Blue Skies Sunny Days Travel

One of my favorite national parks of all time is Zion National Park! This is the first national park my partner and I visited on our Grand Circle National Parks Road Trip in August 2024.

• About Zion
• Getting There
• Where to Stay
• Hikes
• Activities
• Restaurants
• Recommendations
• Next Stop

About Zion

• Claim to Fame: Utah’s first national park
• Location: Springdale, Utah
• Website: https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm

Established in the early 1900’s, Zion National Park is Utah’s first national park and is known for huge pink, red, and cream sandstone cliffs. The Virgin River flows through the park, making for some gorgeous scenery. Angel’s Landing and the Narrows are two of the most famous hikes Zion has to offer.

Getting There

• Zion National Park is about a 2 hr 20 min drive from Las Vegas
• Time Zone: Mountain Time (Note: 1 hour ahead of Las Vegas)
• There are 3 entrances to the park:
  • Zion Canyon on the south side – most popular, with access to the shuttle
  • Kolob Canyons on the north side – separate from the main Zion Canyon area and not connected by the park shuttle. About an hour from the south entrance. Has hiking trails and a scenic drive.
  • Tunnel entrance on the East side – connects through to Bryce Canyon
• Springdale is the nearest city and sits right outside Zion Canyon Visitor Center, on the south side of the park, which is most likely the most convenient entrance to get to the activities you want to do at the park. From here you can catch the shuttle and the town has hotels, restaurants, and rentals. Some places are within walking distance to the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, where you can take the park shuttle to go throughout the park.

Where to Stay

For convenience, I’d recommend staying near Zion Canyon Visitor Center, on the south side of the park.

Towns near Zion Canyon Visitor Center on the south side of the park:

• Springdale is a cute, small town right outside the south entrance of the park. It has lots of hotels that are within walking distance to the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, where you can catch the shuttle to go aroudn the park (You cannot drive your own car through park and must use the shuttle system).
• Hurricane is about 35 minutes from Zion Canyon Visitor Center
• St. George is another option, about 1 hr away from Zion Canyon Visitor Center

There is another entrance on the north side of the park.

• Cedar City is a college town about 15 min from the north entrance of Zion NP (Kolob Canyon area). Note: You cannot drive from the north side of the park down to the south side, and this side does not connect to the shuttle system.

Hikes

• *Watchman Trail – Catch at Visitors Center. Nice easy hike with quintesential Zion views.
• *Canyon Overlook Trail – 1 mile out-and-back trail with about 160 feet of
  elevation gain (must hike for first time visitors)
• The Narrows – Iconic hike. Take 45 min shuttle to trailhead. The Riverside Walk begins at the Temple of Sinawava, which is the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and shuttle stop #9. 2 mile hike on Riverside Walk Trail. Hike narrows as far as you want and turnaround (Orderville Junction is the limit – 2 hours up stream). We didn’t end up doing this hike – check bacteria levels before you go. But I wish we had! Iconic hike. You can rent gear (waterproof shoes and socks and a stick in the town right outside the park) – gear is recommended. For colder weather, you can rent coveralls.
• *Emerald Pools Trail – Great view of Virgin River
• Angels Landing (permit needed) – Iconic hike, famous for a section of the hike with chain guardrails. Could be a bit scary, especially in the narrow portions as the trail gets crowded with people.
• East to Overlook Watch (higher view of Angels Landing)
• Check out Joe’s Guide for hiking recommendations

*Hikes we completed on our trip

Activities

Besides hiking, consider these other activities:

• Rent an ebike for the afternoon
• If you do stay in Cedar City, catch a play at the Utah Shakespeare Festival

Restaurants

• Zion Brewpub – We visited here for an apres hike lunch. Good burgers and beer and a wonderful view of the park. Within walking distance of the Zion Canyon Visitor Center.

Recommendations

• Rentals – Check out Zion Guru, Zion Outfitters – if renting gear for the Narrows, you can pick up the gear the night before
• Parking at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center – get there early! The parking lot is fairly large but some blogs recommend getting there even by 7:30 am! Since private vehicles are not allowed in most areas of the park, you must park and take the Zion shuttle system from the visitor center. We visited in late August and got to the lot around 8 am and there were still plenty of spots but plan to get an early start.
• Other great resources:
  • Check out the We’re In the Rockies blog for very thorough and helpful info
  • Watched YouTube videos of people hiking the Narrows to get a feel for the experience

Next Stop

Planning a Grand Circle National Park adventure? Our next stop was Bryce Canyon National Park.

Getting to Bryce Canyon National Park:

• Exit the park by following the signs for the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel; this is the scenic drive to Bryce. Note: There are some restrictions for oversize vehicles so make sure to check the National Park website for these restrictions and to get a permit, if needed.
• The drive from Zion Canyon Visitor Center to the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center will be about 2 hours, taking this scenic drive.