Zion Canyon National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in America, largly in part to a very successful advertising campaign over the past few years by the National Parks Department. This campaign was meant to increase visitation at the country's national parks by bringing awareness to them, and fostering a spirit of outdoor exploration. While the campaign was successful at getting many more people to begin exploring national parks in the US, one park in particular succeeded far more than the rest. This park was Zion Canyon National Park, and while there are ongoing debates about why it benefited more from the exposure than other parks in the area, one factor is undeniable. Zion Canyon National Park is close to Las Vegas.
One of the factors that always comes into play with regards to visiting national parks is the drive. Because of rules against developing near them, even the most popular national parks are located far from any developed towns, and even farther from cities where airline traffic can be found. Most people who do not live in the general vicinity of a national park are going to have to fly in to the nearest city then arrange transportation to the park in the form of a car rental or a tour. In the American southwest where there are a large concentration of national parks, two cities represent the areas that support commercial airline traffic and are within a half-day drive. These cities are Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, with Las Vegas being the favorite simply because it is a tourist location itself. Most parks like Bryce and the Grand Canyon are around a four hour drive from both cities, but there is a notable exception to the proximities. Zion Canyon National Park is only 2.5 hours from Las Vegas.
Because Zion is so much closer to Las Vegas than the other parks that are in the area, it is obviously a favorite among people traveling to Las Vegas for a vacation, but wanting to spend a little time exploring the beauty of the desert and the national parks in the area. Zion Canyon makes so much sense in this regard because it is not only spectacular, but also is so close to Las Vegas that you can drive there and back in one day, and still have an entire day of hiking and exploring. By being able to spend one day out of a vacation at a national park as good as Zion is, and still be back in Las Vegas that night, for many people it is a no brainer.
Many of the tour companies that operate from Las Vegas offer trips that visit Zion Canyon and last from one to several days. Generally the Zion portion of any tour will take about a day, and additional days will be spent visiting other nearby parks. For those who have only limited time to spend away from Las Vegas, a one day tour to Zion is a perfect adventure!
Martin Wynn
Nguyen An Tra My
