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Zions is the Bank. Zion is the Park.

Often Zion National Park is written or pronounced incorrectly as: Zions National Park. The correct way to say it is Zion National Park. Zion Canyon is only one section of the park and not the park itself. Zions Bank is popular in Utah and is where many pick up the Zions term. Please be knowledgeable and call this magnificent place by its correct name - Zion National Park.

Road Tripping in southern Utah and northern Arizona" was ranked as a top adventure by National Geographic Adventure Magazine: "America's 100 best Adventures" Starting at the narrow - winding, red chipped Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway that blends well with the parks sandstone, to stunning roadside scenery, the drive through Zion is simply magical. Early morning is peaceful and quiet, as a variety of birds chirp in the crisp, clean air. Shadows wake with the day, moving across the park, as sunlight touches down upon towering monoliths and sand swept slickrock. Visitors begin their travel as eyes open wide to take in some of the most wonderful scenery the world holds. Cameras click, as people snap hundreds of pictures to take home and paste in their electronic memory books. A trip through Zion is indeed an adventure worth remembering and savoring.

Cars are not the only way to go road tripping through Zion. Bikes are allowed on SR-9 all the way from the east entrance of the park to the south side and on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, a 6-mile spur off SR-9, ending at the end of Zion Canyon. Bikers have to hitch a ride through Zion's 1.1 mile-long tunnel, but rangers stationed at both ends of the tunnel help by asking pick-up truck drivers if bikers can load up and hitch a ride. Hitchhiking is actually legal in Zion because many hiking trails end in a different place than they begin. Zion's bike trail, the paved Pa'rus Trail travels along the Virgin River and connects the campgrounds, Human History Museum and Canyon Junction. This is a great place for the family to get out and bike inside the park. Although Zion Canyon is safer now the majority of cars do not travel the road, there is still danger from wide turns by the shuttles.                 

Directions to Zion National Park From the North: Travel I-15 south, past Beaver. exit on Hwy 20. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take SR-9 to Zion's east entrance. From Arizona: Travel US-89A through Fredonia, Arizona and Kanab Utah. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take SR-9 to the east park entrance. From the South: Travel I-15 north. Take exit 16 and travel through Hurricane to LaVerkin. Continue on SR-9 to the south entrance of the park. SR-9 through Zion National Park is always open and is also called the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. See restrictions for RV's.			Zion Photo: A view from the top of the well known landmark, Checkerboard Mesa, on the east side of Zion National Park just off the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.
	Lodging and services are available on the gorgeous east side of Zion National Park, where guests are close to Zion National Park (12 miles), Bryce Canyon National Park (60 miles), Cedar Breaks National Monument (45 miles), Coral Pink Sand Dunes (12 miles), and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (85 miles). It's where city traffic is absent and the skies are bright and clean.

Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel - In 1930 construction of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Hwy quickened  travel  from Zion Canyon the east side Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon.  The Canyon Overlook Trail was built at the east side of the tunnel which offers a magnificent view of lower Zion Canyon from a view-point high above the tunnel.

Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway - SR-9 through Zion is always open, so driving the incredible road is possible year-round, 24-hours a day. However RV's must travel between 8am and 8pm in the summer and 8am to 6pm later in the season when escorts are stationed at both ends of the tunnel.
Oversized vehicles

Zion's Air Quality -Zion National Park prides itself on the quality of its air. One indicator of clean air is the presence of large numbers of lichens growing throughout an area. Lichens are sensitive to oxides of nitrogen and sulfur and cannot thrive where these harmful substances are present in large amounts. Lichens are a combination of algal cells and fungal filaments living together in a symbiotic relationship. When hiking the trails in Zion notice the abundant evidence of the symbiotic plant. Finding lichens in a city would be unlikely. Even many of the US National Parks are plagued with increasingly poor air quality so finding lichens in them is not likely. You will also find clean air in the small communities on the east side of the park such as Mt. Carmel Jct., Orderville, Glendale and Kanab. 

Zions National Park - Not!

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