Floor of the Valley Road
Encyclopedia
The Floor of the Valley Road, also known as the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, follows the canyon of the North Fork of the Virgin River
, also known as Zion Canyon, through Zion National Park
, Utah
. A precursor to the present nine-mile road was first built in 1916, but was later redesigned by the National Park Service
Branch of Plans and Designs to highlight the natural features of the valley while presenting a natural-appearing built environment. The road begins at the south boundary of the park and ends at the Temple of Sinawava.
The design uses local materials such as red sandstone
and rustic
construction techniques according to the prevailing 1930s Park Service policy of naturalistic design. The Cable Creek Bridge is separately nominated to the National Register of Historic Places
as a particularly prominent example of the style. The road surface is coated with red aggregate to continue the design theme.
From the South Entrance to Canyon Junction at the mouth of Zion Canyon the road has been reconstructed and has lost many of the characteristic features of the 1930s construction.
The original 1916 road was built by Park Service engineer W.O. Tufts was a single-lane dirt road that extended as far as the Weeping Rock parking area. In 1925 a gravel-surfaced road, called the "Government Road" replaced the original road and extended all the way to the Temple of Sinawava.
In 1931 and 1932 the present road was constructed on a new alignment as a Depression-era
public works project. Further construction was performed from 1933 to 1942 by Civilian Conservation Corps
labor.
Virgin River
The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.-Course:...
, also known as Zion Canyon, through Zion National Park
Zion National Park
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 long and up to half a mile deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. A precursor to the present nine-mile road was first built in 1916, but was later redesigned by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
Branch of Plans and Designs to highlight the natural features of the valley while presenting a natural-appearing built environment. The road begins at the south boundary of the park and ends at the Temple of Sinawava.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
construction techniques according to the prevailing 1930s Park Service policy of naturalistic design. The Cable Creek Bridge is separately nominated to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as a particularly prominent example of the style. The road surface is coated with red aggregate to continue the design theme.
From the South Entrance to Canyon Junction at the mouth of Zion Canyon the road has been reconstructed and has lost many of the characteristic features of the 1930s construction.
The original 1916 road was built by Park Service engineer W.O. Tufts was a single-lane dirt road that extended as far as the Weeping Rock parking area. In 1925 a gravel-surfaced road, called the "Government Road" replaced the original road and extended all the way to the Temple of Sinawava.
In 1931 and 1932 the present road was constructed on a new alignment as a Depression-era
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
public works project. Further construction was performed from 1933 to 1942 by Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
labor.
Traffic restrictions
Traffic congestion in the narrow canyon was recognized as a major problem in the 1990s and a public transportation system using propane-powered shuttle buses was instituted in the year 2000. From April through October, the scenic drive in Zion Canyon is closed to private vehicles and visitors ride the shuttle buses.External links
- Floor of the Valley Road, Between Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway & Temple of Sinawa, Springdale vicinity, Washington County, UT, with 13 photographs, 1 photo caption page and 1 data page at Historic American Engineering Record