Zion National Park in southwestern Utah holds Zion Canyon, a treasure of the Southwest. Unlike the Grand Canyon, where visitors admire the canyon from the rim and can hike down, visitors to Zion enter the canyon through its mouth, on the same level as the Virgin river.

Zion National Park has a scenic drive running from the mouth near Springdale to the Narrows at the top of Zion Canyon. From April to October, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive shuttle lets visitors park in Springdale and avoid parking and traffic problems within the park. In the winter months, private cars are allowed in the park.

Be sure to get down to the Narrows, where Zion Canyon narrows down to the width of the river. You can hike up a short distance up the river, getting your feet wet, if the river isn't running too strong. A backpacking trip through the narrows is possible. The hike is very dangerous because if there is a storm in the drainage of the river there could be a flash flood and nowhere to escape.