Checkerboard Mesa is one of the most recognizable geological landmarks on the eastern side of Zion National Park, near the park’s East Entrance along the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway. Its pale, gridlike surface inspired its name: the roughly horizontal markings reveal cross-bedding preserved within Navajo Sandstone, while the intersecting vertical grooves developed as the sandstone repeatedly contracted and expanded. The formation was originally called “Checkerboard Mountain” by Preston P. Patraw, Zion’s third superintendent (National Park Service, 2009).
The mesa’s sandstone originated about 180 million years ago, during the Early Jurassic, when immense windblown dunes covered much of the Colorado Plateau. As the dunes migrated, shifting winds produced angled layers of sand that were eventually buried, cemented into rock, uplifted, and exposed by erosion; these preserved cross-beds now help geologists reconstruct ancient wind directions (National Park Service, 2015). Travelers can view the formation from the Checkerboard Mesa pullout, although parking on Zion’s east side is limited, so visitors should arrive early and use only designated spaces (National Park Service, 2026).
References:
National Park Service. (2009). Zion National Park centennial newspaper: 1909–2009. https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/upload/Zion-Centennial-Newspaper-1909-2009.pdf
National Park Service. (2015). Navajo sandstone. Zion National Park. https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/navajo.htm
National Park Service. (2026). Directions and transportation. Zion National Park. https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/directions.htm
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