Before getting to this weeks desktop, there's a couple of things I wanted to remind you about. First,
I've really gotten off on the updates after returning from this years
trip West, but I'm working on getting back on track and hope to be there soon. Second, the previous weeks wallpaper is always still available by clicking the preview to the left found on this page. Enjoy!
Above is this weeks free desktop. This week we go back to a really
wonderful park which is featured here many, many times, welcome once
again to Zion National Park in southwest Utah. Zion NP was
established in 1909 and features amazing sandstone cliffs among the
highest in the world. Zion basically divides into three sections,
not just by the variations in what you see within each, but also by the
fact each section requires access from a different route. The
upper section is Kolob Canyon, a beautiful area which is lightly
developed and offers some very intriguing day hikes along with
trailheads headed to backcountry possibilities. This section is
accessed off Interstate 15 and is complete with its own visitor center.
The central section is the Upper and Lower Kolob Plateau which is the
least developed of the three and is probably overlooked by most as it
requires a bit of searching just to find it. This section offers
some great views and contains some backcountry trailheads and is
accessed by taking a rural road off of Route 9 in the town of Virgin.
Lastly, Zion Canyon is the main, highly developed section, is accessed
by Route 9 as it runs straight through this section. The majority
of visitors go to Zion Canyon when experiencing this park and for good
reason too, it's a truly beautiful. Because of the volume of
visitors, most of Zion Canyon is accessed only through a shuttle bus, a
service I find more enjoyable every visit. This weeks picture,
this was taken at the end of the Watchman Trail in the Zion Canyon
section. Watchman is a fairly easy 2 mile round trip hike which
gains just enough elevation (a little over 350 ft.) to provide a nice
overlook of Springdale, UT, the campgrounds, the Visitor Center, and an
interesting view back up Zion Canyon. The better known formations
of Zion are not visible from the Watchman, but this September 2005 photo
taken near sunset does showcase the intriguing view to the southwest I
had that evening. Zion National Park is a real treasure in
America's park system. It provides visitors with an opportunity to
explore this amazing landscape sculped by the Virgin River, but unless
you can invest more just a single day here, you'll just get a glimpse of
what this park has to offer.
To set this photo
as your desktop, click on the box with the correct size.
Right-click on the image and select the option to "save/set as desktop
or wallpaper." You're done! If you wish to change the
desktop image, simply right-click on your desktop, select Properties,
and then select the tab labeled Backgrounds in your display control
panel
