Upper Zion

Upper Zion

Tunnel Viewpoint

The trip from lower Zion to upper Zion snakes up the side of the cliffs and goes through a 1.1 mile tunnel carved through solid rock. Over each traffic lane the tunnel is only 11'4" high and when our bus went through traffic had to be stopped at the top so the bus could travel the middle of the road. Six places in the tunnel there are cutouts that allow a fleeting view and provide air circulation. The biggest is seen here (from the outside).

Also, on the way up, if you look back before the tunnel you have a great view of one of the larger blind arches (a blind arch is an arch that doesn't go anywhere).

Blind arch

An another stop on the way up you have the opportunity to look back over a portion of lower Zion known as the Beehives.

Beehives

At the top of the cliffs is yet another world. The formations here were made by erosion into the top of the White Cliffs.

White cliffs

The Checkerboard Mesa is perhaps the best example of the type of formations seen in this area.

Checkerboard Mesa

All in all, a trip to Zion is well worth the time. And, catching the park in mid-November was the perfect time. The trees were changing, the weather was perfect, and there was little traffic.

[Continue on to St. George, Utah]

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