Greater Zion Visitor Center & Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Discovery Center

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The new Washington County Administration Building designed and built by Simpson Coulter Studio and Watts Construction welcomes visitors into a grand lobby with a majestic photographic mural of Zion National Park over the entrance to the Greater Zion Visitor Center and Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Discovery Center

Hunt Design (exhibition design) and Harvest Moon Studio (content development and media production) collaborated closely with staff at the Washington County Commission, the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office, and the Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan to create a state-of-the-art visitor center.

  • Supergraphic murals with stunning photography highlight the three iconic Western landscapes that converge in Greater Zion — the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau, and the Great Basin
  • Ecosystems are brought to life with backlit shadowboxes of their flora and fauna, as well the recreational activities
  • Special lighting effects animate the space, gently cycling through the colors from dawn to dusk
  • The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Discovery Center features live animal displays, a children’s activity corner with a hands-on video microscope and tactile specimens
  • Interactive topographic map of Greater Zion with a user-friendly touchscreen which invites visitors to explore the region’s five geographic regions — the St. George Area, the Alpine Region, Hurricane Valley, the Mesa Country, and the Zion Corridor.
  • Animations projected on the map identify the activities, communities, scenic routes, and special destinations within each region.

Throughout the project, Hunt Design directed a team of exhibition specialists and skilled artisans, including: Visual Terrain (lighting design), Bandit (lighting integration), Solid Terrain Modeling, Inc, Ironwood (custom cabinetry and animal cases), Chase Studios (custom trees), CS Stonescape & Design (rockwork), and CGS-Creative Graphic Services (graphics).

Exhibition Photography: David Paul Green, Visual Terrain, Inc.