St. George & Zion National Park

From now until August 18, the Zion Human History Museum in Zion National Park will present an art exhibition entitled, “2 Work in Zion,” featuring paintings by Kate Starling as well as paintings and woodcuts by Royden Card. A former park ranger who lives and works in southern Utah, Starling’s paintings portray the incredible landscape of the southwest. For examples of her paintings, visit her website . Card’s woodcuts and painting provide glimpses of southwestern Utah desert scenes.

Housed in a former visitor center, the Zion Human History Museum features exhibits about the Native Americans and pioneers that once made the park their home. Two of the museum’s other permanent exhibits also chronicle Zion’s growth as a national park and the role of water in shaping the park. In addition to its permanent exhibits, the museum hosts temporary exhibits such as “2 Work in Zion.” Past exhibits have included replicas of historic Union Pacific Railroad lodges, Civilian Conservation Corps diaries and park employee photographs.

The museum also shows a 22-minute video presentation every half hour that provides visitors a brief overview of Zion. The museum’s bookstore is a perfect place to purchase maps, souvenirs, books and other items to remember your Zion National Park vacation. Located only 0.5 miles north of Zion’s south entrance (the first shuttle stop up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive), the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours in the summer.

If you want to see Zion National Park, but do not want to fight the crowds of the Zion Canyon area so common this time of year, drive up I-15 approximately 32 miles from St. George to the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park. It is actually closer than driving to Zion Canyon!

Kolob Canyons is a spectacular collection of towering red sandstone monoliths and narrow “finger” canyons. It features a small visitor center, a five-mile scenic drive with numerous scenic pullouts and three main hiking trails, the Taylor Creek Trail, the Timber Creek Overlook Trail, and the LaVerkin Creek Trail. The Taylor Creek Trail follows the creek bed past two historic cabins until reaching a spectacular double arch alcove. Timber Creek provides excellent views of Kolob Canyons’ monoliths as well as the peaks of the Pine Valley Mountains. The LaVerkin Creek Trail leads to one of the park’s most famous natural landmarks, Kolob Arch. Considered one of the largest natural arches in the world, Kolob Arch spans a whopping 310 feet.

Kolob Canyons is the most accessible part of a national park in the state of Utah, located right of the freeway on exit 40. For more information about Kolob Canyons, read this recent article in the Cedar City Review.

This Saturday, June 21, Snow Canyon State Park invites families with children ages 5-12 to participate in a “Nature Discovery Hike” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. During the short guided hike, children will experience the sights and sounds of nature. After the hike, children will engage in a hands-on, creative activity. The hike is part of Utah State Parks’ ROCKIN’ (Reaching Out Connecting Kids In Nature) UTAH program, which encourages them to discover the outdoors. The program is free. All it costs to participate in it is the $5 fee to enter Snow Canyon State Park. For more information, visit the ROCKIN’ UTAH page and/or a recent news brief in The Daily Spectrum.

Linda Whitlock, columnist for the The Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia recently explored several national parks of the southwest with her husband, including Grand Canyon, Arches, and Zion. She used many adjectives to describe the scenery she explored, including beautiful, magnificent, majestic and breathtaking.

“Mere adjectives can’t evoke the feelings we get when we encounter such sights,” she said. “Powerful as they are, photos can’t do the job either.”

Not only did the scenery awe Whitlock, but the wildlife did as well. While in Zion, she saw a herd of bighorn sheep scrambling down the sandstone cliffs. In addition, she most likely saw mule deer and wild turkeys – two animals most visitors glimpse during their visit to southern Utah’s top tourist attraction. For the full text of Whitlock’s article, click here .

A Grand Circle tour, as Whitlock experienced, is an awe-inspiring experience and one you and your family will remember for a lifetime! Allow us to help you plan your itinerary.

Referred to as “Ecologix Environmental Suites,” Zion Lodge features six guest suites designed to be more environmentally sustainable, a recent Hotel Interactive article explains. The suites are part of Xanterra’s (Zion Lodge’s operator) effort to be a better environmental steward. The green suites will feature bamboo floor entryways, dual flush toilets, organic cotton sheets, recycled content interface Entropy Carpet, renewable solar and wind energy, all-natural biodegradable amenities, techniques that minimize energy usage, and more. Xanterra is a leader among the hospitality industry in environmental awareness, receiving the “Sustainable Hotel of the Year” award at the HotelWorld Global Hospitality and Design Award Ceremony and Expo.

A recent Daily Spectrum article highlights the DeZion Gallery in Springdale, a favorite with locals and visitors alike. The gallery, located at 1051 Zion Park Boulevard, displays only the work of local artists, many of which focus on the amazing natural landmarks of the local landscape, including Zion National Park’s towering monoliths, narrow canyons and wide-spanning arches. In addition, the gallery also features contemporary abstract paintings and ancient Native American pottery.

Springdale is also home to other galleries, including the Fatali Gallery , Worthington Gallery , and the Zion Canyon Gallery, all of which are located along Zion Park Boulevard in Springdale.

The Southwest Symphony began the 2008 Summer Concert Series at the O.C. Tanner Amphitheater last Saturday evening. If you missed the show, do not fret because there are many more on the schedule, including The Brazilian Guitar Quartet, the Christopher Caliendo Trio, the Randy Anderson Band, Most Wanted, The Christopher Caliendo Trio, and more. For a complete calendar of events at the amphitheater, click here . This recent Spectrum article describes the concert season in detail.

The O.C. Tanner Amphitheater is a 2,000-seat outdoor venue situated in Springdale, Utah near the entrance of Zion National Park . The amphitheater’s picturesque backdrop includes the towering rock monoliths of the park, providing event attendees a peaceful tranquility in which to enjoy musical performances. The St. George area is also home of another outdoor amphitheater, Tuacahn , which presents Broadway musicals amidst the red rock cliffs of Snow Canyon State Park .

A recent article in a Vancouver, Canada online newspaper describes one man’s pleasurable experience taking a vacation to the Red Mountain Spa in Ivins. He said his favorite parts of the trip were hiking in Zion and participating in Balletone and Chi Ball classes at the Red Mountain Spa, only two of the spa’s many offerings. If you would like to enjoy an exciting southern Utah vacation and get pampered while enjoying the change of scenery, check out Red Mountain Spa’s packages.

If you want to know more about southern Utah history or the story behind the names of the region’s towns and landmarks, the best source is Bart Anderson, otherwise known as Ranger Bart. Called “one of Dixie’s greatest natural resources” by a former St. George mayor, Anderson provides the community with guided tours of St. George’s downtown, guided hikes, and slide shows/lectures about various topics regarding the area’s history. Topics include the history of St. George, mines in southern Utah, strange facts about Zion National Park, and his most popular, Butch Cassidy and southern Utah’s other outlaws. This recent article by Los Angeles Times reporter Susan Spano that appeared in many newspapers throughout the country talks about Anderson’s presentation on Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch. Anderson’s annual series of guided hikes begins this Saturday. He guides locals and visitors through off-the-beaten path locations, such as Cedar Break’s caves, Whitmore Canyon and petroglyphs scattered across southwestern Utah. For more information about Ranger Bart and his hikes and presentations, visit his website . One of the best parts about Ranger Bart’s activities is they are all offered free of charge!

Zion National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument are two of the first parks in the nation to receive money from the National Park Centennial Initiative, a program that combines federal dollars with matching contributions to help improve park services. Zion will use its money to hire a new park ranger to plan and coordinate events for Zion’s centennial next year. It will also use funds for an artist-in-residence program that allows artists to live in the park for a month in exchange for donating one of their works of art to the park. The Zion Natural History Association donated the matching funds. For more details, read this recent Salt Lake Tribune article that details the funding.