Since Nov. 19, 1919, the day Zion became a National Park, ithas exploded in popularity. What was once a home for Native Americans now hosts over 4.5 million visitors from around the world every year.
"The word Zion is known around the world," Lyman Hafen, executive director of the Zion Forever Project, the official nonprofit partner of Zion,said."You walk on a trail in Zion and you hear all of [these different] languages. It's pretty amazing to see how many people from all around the world are finding their way to Zion."
MORE:2019 marks busiest summer yet at Zion National park
Congress designated the land in southwestern Utahas a National Park — the state'sfirst— but how much do you know about its history?
What’s up with the rocks?
The multi-colored mountains and spires make up Zion's most iconic views. But how did they come about?
About 240 million years ago, Zion Canyon was a flat basin that was close to sea level. Sediments like sand, gravel and mud eroded from the nearby mountains and were dropped it off in the basin, according to Zion's website. The land fluctuated, moving up and down, for years, until 10,000 feet of sediments had been washed into the canyon.
Land from Zion and to the Rocky Mountains are lifting because of movement down below. The slow, steady rise has caused streams to cut and erode through the canyon. This is an ongoing process — the fast-moving waters of the Virgin River are still cutting away at the rocks, widening the canyon.
Recent rockfalls — like one near Weeping Rock that indefinitely closed the trail — are more signs of the ever-changing nature of the canyon.
“It’s geology at work,” Zion spokesperson Aly Baltrus said after the rockfall.
What’s in a name?
Zion hasn’t always been Zion. That name came from early Mormon settlers.But for years, Paiutes in the area called it Mukuntuweap, which means “straight canyon.”
When John Wesley Powell first explored southern Utah, the Paiutes he interacted with informed him of the name and it ended up sticking, at least for a while, according to Hafen, who wrote a book about Zion called "A Century of Sanctuary: The Art of Zion National Park."
When President William H. Taft designated the land as a National Monument in 1909, it was called Mukuntuweap. The first assistant director of the National Park Service, Horace Albright, who designated Zion as a National Park, changed the name, according to Hafen.
"[Albright]felt strongly that Mukunutweap was a difficult and long name to pronounce, and that the wordZion ... should be the name of the national park," Hafen, who has written several other books about southwestern Utah,said. "Personally, I've had a lot of different feelings about that over the years. I think it would be so awesome if the canyon carried its original, native name, but at the same time Zion is a wonderful name as well, that's the name that's known around the world now."
1919 to 2019
When Zion Canyon became a National Monument, it was difficult for visitors to get there. Rough roads kept it remote. But between 1909 and 1919, federal and state agencies worked to make the area more accessible with roads and other infrastructure projects, according to Hafen.
Notably, in 1930, the Mount Carmel-Zion tunnel was completed. This 1.1-mile tunnel carved through the mountainstook threeyears to build and connected Zion to Bryce Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon.
In 2000, the shuttle bus became the main mode of transportation into the canyon. Now, most of the canyon is easily accessible, but there's more to Zion than that front canyon.
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"That front country is very accessible—even today, you park your car, you take the shuttle up the main canyon and get off at any stop you want," Hafen said. "But the park has its backcountry, which is less accessible and is also really awesome. In fact, 83% of Zion is designated wilderness."
Making the main part of the park accessible, Hafen said, has led to some ofthe biggest changes the park has had in its 100-year history.From its hidden, rugged beginnings in the early 1900s to beingone of the top five most visited parks in the United States, the tunnel and road projectsand shuttle has helped the park accommodate millions of visitors.
In the past 20 years, annual visitor numbers have almost doubled — in 2000, more than 2.4 million people visited the park and last year over 4.3 million people came to Zion. And it’s even worse during the peak summer months.
Finding solace
Navigating the park with over 10,000 daily visitors (on average), it can feel like you’re waiting in lines at Disneyland — shuttle wait times can seem daunting andpopular hikes are sometimes overcrowded.
“There’s definitely limits to how many people can be in an area and still enjoy the area and get what they’re trying to getfrom Zion,” park spokesperson Eugenne Moisa said.
But Hafen, who has worked inside the park for 22 years, said he’s still able to find peace in the canyon. It may not be the same experience as early settlers had when navigating to get there, but he's had his own meaningful experiences in the park.
He remembers the first time he saw the canyon, riding in the backseat of his family’s sedan and his dad telling him to look up at the “amazing castles in the clouds.”
“It’s one of my earliest memories. To me, it’s so sacred because it's sort of like my first connection to this world are images of Zion,” Hafen said.
Even though the park has changed quite a bit since Hafen first saw it as a kid, he said it's good that more people are able to experience the park.
"National Parks exist so we can come and experience them. I don't have an issue with the fact that people want to come here and experience it," Hafen said.
His advice to have a special experience in the park? "Get on the shuttle and go to one of the spots, and start up the trail. You're going to find space and a place where you can feelsolace."
Celebrating 100 years
This year is110 years since the area was designated as a National Monument by President Taft, and celebrations in 2009 marked that anniversary. For these celebrations, the events are being held outside the park (because of crowding) and are celebratingZion's future.
"Our real focus now is to the future and the next 100 years, and the whole Zion forever concept—how we all play a role in maintaining this place for future generations," Hafen said. "This celebration is a look back ... but we're focusing on the future and the importance of making sure our grandchildren can come here and have an experience."
The Zion Forever Project scheduled a centennial celebration for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., with organizers planning to premiere a new film to be shown at Zion Visitor Center. Tickets to get into the event at the Cox Auditorium at Dixie State University have all been claimed, but check the Zion Forever Project website for more information.
Lexi Peery is the environment, politics and development reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newsroom based in southern Utah. You can reach her at lpeery@thespectrum.com and follow her on Twitter @LexiFP.
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