Towering red rock cliffs and cooling waters of the Narrows slot canyon within Zion National Park are the images that define Southwestern Utah for many explorers. While millions of people come to the region to see Zion for the first time or to revisit a favorite experience, outstanding hiking abounds outside the park boundary, and these trails often go overlooked.

The deep slot canyons of Zion are no doubt the most impressive, but they unfold into vast expanses of more canyon country in the surrounding desert, including in a confluence of regions and ecosystems throughout the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. Getting out into the distance is the only way to fully see the contrast of the Zion region's white and yellow cliffs and neighboring geology towering over red rock creations all around.

It's always helpful to have a solid understanding of the terrain you visit, and better when that knowledge is augmented by the tools to help keep you oriented and safe, whether a physical map and compass or GPS-enabled devices or phones with plenty of battery life and previously loaded with the apps and maps you'll need to navigate. Download the app when visiting Utah and taking on the following seven hikes and hiking regions of Greater Zion.