Zion National Park is known to encompass some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States. It is characterized by high plateaus, maze of narrow sandstone canyons, and striking rock towers. It's one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

The first people to ever live in the area arrived almost 12,000 years ago. Most of them followed animals to the area: mammoths, sloths, and camels (believe it or not). Unfortunately, climate change and over hunting wiped these animals out almost 8,000 years ago.

Nowadays, people are much more sensible. Even with 270 million national park visitors, we're always looking for new ways to minimize environmental impacts. One way, originally tested in Zion National Park, was to limit the number of bottles that were sold at visitor centers in the park in order to eliminate more than 60,000 plastic bottles that were left behind every year.

The solution? Rather than limiting the number of visitors, Zion National Park did two things. It stopped selling water bottles (you can fill your own or buy a reusable bottle) and it encouraged private tours and shuttle services. The transportation success was huge — more 63 percent of visitors boarded a shuttle from a nearby town.

“People come to the national park to be in a natural setting and to get away from the sounds of the city. They want to be inspired by things they’ve never seen before,” said Jim Gale, chief of interpretation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Pacific island of Hawaii. “The public wants parks to be a legacy for their children and their children’s children.”

Preservation has become a priority and as a result, Zion National Park is now one of 35 Climate Friendly Parks. That means this park has an initiative to lower greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. national park system and to teach visitors how to limit their own impact on the environment.

How To Enjoy Zion Without Impacting The Environment.

While many people travel to Zion National Park from surrounding towns, people who visit Las Vegas can book tours too. From Las Vegas, there are two popular day tours available: Zion National Park One-Day Ground Tour and Bryce Canyon - Zion National Park Ground Combo Tour, which includes a stop at Bryce Canyon.

Both tours are exceptional, but with the additional time dedicated to the Zion National Park only tour, visitors have more time to explore the ghost town of Grafton (founded in the 1800s), movie locations for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and even an old west cemetery.

Naturally, the most prized portion of this grand tour includes stops at several of the most dramatic natural wonders in the American West. These include deep red canyons, massive monoliths, and rock layers called the Grand Staircase.

It's called the Grand Staircase because many of the canyons reveal eight to ten layers of sandstone that took more than 250 million years to form and then erode away to expose geological history. Every layer represents a different period of history.

Right now is one of the best times to visit because the climate is considerably cooler than Las Vegas, sometimes by as much as 10 to 20 degrees. The tours are provided in luxury 4x4s or custom VIP mini coaches (depending on the number of travelers) that pick up and drop off directly in front of your hotel.

This specific tour begins with a 7 a.m. pick-up and an estimated return at 6 p.m., which makes it especially easy to book dinner reservations or purchase show tickets after your return. Lunch is included, consisting of your choice of wrap, chips, fruit, and snacks. There is unlimited water brought along, and guides encourage using refilling stations much like park professionals.

Making Ecotourism Environmentally Sound.

Zion National Park is hoping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 28 percent from 2004 by 2020. In addition to more hybrid park vehicles, park officials have been implementing recycling programs and energy-neutral operations. Even employees work hard to carpool in and out of the area.

Tourguy.com is proud to do its part by providing more visitors access without increasing the number of vehicles. Interestingly enough, park officials are working on this too. Regional transportation plans are already assessing how to get visitors to the park gate in a more environmentally-friendly way. One way is privatization, with visitors being led by compassionate, environmentally-friendly guides.

For more things to do in Las Vegas, visit TourGuy.com To book one of the coolest tours to Zion National Park, you can visit the Zion Tours page direct.