Jeep tour below red rock cliffs near Zion National Park

The back country around St. George and Zion National Park is some of the most spectacular anywhere, but it isn’t necessarily a place you want to venture on your own.  A guided jeep tour with a trained professional offers a more relaxing experiencing and leaves you free to shoot video and photographs.  You’ll stop in scenic spots to stretch you legs and possibly even to enjoy a lunch at some scenic overlook.

Larger wildlife in the St. George and Zion National Park area consists of mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes.  The mule deer are quite plentiful and near Zion you may even see a bighorn sheep, but it is not likely that you’ll catch a glimpse of a mountain lion, bobcat or other such stealthy animals.   You will see plenty of large birds in the sky with ravens, condors and even eagles soaring overhead.  On a rare occasion you may catch a glimpse of a California condor, considered to be one of the largest birds on the planet.

Check out this video that shows a canyoneering experience near Zion National Park (hiking, rappelling, etc.)  We took a group to a trail head and did some hiking to a point where we began to rappel.   We also did some do down climbing in a few spots.  We participated in nine different rappels with an expert guide.

View of the tops of the formations of the Court of the Patriarchs in Zion National Park

Zion National Park is a great destination any time of year.  Even in winter Zion National Park offers reasonable temperature levels in the main canyon.   With an elevation of 4,000 feet at the valley floor, this high desert destination is enjoyable in winter but even more so in the springtime.

Spring comes early to Zion National Park.   Late February and early March see the trees beginning to bud and the grasses and flowers beginning to bloom.   Most impressive is the opportunity for waterfalls to be present in the park.   In spring the snow on the upper reaches of the park begins to melt and water cascades over the cliffs.   The top of Zion is generally a rocky flat plateau and water accumulations from snow and rain have no where to easily go, except down over the edges of the formations.   Over thousands of years, this rain and snow-melt has cut grooves and slots into the plateau and water can move rather rapidly through these areas.

Some water does seep down through the softer sandstone formations, but this water takes tens or even hundreds of years to pass through the rock and finally exit at areas where the stone is more dense and less likely to allow the water to continue downward.   At these locations you will find hanging gardens of foliage, and these areas are especially beautiful in the spring-time.

Spring brings more abundant food for the local wildlife and deer, wild turkeys and other birds and animals are more frequently viewed within Zion National Park.    In the spring the water flowing down the Virgin River is running at a much higher level, and this allows some fun opportunities for kayaking or even rafting on the Virgin River .     The Virgin River is the main source of water that flows through Zion National Park.
Come enjoy the spring in Zion National Park.