Favorite National Park Site Countdown #4: Zion National Park

In 2008, I started dating a guy who had been an acquaintance of a mutual friend since 2003 or so. My best friend said "don't get too attached to him, he wants to move away from Wisconsin and live closer to the mountains." Well, in 2010, this guy and I got married and in 2011 we moved to Utah. I was wooed with tales of beautiful red rock country, over 300 days of sunshine per year, lower taxes, a more fiscally responsible state government and all of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and other trails than I could shake a hiking stick at. I was sold.

Somewhere around 70 percent of the state of Utah is federally owned in one way or another. Totally true, I checked my facts! About 40 percent of Utah is BLM public lands. The other 30 percent are National Parks and Monuments, National Forest Land or military owned. The BLM maps even state some of this breakdown.

Of the 52 million and change acres in this great state of Utah, the 146,597 that encompass Zion National Park are my fa-vor-ite. Living close has given us the opportunity to explore most of the slot canyons and peaks of Zion, but every time we go back, there's something new.

Exploring the park in different seasons is one way to ensure your experience seems renewed. Get a permit and hike the Subway trail (not my favorite hike, btw... more on that later). Do your sign of the cross and then hike up to Angel's Landing. Not for the faint of heart. The Kolob Canyon side of the park is much less visited but no less inspiring and exciting.

Zion National Park is one of a kind. Truly world-class. There is something for everyone here. Once you visit, you'll pretend you like me just so you can crash at my house the next time you want to hike Zion. It's ok, I don't mind facilitating a life-changing hiking opportunity. You will feel different when you leave the close, watchful eye of The Sentinel.