Named for the Hebrew word “refuge,” Zion Nation­al Park – nes­tled in Utah’s south­west cor­ner – is no longer the qui­et sanc­tu­ary it once was. The park is now one of the most vis­it­ed in the coun­try, wel­com­ing more than four mil­lion vis­i­tors per year. It’s as if trav­el­ers stum­bled upon a secret and can’t get enough of the apri­­cot-col­ored Zion Canyon, which they can view wad­ing through its Vir­gin Riv­er or ascend­ing Angels Land­ing, with each bend in the riv­er or turn in the trail afford­ing an even more breath­tak­ing view. Plus, the blan­ket of stars that illu­mi­nates the night sky is a wel­come night­cap to a day filled with active pur­suits. And when it’s time to come back from the refuge to real­i­ty, the 166-mile dri­ve from Las Vegas or the 308-mile dri­ve from Salt Lake City is just about the right amount of time to process all the beau­ty you just expe­ri­enced.