The Zion National Park Blanket

It is always exciting to introduce our new blankets each year.  Pendleton is especially excited to introduce the Zion National Park blanket, just in time for National Park Week.

Blanket Stripes: The rich hues of Zion’s red rock formations in rusty red, ochre, and tan are lit by the clear brilliant blue of the afternoon sky in Utah’s desert wonderland.

Zion’s Wonders

Zion Park is a geographical wonderland full of formations and features, all part of a super-sequence of rock units called The Grand Staircase. According to Wikipedia, in the park you’ll find:

…the Temple of Sinawava, which is named for the coyote god of the Paiute Indians…and the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel [which] ends at Mount Carmel. On the east side of the park, notable park features include Checkerboard Mesa and the East Temple.

The Kolob Terrace area, northwest of Zion Canyon, features a slot canyon called The Subway, and a panoramic view of the entire area from Lava Point. The Kolob Canyons section, further to the northwest near Cedar City, features Tucupit Point and one of the world’s longest natural arches, Kolob Arch.

Other notable geographic features of Zion Canyon include Angels Landing, The Great White Throne, the Court of the Patriarchs, The West Temple, Towers of the Virgin, the Altar of Sacrifice, the Watchman, Weeping Rock, and the Emerald Pools.

With 4.3 million visitors per year, this is a park to celebrate!

Inspiration

The Zion National Park Pendleton blanket features navy, ochre and goldenrod stripes on a brick red background. “We were really inspired by the bold stripe design of a version of the blanket from the 1950s," says Amanda Coppa, senior merchandise manager of the home division at Pendleton. “The colors were drawn from the beauty and landscape of the park! We had to emphasize the deep red that Utah and Zion are known and loved for."

Our label features a mountain lion, also known as a cougar, part of the wildlife that lives in Zion’s varied life zones (desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest). Animals range from the petite kangaroo rat (which is adorable, and resembles a very leggy gerbil) to enormous yet agile bighorn sheep. Mule deer, foxes, bats, and rock squirrels are often seen by the park’s visitors, and close to the ground, the amazing variety of rodents draw the park’s birds of prey, which include the California Condor, the Mexican Spotted Owl, and the Peregrine Falcon. All told, Zion is home to over 78 species of mammals, 291 species of birds, 37 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 8 species of fish.

Label: As the sun sets, a solitary mountain lion pauses before the towering sandstone of the Great White Throne.

Our friend and brand ambassador, photographer Kristen Frasca, was able to take the Zion blanket home to its park for the photos in this post.

Thanks to her for these gorgeous photos, especially this last one, where her Husky dog is almost more commanding than the scenery! If you’d like to see more of Kristen’s work, please visit her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/kristenfrasca/

You can see the blanket and more at our website: Zion National Park by Pendleton