Bighorn sheep can be found in western North America, northern Mexico and Baja California. We enjoy seeming them because they are usually located in rugged mountains, have impressive horns, and don’t seem to mind getting photographed from a distance.
Zion National Park, Utah
Zion is the fourth most visited National Park in the United States. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited and we noticed the number of visitors when we were there over a year ago.
The impressive canyon walls are composed of Navajo Sandstone which is known for the reddish and tan colors.
The canyon was created by erosion from the North Fork of the Virgin River.
The valley had colorful cottonwood trees in their fall foliage identifying areas of water.
We saw deer grazing in the valley. Zion is a hikers paradise. People line up to hike Angels Landing and the Narrows.
Bighorn Sheep
These are desert bighorn sheep. Smaller in size but just as stunning.
We watched a group of researchers tranquillize one of them for a radio collar and to gather measurements.
Talking to the researchers, they said the population is healthy and growing. In the 1960s, they were locally extinct, but 14 sheep were reintroduced into Zion in 1978. There are now over 500 individuals.
The desert bighorn sheep are social and form groups of 8-10 individuals but larger groups can occur.
They are stocky and about the size of a mule deer. Both male and female have horns, but the male’s horns can weigh more than 30 pounds. Desert sheep are highly adapted to the desert and can go for extended periods without drinking, losing up to 30% of their body weight. Once they drink water again, they quickly become rehydrated. Because of this adaptation, few predators can survive in extended droughts. Mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats are their most common predators.
The sheep are located in the southeastern region of the park and typically can be seen near the Checkerboard Mesa area. Even though there was a lot of snow at Bryce Canyon, there was hardly any here.
Outside the eastern entrance to Zion there were bison and hawks. We’ve enjoyed our numerous visits to the area and see something different each time. We are extremely thankful for previous generations foresight in creating the National Parks, Monuments, and other vital lands, preserving vast tracks of wilderness allowing them to be as good as they ever were, thank you Rocky.
