rock carvings). Never deface a site by scratching or rubbing the rock surface. It ruins irreplaceable masterpieces and is illegal.

Crumbs attract rodents who may nest within the site. Pick up and carry out all trash and garbage.

Leave all artifacts, including small fragments of pottery and stone chips, right where you find them for others to enjoy. Out of context, artifacts cannot help us to understand the past. It is illegal to remove them or create artifact piles.

Please do not camp in or near archeological sites. Smoke from campfires stains walls and cliffs, and charcoal leaves a mess. Never use wood from archeological sites in campfires.

Cultural sites, even those designated as ''open'' to visitors, are very fragile. Walk carefully and stay on established trails. Avoid leaning or sitting on walls and never climb on pictograph/petroglyph panels.

Fragile sites are closed to the public for stabilization and damage assessments. Respect these sites by respecting closed signs.

Artifacts are the things that people in the past made, purchased, collected, and left behind at archeological sites. Archeologists carefully collect artifacts from their archeological contexts, then study and curate them. Artifacts can tell us where people lived; what they ate, wore, and used; and how culture changed over time. See below for a few of the artifacts in the Zion Museum Collection and the stories they tell.

It is very rare and exciting for researchers to uncover organic material completely intact, like this yucca sandal. Finding organic, perishable material while excavating archeological sites provides information about the specific types of plants and animals people chose to utilize, and how they integrated items they made from these sources into daily life.

Imagine who wore this sandal and the long distances they would have traveled to hunt, collect seeds, or visit extended family members. Sandals like these would have been valuable in this terrain covered in cactus spines and desert thorns. Certainly the person who made this sandal spent many hours separating the fibers of yucca leaves, and meticulously twisting and weaving them together.

This sandal is a pointed-toe style with Z-twist cordage and was woven in a weft-faced plain weave. Similar to ceramic manufacturing techniques and decorations, woven items exhibit specific techniques of manufacture and stylistic variations that archeologists use to date these items. This sandal is also dated by its association with other chronologically distinct artifacts found nearby. Determining an exact date with radiocarbon dating is possible but destructive because a large sample must be used for testing. This sandal dates to the Pueblo I or Pueblo II periods, AD 700 to 1100.

This expertly crafted tool is evidence of the earliest era of human occupation in the park. People of the Archaic culture, living here from approximately 7,000 to 300 BC, moved with the seasons and relied on large game, wild plants, seeds, and nuts for survival. Because of this mobile way of life, they left few traces of their occupation. Archeologists typically identify sites from this era based on stone tools (such as dart points, knives, and scrapers) and rarely find remains of perishable prehistoric items.

A skilled toolmaker flaked this sharp knife blade from a stone called chert. It was likely hafted to a wooden handle to use as a dart point or to process meat from a successful hunt. It is approximately 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) long and 1 ¾ inches (4.5 cm) wide. In profile, it is a mere ¼ inch (0.5 cm) wide.

This photo of an artifact in the archeology collection shows a North Creek Black-on-gray bowl. This ceramic design style dates approximately AD 1100 to 1225. A bowl such as this may have been used to serve or eat food out of. It is possible that a family enjoyed many meals of hot corn and venison stew from this dish. Pottery is well known for the information it reveals about the culture of the people who made it. A pot or jar’s style and method of construction can often tell who made it, when and where. Differences in shape, materials, and painted designs reflect how closely affiliated different groups of people were, if and how they traded their pieces, and can show major cultural changes over time.

For many hundreds of years across the Southwest, almost all painted pottery was decorated with black geometrical designs on a white background. The design on this bowl is similar to those found at the spectacular cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. Though the people who built those well-known stone villages lived 400 miles away by foot, they were part of the same Ancestral Puebloan culture as those who lived in Zion (the Virgin River branch of the Ancestral Puebloans.)

Wetherill discovered several exceptionally preserved sites where people had conducted the tasks of daily life, and even found items made from perishable materials that had survived close to 2,000 years. This photo shows a remnant of a hand woven basket, showing the beginning of coil spiral. Baskets had many functions including containers for gathering plants and seeds, storage, and even cooking. This piece exhibits a "two-rod and bundle" foundation and coils sewn with a non-interlocking stitch. The bundle rods are composed of yucca fibers around slender twigs that have large pithy centers. Sewing elements are strips of yucca leaves split once with uniform width of about 3 mm. This artifact is typical of items that date to the late Basket Maker period of Ancestral Puebloan occupations, roughly AD 1 to 700. As the name implies, the Basket Makers were masters of constructing baskets and weaving other goods from plant fibers. During this period, people were still leading mobile lifestyles and light basketry was used more for daily tasks than heavy, fragile pottery that would dominate in later times.

European Americans began exploring and living in southern Utah in the late 1700s. Traders from New Mexico led initial explorations and blazed the Old Spanish Trail , a portion of which follows the Virgin River. During the next century, American fur trappers and government surveyors added new overland travel routes across the region.

In July of 1776, two Franciscan friars, Atanasio Dominquez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante , departed the mission in Santa Fe, New Mexico in order to establish a route to the Presidio of Monterey, California. Their expedition proved unsuccessful, however, and the group was forced to turn around in southern Utah. Their return trip took the missionaries over the Virgin River thirty miles south of Zion National Park through the extensive agricultural and irrigation systems engineered by the Southern Paiute.

Though they failed to reach their destination, the subsequent attempts to reach the West Coast over the next two decades created an extensive network of trails between New Mexico and California. By 1848, the routes were regularly used for both merchant caravans and to source slave labor from the Paiute peoples in the region.

In 1872, as part of western surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey , John Wesley Powell and his expedition journeyed from what is now Mt. Carmel Junction through Parunuweap and ending at the base of the main canyon. He was accompanied by a crew which included Frederick S. Dellenbaugh , whose paintings and photographs of the Zion would later introduce the world to the canyon landscape. These early pack trails soon became well-used wagon roads, connecting Santa Fe to the California markets.

In 1847, Brigham Young led members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the Utah territory and established settlements in the Great Salt Lake Valley. A few years later, Young sent members to settle and grow cotton in the southern part of the Utah territory. During the 1860s, towns such as Shunesberg, Springdale, Grafton, Adventure, and Paradise sprang up along the upper Virgin River. In 1863, Issac Behunin built the first log cabin in Zion Canyon, near the location of the present-day Zion Lodge. Soon the canyon was dotted with other homesteads, including that of William Crawford near Oak Creek.

During the remainder of the century, the small communities and homesteads which had popped up in and around the canyon struggled to survive. Catastrophic flooding by the river, little arable land, and poor soils made agriculture in the upper Virgin River a risky venture. Some of these settlements, such as Shunesberg and Grafton, were ultimately abandoned for more favorable locations.

By the first decade of the twentieth century, the scenic qualities of the area had been recognized as a potential destination for tourism. In 1909, Mukuntuweap National Monument was established in Zion Canyon by President William Howard Taft under the authority granted in the 1906 Antiquities Act . However, due to the poor condition of existing roads and the closest railhead being a hundred miles away, the new monument was virtually inaccessible to visitors. The Utah State Road Commission, established in that year, began construction on a state highway system that would eventually improve access to the southern region of the state. State officials also negotiated with the Union Pacific Railroad to develop rail and automobile links to tourism facilities in southern Utah. By the summer of 1917, touring cars could finally reach Wylie Camp, a tent camping resort that comprised the first visitor lodging in Zion Canyon. In 1919, Congress passed a bill which elevated the monument to national park status and officially changed its name to Zion National Park. Visitation to the new national park increased steadily during the 1920s. This was due in part to the completion of a railroad spur line to nearby Cedar City, Utah by the Utah Parks Company as well as the construction of Zion Lodge in the mid-1920s. In 1930, the newly completed Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and Tunnel allowed motorists to travel through Zion to Bryce Canyon and other points to the east as part of the newly established “Grand Circle Tour.”

The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and Tunnel provides direct access for travel between Bryce Canyon , Grand Canyon , and Zion Canyon. Due to the age of the highway, large vehicle restrictions are in place to protect drivers. Be sure to read up on current restrictions before visiting the park.

A part of realizing the "Grand Loop" was the construction and completion of the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and Tunnel. The 25-mile road was a joint effort between the National Park Service, the state of Utah, and the Bureau of Public Roads . A road designed to go where no road had gone before, the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and Tunnel went up Pine Creek Canyon, through the Navajo sandstone cliffs to the eastern plateau, then across slickrock country. Over a three-year period, this improbable route presented unique logistical, engineering, and design challenges. Extensive effort and planning were required to incorporate natural materials and colors into a highly engineered, sophisticated, yet rustic construction to ensure that the road blended into the surrounding landscape. The galleries, or windows, within the 1.1-mile tunnel were placed to provide views of Zion Canyon's spectacular beauty. Numerous rustic masonry and wooden bridges, long lengths of expertly constructed rock walls with massive stones, beautiful arched-masonry culverts, and other features are visible along the road.

Four different crews from both Utah and Nevada began work on opposite ends of the planned road. On the western side, the Nevada Contracting Company of Fallon, Nevada began carving a series of seven switchbacks from the canyon floor up to the sandstone cliffs above. The soft rock beneath the Navajo sandstone cliffs sloughed away and rockslides were a continuous problem. Large boulders posed a regular threat to workers and had to be blasted into smaller rocks with dynamite to prevent catastrophes. However, accidents did occur. At one point, a rockslide caused a large boulder to roll down over the switchbacks and killed one of the men working below. As the work from the canyon floor progressed from the west, two crews from companies based in Springville, Utah began cutting a road from the east toward the canyon from Mount Carmel Junction. Facing many challenges of their own, these crews had to continually blast their way through the sea of sandstone slickrock which covers six miles of the park's east side. Despite the many challenges that the crews encountered, the most significant challenge of the project remained the construction of the 1.1-mile tunnel through the heart of the sandstone cliffs to connect the new road from the east with the switchbacks to the west. The arduous task of constructing the tunnel, undertaken by the men of the Nevada Contracting Company, along with crew bosses from around the country, began with blasting gallery windows into the cliff face above Pine Creek Canyon. From these windows the crews were able to then access the interior of the cliff and progressively bore their way through the rock, ever approaching opposite ends of the cliff where the tunnel would meet the new roads. The gallery windows also served as holes through which rock debris from carving the tunnel could be pushed out and cleared from the work area, as well as supplying much needed ventilation and lighting to crews working inside the tunnel. Once the small pilot tunnel shaft had been cut, work began on widening the tunnel to make it passable for automobiles. Using a combination of drilling and blasting, expanding the width of the tunnel was relatively quick work, although several collapses did occur, and additional structural supports had to be put in place.

Two years and ten months after the project began, the work was completed, and on July 3, 1930, the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and Tunnel was officially dedicated and opened to the public. Visitors traveled along the new scenic route in the comfort of an automobile and enjoyed views of the high desert landscape along the way. The once imagined "Grand Circle Tour" of Zion, Bryce Canyon , and Grand Canyon National Parks was now a reality.

Because of the significant planning, skills, materials, and overall design and engineering, the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and Tunnel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In May of 2012, it was designated as an Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Dramatic landscapes have inspired great art around the world. The unique and awe-inspiring scenery of America’s national parks is no exception. In fact, national parks and great artists have always had a special relationship.

From the earliest days of European American Westward Expansion, artists joined explorers and scientists to document the “unknown” lands. Most Americans’ first notion that such places existed was from seeing a painting, either in person or reproduced in a magazine.

The towering cliffs of Zion Canyon were so remote and inaccessible, that the nation was not introduced to this landscape until the turn of the twentieth century.

Frederick S. Dellenbaugh was an early artist and topographer of the American West. He served as an assistant topographer with Major John Wesley Powell's second expedition of the Colorado River from 1871-1873.

Thirty years later, during the summer of 1903, Dellenbaugh again visited Zion Canyon and completed a series of paintings based on what he saw. In 1904, he published an article about the area in the popular Scribner's Magazine entitled “A New Valley of Wonders.” Dellenbaugh’s images and words raised awareness about the majesty of the canyon and influenced some to petition for its protection as a national park. The canyon was proclaimed as Mukuntuweap National Monument by President William Howard Taft in 1909 and, in 1919, Congress changed the name and established Zion National Park.

The impressionist Howard Russell Butler is known for his paintings of seascapes and the eclipse of the sun, but he also painted landscapes. In 1926, the Union Pacific Railroad commissioned Butler to complete a series of landscapes to promote the scenic marvels of the Colorado Plateau. Seven of these paintings illustrated the marvel of Zion National Park. The wall-sized works of art engulf the viewer and showcase the immense sandstone cliffs and narrow canyon walls that Zion has to offer.

The paintings also represent the early period of the development of visitor recreation and transportation services by the National Park Service. They traveled the country and are now a part of the museum collection at Zion National Park.

Landscape artist Mary Russell Ferrell Colton painted Western scenes the early 1910s to 1940s, including Zion National Park in 1930. Born in Kentucky in 1889, Ferrell Colton was raised in Philadelphia and studied art at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, one of the country’s first art schools for women. She later moved to Flagstaff, Arizona with her husband. While there, she was able to travel and paint many sites along the Colorado Plateau. Her work was exhibited at galleries and museums nationwide, showcasing the unique landscapes of the region. She established the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff where she worked as a curator, featuring local and indigenous art.

Born in 1875, Adele Watson studied in Europe before settling in the United States, maintaining residences in both New York and Pasadena, California. An accomplished landscape painter, Watson traveled through the country painting coastal scenes, sweeping plains and dramatic cliffs, notably in Zion and Bryce Canyon. While in Utah, Watson developed her unique anthropomorphic styles in her work, portraying bodies and faces within the rock shapes.

This style earned her praise from the art community and in 1933, the Los Angeles Times’ art critic, Arthur Millier, wrote, “Miss Watson's work, recently described in these columns, consists principally of landscape, which, seen by the artist's imagination, discloses figures flying in the clouds, struggling for release from desert rocks or lying gracefully along the valleys. Miss Watson's vision are convincing and, at their best, quite beautiful. Her work has no parallel in this region.”

Today, Zion National Park still inspires artists to create masterpieces. Local artists and art galleries often feature park themed artwork. The Zion Human History Museum also occasionally features temporary art exhibits. Artist-in-Residence Program The Zion National Park Artist-in-Residence Program offers professional artists the opportunity to live and work in beautiful Zion Canyon. The works completed during this program contribute to the public understanding and appreciation of Zion National Park and reflect the National Park Service's commitment to the preservation of cultural and natural resources. For more information on the application and selection process, visit the above link or contact the Artist-in-Residence Program coordinators by email or at 435-772-0184.

There is a long history of women living, exploring and working among the canyons and cliffs of Zion National Park. Most of these women have existed in histories often relegated to the margins, but their lives as naturalists, rangers, writers, artists, adventurers, and workers have shaped Zion into the renowned park that it is today. Uncovering this history provides insight not only to women’s expanding roles in twentieth century American society, but also their unique experiences working for the National Park Service. The legacies that these women leave highlight more nuanced histories at Zion.

Climbers, hikers and adventurers have long flocked to Zion National Park to walk among its canyons and upon the cliffs, including many women during the park’s early years.

After its designation as a National Park, Zion welcomed its first group of official visitors, six young women from the University of Utah who spent eight days hiking and climbing within the park. On Zion National Park’s opening day in 1920, the students Nell Creer, Ann Widtsoe, Mildred Gerrard, Dora Montague, Melba Dunyon, along with their chaperone Catherine Levering entered Zion as the park’s first visitors. These adventurous climbers, outfitted in pants and boots, carried ropes and all the necessary equipment to scramble up boulders and scale sandstone cliffs. Their trip was paid for and documented by the Union Pacific Railroad Company as a way to encourage tourism to the region. The daring photos of this intrepid group, which were published in newspapers across the country, captured their bravery and spirit along with the park’s unique landscapes.

Zion National Park’s stunning landscapes have inspired artists for generations, including several well-known women artists.

Image from A Century of Sanctuary, The Art of Zion National Park. Zion Natural History Association, 2008, p. 42

Landscape artist Mary Russell Ferrell Colton painted Western scenes the early 1910s to 1940s, including Zion National Park in 1930. Born in Kentucky in 1889, Ferrell Colton was raised in Philadelphia. She then studied art at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, one of the country’s first art schools for women. Ferrell Colton and her husband lived in Flagstaff, Arizona where she was able to travel and paint many sites along the Colorado Plateau. Her work was exhibited at galleries and museums nationwide, showcasing the unique landscapes of the region. Later, she established the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff where she worked as a curator, featuring local and indigenous art. Ferrell Colton valued the role of art education and its place in everyday life, writing in her unpublished paper, Art as a Personal and Economic Necessity ,

“We travel rough roads in life and we all know that there are many joys that slip away and many disappointments along the road, but if we have a love of beauty, life will hold many satisfactions for us which we cannot lose, and we can feel that is has been worth while."

Another woman artist whose work captured the beauty of Zion was printmaker and painter Adele Watson. Born in 1875, Watson studied in Europe before settling in the United States, maintaining residences in both New York and Pasadena, California. An accomplished landscape painter, Watson traveled through the country painting coastal scenes, sweeping plains and dramatic cliffs, notably in Zion and Bryce Canyon. While in Utah, Watson developed her unique anthropomorphic styles in her work, portraying bodies and faces within the rock shapes.

This style earned her praise from the art community and in 1933, the Los Angeles Times ’ art critic, Arthur Millier, wrote,

"Miss Watson's work, recently described in these columns, consists principally of landscape, which, seen by the artist's imagination, discloses figures flying in the clouds, struggling for release from desert rocks or lying gracefully along the valleys. Miss Watson's vision are convincing and, at their best, quite beautiful. Her work has no parallel in this region.”

Built in 1925 in the park’s main canyon, the Zion Lodge has employed many people over the years. In its early years, both men and women worked there as housekeepers, waiters, tour operators, and more.

One of these employees was Lulu Slack Price. Born and raised in nearby Toquerville, Utah, she began working for the Zion Lodge in the late 1920s and stayed there for 3 seasons. Every night, she was part of the lodge’s musical programs, where the employees would dance and sing for the guests. Price and her coworkers would spend their weekends hiking and exploring the park. She went on to work at Bryce Canyon and a resort in Sun Valley, Idaho after her time at Zion, but in a 2004 oral history interview, she said, “I’ll tell you right now, you haven’t lived until you’ve worked in Zion National Park.”

In the early decades of the National Park Service, parks relied on the wives of rangers, superintendents and other male employees to perform a wide range of unpaid duties. “Park wives” as they were generally called didn’t just assist their husbands; many led tours, served as fire lookouts, responded to emergencies, and even fed park visitors at times in their homes. A few “park wives” worked as rangers or naturalists themselves before marrying co-workers. Most women resigned upon marriage but a few continued working for a short period afterward.

Pauline “Polly” Mead Patraw was the first woman ranger-naturalists at Grand Canyon National Park. She was a highly respected botanist. She had studied plants in southern Utah before focusing her master’s degree research on the plants of the Grand Canyon. Turned down by the U.S. Forest Service because she was a woman, she was hired by the NPS in 1929. She worked as a temporary ranger-naturalist from 1929-1931. Mead married the park’s assistant superintendent, Preston P. Patraw, in May 1931 and resigned from the NP S.

The Patraws moved to Zion in 1932 after Preston became superintendent. In addition to her duties as a superintendent’s wife, Polly collected plants in the park and wrote articles for Zion’s Nature Notes . She also co-authored Plants of Zion Park in 1937 with park naturalist C.C. Presnall and wrote Flowers of the Southwest Mesas in 1951. National Park Service Director Horace Albright later recalled that part of his decision to appoint him was Polly’s knowledge of the resource, saying “They made a lot of fun of me for a long time, that the director was really for Polly, not Pat.”

The first women park rangers were hired in 1918. At least 20 women rangers were hired between 1918 and 1927 before the NPS decided to stop hiring women under the “park ranger” title to protect the romance of the ranger image. Of course, the NPS still needed women to undertake ranger duties, particularly in the remote Western parks. In 1928, the ranger-naturalist title was created to avoid giving women the ranger title. However, men quickly worked to exclude women from the ranger-naturalist positions as well and only a small number of women were hired for these jobs over the next three decades.

Wealthy Purrington Spreng was the first known female park ranger-naturalist who worked at Zion National Park in 1946. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in geology, she was hired as a seasonal naturalist in the park. Purrington Spreng worked one season at Zion and then spent the following season at Yellowstone National Park. After working with the Park Service, she attended the University of Kansas for a Master’s degree in geology, where she met her husband. They then moved to Missouri where they both worked at a local university for many years.

Zion didn’t hire another woman naturalist until 1959. Prior to working for the NPS, Barbara Chidsey taught biology in Turkey and at the University of California, Davis. She spent the summer at Zion as a naturalist and then worked at the Grand Canyon in their administrative office for a short period. In November 1959, she ended up marrying Jim Felton, the Chief Ranger of Zion at the time. She and her husband moved to Arizona after he became the superintendent of Organ Pipe National Monument. Upon his retirement in 1965, they moved back to Springdale where they lived for many years.

As the only women ranger-naturalist in Zion at the time, Barbara Chidsey Felton’s fellow coworkers described her as somewhat radical in the workplace. Lorraine Lemmon, the secretary to the superintendent, said this about Barbara in an interview for the 1982 Pioneers of Zion oral history project (Museum Catalog Number: ZION 12352):

"The women, I can remember the first lady naturalist. We just didn't quite know about that. Then of course, Barbara Felton was Jim Felton's wife, she was about the "second lady naturalist" we had. Barbara was an eye opener to all of us. She was among the first women libbers, she just used to tickle me. Of course, after she had been there a while, she and Jim sort of paired off and were married. She's still that way, anyone who knows her. She's quite a lady. We enjoyed having her. Then it became quite a natural thing for them to have women naturalists."

Bermultinational Limited Organization Development and Management Consultants, Albright Administrative History: Program Review, 2008, Horace M. Albright Training Center (2008) pg. 37.

By the 1960s, Barbara Lund felt that being a woman naturalist was nothing special. However, there were still discriminatory hiring practices in place that hindered women from becoming official rangers. Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which barred discrimination on the basis of sex, the National Park Service allowed two women into their ranger training program at the Grand Canyon. Barbara Lund and the second woman, Barbara Sorrill, completed the 12-week program alongside forty-four other men.

Upon finishing the program, Lund worked at Saguaro National Monument for three years, where she was the only uniformed woman on staff. In 1966, she was then reassigned to Zion National Park, where she worked for four years as a ranger-naturalist. At Zion, Lund staffed the information desk, held campfire talks, led guided walks, managed the park library, wrote trail information guides, conducted tours for school groups, and contributed to a variety of field studies in the park. After Zion, she went on to work at Sanford Recreation Area and the Capital Area Parks in DC and has dedicated her more recent years to environmental activism.

Thanks to these trail blazing women, there continues to be more and more opportunities for women within the National Park Service. The number of women working in the National Park Service is growing, including in leadership and higher-paying positions. While Gertrude Cooper was the first woman superintendent in the National Park Service in 1940, the number of women who have held the role of superintendent has grown exponentially. In 1983, Georgia Ellard became the first Black women superintendent with Barbara Booher becoming the first Native American woman superintendent in 1990.

In 2001, Fran P. Mainella became the first woman Director of the National Park. In 2021, Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman to hold the position of Secretary of the Interior, which oversees many departments including the National Park Service.

There is still work to be done for more representation within Zion and the National Park Service overall. Currently more and more parks are working to learn more and share the untold stories with their visitors. Many of these stories involve numerous struggles and challenges that women, people of color and other minorities have faced while working within the National Park Service.

Bermultinational Limited Organization Development and Management Consultants, Albright Administrative History: Program Review, 2008 , Horace M. Albright Training Center (2008) pg. 37.

National Park Service History Collection . National Park Service Uniforms: Breeches, Blouses, and Skirts: Women's Uniforms in the National Park Service 1918-1991 . Office of Library, Archives and Graphics Research, Harpers Ferry, WV

The Zion Human History Museum displays artifacts and archival materials from the permanent collections of Zion National Park. These exhibits showcase the rich human history of the place now known as Zion National Park and illustrate the effects water has had upon both the peoples and the place. Both a creator and a destroyer, water has created the scenery and sanctuary which have driven people to travel through and settle in Zion Canyon for thousands of years. Exhibits include topics such as geology, plants, animals, survival, and community. When the museum is open , you can ask a ranger questions about the park, shop from the Zion Forever Project bookstore, or enjoy exhibits and a park film. Our park film is also available online for free .

The Human History Museum is open seasonally from spring to fall. Check our hours of operation before visiting.

The Human History Museum is located roughly 1 mile from the park's South Entrance. This building can be reached by driving or by walking on the Pa'rus Trail. To reach the museum by car , drive along the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. About 1 mile north of the South Entrance, there is a turn with a sign for the Human History Museum. To reach the museum by foot , walk along the Pa'rus Trail. About 3/4 of a mile from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, there will be a small shelter followed by a turn for the museum.

This visitor center is located 1 mile from the park's South Entrance. Accessible parking spaces are available with a ramp leading to the building. Accessible restrooms are available on the south end of the parking lot, near the shuttle stop. Learn more about accessiblity on our accessibility page .

The first museum at Zion National Park opened in 1924 in the historic Grotto building. It was filled with various objects collected in the field by ranger naturalists, including plant specimens, insects, and archeological artifacts. These exhibits took up one room of the building, which also housed the park bookstore, public information office, and ranger offices. Exhibits in these early days primarily served to support ranger programs. For example, in 1928, rangers gave regular reptile-themed programs using a live reptile cage exhibit. The live props included both rattlesnakes and gopher snakes. During the Great Depression, workers in the Civilian Conservation Corps , a public work relief program funded through the New Deal, made exhibit cases, dioramas, and other objects for the museum. In 1936, they converted the old park headquarters at Canyon Junction to the Museum and Visitor Information Station. This building served as the park’s primary public contact station for twenty-five years. In the 1960s, a ten-year building initiative known as Mission 66 enabled the improvement and construction of infrastructure in national parks across the country. Under this program, Zion National Park built a new visitor center complete with professional museum exhibits, offices, and an auditorium. In 2002, after the Zion Canyon Visitor Center opened, the Mission 66 building reopened as the Zion Human History Museum.

The red and white sandstone cliffs of southwestern Utah tower hundreds of feet above the Virgin River, which meanders through their network of narrow canyons. The heart of Zion National Park is a secluded canyon that lies amidst this striking landscape. It includes lands originally protected by Mukuntuweap National Monument and Zion National Monument. The soaring sandstone cliffs, the deep ravines, and the seemingly hidden river valleys have been important to both Indigenous people and European American settlers for thousands of years.

Approximately 7,000 years ago, nomadic Indian groups first frequented the Mukuntuweap/Zion region. As people slowly adopted more sedentary lifestyles, both the Virgin Branch Puebloan and Fremont Indian groups settled in this area. The Southern Paiute called this place Mukuntuweap, which means “straight canyon.” By AD 1,100, these groups migrated out of the region as Southern Paiute tribes moved in. The first European American settlers, Mormon pioneers, arrived in the area in the late 1800s. They named the area Zion, which is ancient Hebrew for “sanctuary” or “refuge.” The deep and spectacular canyons of this protected portion of the Virgin River Valley truly offer a safe haven to wildlife and humans alike.

Few outsiders visited the region until a federal land survey in 1908 first exposed the area to the general public. The natural splendor of the region so struck the surveyors, that they encouraged President Taft to protect it. On July 31, 1909, Taft set aside approximately 16,000 acres for Mukuntuweap National Monument to preserve its “many natural features of unusual archaeologic, geologic, and geographic interest” (Proc No. 877). In his proclamation, the President noted the “labyrinth of remarkable canyons with highly ornate and beautifully colored walls, in which are plainly recorded the geological events of past ages.” In 1918, Munkuntuweap National Monument became Zion National Monument, and in 1919 the named changed again to Zion National Park. On January 22, 1937 President Roosevelt established a second Zion National Monument, preserving over 36,000 acres (Proc. No. 2221). The second Zion National Monument, which is now referred to as Kolob Canyons , was incorporated with Zion National Park in 1956. Visit the pages below to learn more about the people, places, and history that make Zion special. Want to learn more during a visit to the park? Stop by the Zion Canyon Visitor Center or attend a ranger program .

Located in Washington, Iron, and Kane Counties in southwestern Utah, Zion National Park encompasses some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States. Within its 232 square miles are high plateaus, the Virgin River and its tributaries, and a maze of narrow, deep, sandstone canyons. Zion also has 2,000-foot Navajo Sandstone cliffs, pine- and juniper-clad slopes, and seeps, springs, and waterfalls supporting lush and colorful hanging gardens.

With an elevation change of about 5,000 feet – from the highest point at Horse Ranch Mountain (at 8,726 feet) to the lowest point at Coal Pits Wash (at 3,666 feet) – Zion's diverse topography leads to a diversity of habitats and species. Desert, riparian (river bank), pinyon-juniper, and conifer woodland communities all contribute to Zion's diversity. Neighboring ecosystems – the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, and the Rocky Mountains – are also contributors to Zion's abundance.

The park has more than 1,000 species of plants ranging from tall, graceful cottonwoods growing along the river to towering pines and firs shading the higher elevations. Prickly pears, cholla, and yucca are among Zion's desert-adapted plants. The hanging gardens support brilliantly-colored Zion shooting-stars, scarlet monkeyflowers, and Western and golden columbines. Zion's plant communities , in turn, provide food, shelter, and nesting places for Zion's diverse wildlife . There are approximately 78 species of mammals , 30 species of reptiles , 7 species of amphibians , 8 species of fish, and 291 species of birds . Endangered California condors soar above the cliffs of Zion; threatened Mexican spotted owls --Zion has the highest density of these owls breeding in the state--live and raise their young in Zion's narrow canyons.

The natural and cultural resources within Zion National Park are studied and managed by the Resource Management and Research Division of the park.

From the small Black Chinned Hummingbird to the large California Condor, Zion National Park is the perfect home for many birds. 291 bird species can be found in Zion throughout the year. Zion National Park is the perfect place for experienced and novice birders. The varying habitats allow for many different species to be found. Birds like the White Throated Sparrow and the American Coot have been spotted overwintering in the park and will leave when the temperatures rise. Other birds like the reintroduced California Condor and the native Canyon Wren can be seen year round. Zion National Park works with a variety of organizations, like the Peregrine Fund and Bird Life International , in united conservation efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of the park's bird populations and promote biodiversity. Zion has been designated an Important Bird Area by the Bird Life International program, both at the state and global levels. When exploring Zion Canyon, Kolob Canyon, and the Kolob Terrace Road, don't forget to look up and catch a glimpse of a bird in the sky. Learn more about a few of Zion's bird species below. Print out your copy of the Zion Bird List (PDF 2 MB)

Virtually explore observable characteristics such as bills and talons, plumage, size and shape used to identify birds.

With elevations ranging from roughly 3,700 to 8,700 feet, Zion National Park has a diversity of plant communities, supporting more than 1,000 species of plants. Changing elevations, temperature ranges, and varying amounts of sun and water create a mosaic of habitats within the park. The species that can be found here are influenced by nearby areas, including the Colorado Plateau, Basin and Range, and Mojave Desert. Print out your copy of the Zion Plant List (requires free Adobe Reader )

Riparian and Aquatic Visitors are often surprised by the relative lushness found in Zion Canyon. The riparian area of the Virgin River supports enormous cottonwood trees and a diversity of herbaceous plants and grasses. Nearby, saturated wetlands make nice habitat for cattails, willows, aquatic plants, and rushes. Water seeping out of the Navajo sandstone creates tranquil springs and the unique “hanging gardens” for which Zion is famous, full of ferns , wildflowers, and mosses.

Arid Grasslands and Desert Shrubs At the lower elevations in the park, the drought tolerant plants thrive. Desert shrubs, well adapted to high temperatures, are right at home. Throughout the summer, grasses bloom and go to seed before drying in the sun to wait for the next growing season. By utilizing many different habitats, and developing ingenious ways to find shade, store water, and collect nutrients, cacti are desert specialists, abundant throughout the park.

Pinyon-Juniper Forest Moving up in elevation, the arid grassland and desert shrub communities give way to the pinyon-juniper community, a desert forest full of life. These slow growing evergreens are both cold and drought tolerant, supporting a diversity of wildlife to rival the riparian areas. Juniper trees, being more drought tolerant, dominate the transition zone between the lowland communities and the pinyon-juniper forests.

Ponderosa Pine High on the sandstone cliffs, ponderosa pines cling to cracks and ledges. Growing to heights as tall as 130 feet, these massive trees push powerful roots into the Navajo Sandstone, adding to the slow process of erosion that is constantly changing the face of Zion.

Mixed Conifer and Aspen Forest On the high plateaus, the ponderosa pines blend into the mixed conifer forest of douglas fir and white pine, as well as nearby aspen communities. On the Kolob Terrace, high elevation plant species grow in soils that are both sedimentary and volcanic. On Zion’s east side, they may sprout from no more than a tiny windswept crevice in the slickrock. Providing food, shelter and even water to Zion’s wildlife, these plants add to the richness of the desert community and delight visitors with their wild beauty and brilliant color.

Zion National Park is home to number of different cactus species, including claret cup, prickly pear, and cholla.

What do mule deer, bats and Zion visitors all have in common? They are all mammals! Mammals vary greatly in appearance, behavior, and required habitats, but all mammals share certain characteristics, that help distinguish them from other living animals. All mammals are warm-blooded; meaning they can maintain a constant internal body temperature, despite varying external temperatures. They also give birth to live young, and can produce milk to nourish them. Hair, or fur, helps to keep mammals warm and provides insulation. In Zion National Park, you may have the opportunity to see at least one or two furry creatures wandering along the river or scampering across slickrock. Zion is home to 68 species of mammal, ranging from the petite kangaroo rat to the sturdy, surefooted bighorn sheep. The most frequent mammal sightings are mule deer, foxes, bats, bighorn sheep, and rock squirrels.

The key to a good sighting is to know when and where to look. By day, mule deer and rock squirrels meander about on the canyon floor. By night, you may hear a coyote’s call, see the light quickly gleam in the eyes of a gray fox, or observe the nimble movements of a ringtail cat. Other charismatic animals, such as mountain lion, bobcat, porcupine, skunk, raccoon, bats, and beaver are all active under the cover of darkness. Even though many of Zion’s mammals are nocturnal and rarely seen, once day breaks and we head out on the trails, evidence of their nightly adventures is still in sight. As you head out to Emerald Pools or Angels Landing, see if you can decipher the evidence. Many animals tend to use the same trails we do and are known to indiscreetly leave behind their scat and tracks. Why not pause, rest, and see if you can figure out who was prowling around before you. Remember, squirrels and other rodents can carry disease. One should not attempt to pet a squirrel, even if it approaches you. All wildlife should be viewed and photographed from a safe distance. Learn what you should know when Encountering Wildlife Print out your copy of the Zion Mammal list PDF file.

Feeding wildlife is also dangerous. Small rodents can and will bite the hand that feeds them, transmitting a variety of diseases. Larger animals, such as deer, have been known to buck or kick suddenly and cause serious injuries. Learn more about animal-transmitted diseases.

If you are watching an animal and it notices you, or changes its behavior because of your activities, you are too close. Rather than attempting to get that perfect photograph or get just one step closer, please step back and enjoy your wildlife experience from a safe distance. We recommend a minimum distance of 25 feet. If the animal approaches you, back away to maintain the 25 foot distance.

Mother deer sometimes leave their fawns alone for short periods of time as they feed. As young fawns have no scent, they are safe from predators. If you observe a fawn by itself, it has probably not been abandoned. Leave the fawn alone, do not feed it, do not pet it, and do not try and catch it; its mother will return.

If you see an animal that appears to be sick or injured, do not touch or move it. Please report it to park personnel by filling out a natural history observation form or contact a park ranger.

Within Zion National Park, there are three campgrounds and one lodge available for overnight stays. Zion Lodge also offers food service throughout the year. The lodge is the only location within park boundaries that serves food.

Outside the park, nearby towns offer a variety of food, drink, lodging, and camping options. Most visitors stock up on food in these towns. Keep reading to learn about options in and around Zion.

Camping in Zion Zion National Park offers a variety of camping options . If you want incredible views, dark night skies, and easy hiking access, these campgrounds are an excellent choice: Watchman Campground is open year-round. The campground is located next to the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, allowing easy access to the canyon throughout the year. South Campground is open seasonally during spring, summer, and fall. This campground is located just north of Watchman Campground. Lava Point Campground is open seasonally during spring, summer, and fall. These sites are located high on Kolob Terrace Road, about 1 hour from Zion Canyon.

Zion Lodge Open year-round, Zion Lodge offers 76 rooms, 6 suites, and 40 cabins. These are all located in the heart of Zion Canyon, three miles north of Canyon Junction. With easy access to the park shuttle system and trails, the lodge and cabins are an incredible place to stay.

As the only lodge and cabins located inside the park, rooms fill up quickly. Reservations are recommended - visit the Zion Lodge website or call 1-833-778-9290 for booking. Dining at Zion Lodge Visitors can enjoy a variety of food and drink options at the lodge: Red Rock Grill offers sit-down dining, with a focus on American and Southwestern food. The grill is open year-round. Castle Dome Café serves coffee, quick bites, and fast meals. Packaged snacks, picnic foods, and treats are also available. The Café is open seasonally from spring to fall. The Beer Garden offers cold drinks in a beautiful outdoor patio. Beer Garden is open seasonally from spring to fall. Other Services and Tours at the Lodge To learn about other services, such as tram tours, visit our lodging page or the Zion Lodge website .

Additional Lodging and Food Services Outside the Park Lodging is available in Springdale, Rockville, Mt. Carmel Junction, Hurricane, St. George, and Kanab. Groceries or food service are also available in these areas. For more lodging and food service information, check the following websites: Springdale, Utah East Zion St. George Area Visitor Bureau

Zion Lodge is located in the heart of Zion Canyon. Visit this page to explore features and book your stay.

Open year-round, Zion Lodge offers 76 rooms, 6 suites, and 40 cabins. These are all located in the heart of Zion Canyon, three miles north of Canyon Junction. With easy access to the park shuttle system and trails, the lodge and cabins are an incredible place to stay. As the only lodge and cabins located inside the park, rooms fill up quickly. Reservations are recommended - visit the Zion Lodge website or call 1-833-778-9290 for booking.

The National Park Service works to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy Zion National Park

Learn about the free shuttle service in Zion Canyon and the neighboring town of Springdale.

435-772-3256 If you have questions, please email zion_park_information@nps.gov. You can also listen to pre-recorded information by calling at any time. Rangers answer phone calls from 10 am to 5 pm Mountain Time, but a ranger may not answer if they are already speaking with someone else.