During your visit to the Park, learn about the history and culture of Zion National Park and about all the Park has to offer at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, enjoy some of the Park’s magnificent scenery, or explore diverse plant and animal life. Be sure to stop by the Bookstore in the Zion Canyon Visitor Center for gifts and keepsakes unique to Zion National Park.
Zion Canyon Visitor Center
Start your visit to Zion National Park in the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. Inside you can watch a 4-minute video that will introduce you to the most popular hiking trails in the Park, followed by a short segment on the geologic processes that created Zion National Park. At the information desk in the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, rangers can answer questions you might have about the Park. Handouts are available from the information desk for visitors who wish to learn more about the area. On the grounds of Zion Canyon Visitor Center, exhibits provide information about short walks, viewpoints and other places of interest throughout Zion National Park. Additional outdoor exhibits at Zion Canyon Visitor Center illustrate how the Virgin River has shaped the landscape, the diversity of life in the Park and how humans have used and visited Zion Canyon.
Zion Canyon Famous Landmarks
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive or Floor of the Valley Road follows Zion Canyon, a prominent feature of the Park, highlighting some of the Park’s best viewpoints and natural features. Great White Throne is an imposing block of Navajo sandstone towering 2,000 feet above the North Fork of the Virgin River and is considered the symbol of Zion National Park for many visitors. Zion’s Checkerboard Mesa in the east of the Park is a huge dome of sandstone. A fishnet pattern on the dome of sandstone is the result of erosion. Weeping Rock is a wonderful alcove that collects spring water that seeps out of the rock overhead. Its charm often draws visitors to sit beneath its cascade of raindrops for hours. Big Bend is where the Virgin River has folded the canyon wall into a large s-shaped curve. While Big Bend is a dramatic scene itself, it also offers views of the Park’s Observation Point and Cable Mountain. Zion’s Emerald Pools, named for their rich green color, include lush green plants, pools of water and two wonderful waterfalls. Named after the coyote spirit and worshiped by the Paiute Indians, the Temple of Sinawava, is located near the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Within the Temple of Sinawava, two interesting formations have been discovered, the Altar and the Pulpit.
Diverse Plant and Animal Life
Plant and animal life within the Park abounds. More than 1,000 species of plants can be found throughout the Park, from tall, graceful cottonwoods growing along the river, to towering pines and firs shading the higher elevations. Among Zion’s desert-adapted plants are pears, cholla and yucca. Zion’s hanging gardens are home to Zion shooting-stars, scarlet monkey flowers and Western and golden columbines. Zion’s plant communities provide homes for the Park’s diverse wildlife including its 67 species of mammals, 29 species of reptiles, seven species of amphibians, nine species of fish and 207 species of birds. Use wildlife handouts from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center to identify plants and animals you come across in the Park.
- At the Zion Canyon Visitor Center Bookstore, books, maps, guides, videos, poster and films are available to purchase.
- The Zion Canyon Visitor Center is ADA complaint
- Do not forget your camera. There will be unique photo opportunities during your visit to Zion National Park.