ABOUT THIS SITE:

Joe's Guide to Zion National Park is written and maintained by Joe Braun, an avid hiker and photographer who has been exploring and photographing Zion National Park for over 30 years. None of this site is written by AI; I am a real human being who enjoys writing and sharing my first-hand hiking experiences and photographs with other people who enjoy the outdoors.

I created this site out of my personal love for the magical beauty of Zion National Park. It started back in 2002 as my own personal hiking "to do" list with a simple collection of photos and short write-ups for the hikes that I had done. Over the years as I have become a better writer and photographer, I have refined and organized the site and have added detailed descriptions for many popular as well as off-the-beaten-path hiking routes with detailed maps and many of my favorite photographs. I want this site to be a fun and inspiring resource for casual tourists, hikers, and photographers who are inspired to explore Zion and the greater Zion area.

I first discovered and fell in love with Zion National Park when I was five years old when my family came to Zion on a camping and hiking trip back in the 1970s. I have great memories of hiking the classic trails like the Emerald Pools Trail, Observation Point, Canyon Overlook Trail, and Hidden Canyon many years ago. While my family liked to do road trips everywhere around the country, we would always make a point of returning to Zion year after year; it's always like coming back home.

It wasn't until my college and adult years that I discovered the plethora of backcountry opportunities that Zion has to offer, from random slickrock exploration in areas like the Upper East Canyon to the many remote peak scrambles and beautiful technical canyons that beckon intrepid canyoneers. With many unofficial routes now documented and standardized, the average visitor to Zion has the opportunity to see many more special areas than were generally known about only a few decades ago. My hope is that the park and its visitors will maintain the delicate balance between relatively easy access and preservation and respect of the landscape.

Please Support This Site:

This site is a labor of love and I make this information available free of charge. If you want to support this site and help me pay for the web hosting and future enhancements, please do one or both of the following:

Make a PayPal Donation to Joe's Guide to Zion National Park:

Purchase a Fine-Art Print from Joe Braun Photography:
All images on this website are available for purchase as fine-art prints in several sizes. Zion the Beautiful, Zion the Magnificent, and Zion Winter Solitude are collections of my favorite photographs. Please see the Ordering Information page for more details.