Zion Recap

This year, the Parks Project team headed to the beautiful red rock canyons of Zion National Park for a company-wide retreat. Many members of the team, who work mostly remote, met for the first time in person during this three-day park adventure. 

 

 

For our first day in Zion, we spent the day biking through the park with guides from Zion Guide Hub. During the 18.5 mile ride along the scenic drive, we learned about the rock formations, plants, and animals found in Zion, including the endangered California Condor. This large scavenger is the largest bird in North America with a 9-10 foot wingspan, roosting high up on the rock walls of the canyon. 

 

 

After a long day of biking and a lively group dinner, we settled into our home-away-from-home, Under Canvas Zion, to prepare for the following activity-packed day.

 

 

We started the day off canyoneering at Lambs Knoll outside of the park. If you don’t know what canyoneering is, it includes hiking, scrambling, sliding, rock climbing, and rappelling through canyons. Here we are scaling down a 65ft drop! 

 

 

Post lunch, we headed back into the park for a volunteer clean-up event—working with our long time partner, the Zion Forever Project, the nonprofit organization associated with Zion National Park. The team divided into smaller groups, focusing on removing microtrash in the campground and near the Nature Center.

 

 

Litter removal, particularly microtrash removal, is a crucial part of preserving an ecosystem. Small objects such as plastic wrappers, cigarette butts, and bottle caps can be accidentally ingested by animals, pollute water sources, and decrease the overall appeal of an area. It might not be the most glamorous job, but it’s one of the most important ways to take care of the lands we love. 

 

 

We packed up on the last morning, each of us feeling accomplished having left the park better off, and leaving with a deeper understanding of each other and our mission—leave it better than you found it. So long Zion, we’ll see you again soon! 

To date, Parks Project has donated $60,000 to fund park programs and initiatives within Zion National Park. Visiting the park soon? Check out our Top Ten Guide for recommendations.