Zion National Park is located in the
Southwestern United States, near
Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles (24 km) long and up to half a mile (800 m) deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored
Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the
Virgin River. The lowest elevation is at Coalpits Wash and the highest elevation is at Horse Ranch Mountain. Located at the junction of the
Colorado Plateau,
Great Basin, and
Mojave Desert regions, the park's unique
geography and variety of
life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. Numerous plant species as well as 289 species of birds, 75 mammals (including 19 species of
bat), and 32 reptiles inhabit the park's four life zones:
desert,
riparian,
woodland, and
coniferous forest. Zion National Park includes
mountains,
canyons,
buttes,
mesas,
monoliths,
rivers,
slot canyons, and
natural arches.