Every tourist destination has its attractions. However, because every tourist is different, these attractions have greater or lesser value. In this series Gary gives his reasons for traveling to a particular place. Hopefully some of his thoughts will entice you to consider adding this particular location to your itinerary. The entire series is being categorized under the heading, “Spotlights.” However, you may find more about these locations in the archives of this website, under headings such as, “Great Places,” “Things to Do in,” “Best of,” “Top 10” and “Places of a Lifetime.” In addition, “Walking Tours” of many of these destinations may be available for purchase on the website for the low price of $1.49 each.

Zion National Park is another of Utah’s fantastic national parks. In this case, visitors are at the bottom of a valley, looking upward at the rock formations that make up the walls of the canyon. Because Mormons first discovered the beauty of the area, the names of the formations are taken from the Mormon religion. While in the park, be sure to explore the following:

1. The Zion-Mt Carmel Highway winds through the southernmost section of the park and allows access to the Checkerboard Mesa, an interesting rock formation resulting from sculpted and eroded sand dunes.

Checkerboard Mesa

2. Huge rock formations such as the Great White Throne are sprinkled throughout the park.

Great White Throne

3. The northern section of the park is accessible from Interstate 15 and is known as Kolob Canyon.

Kolob Canyon