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Zion National Park is an oasis in the desert, with spectacular green scenery throughout a deep canyon. It’s located in southern Utah.
I spent one full day at Zion. It wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything I wanted to see in the park. In fact, I only visited the main section of the park at Zion Canyon. A visitor could spend a few hours to a week at the park.
If you only have a few hours, you can take the shuttle through Zion Canyon and stop at all of the scenic viewpoints along the way. With a half or full day, you can get in a couple of hikes. With a couple of days, you can visit the lesser known parts of the park to the north in the Kolob Canyons section.
Visitor Centers
There are two visitor centers at the park. The Zion Canyon Visitor Center is located near the entrance to Zion Canyon. The Kolob Canyons Visitor Center is located at the entrance to Kolob Canyon Road. Both are typically open year-round.
The Zion Human History Museum is located near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. It contains exhibits on the human element of the park.
Entrance Fees
The entrance fee to Zion is US$35 per vehicle (as of September 2024) and is good for seven days. It’s also covered by all of the interagency passes. The park is open year-round.
There are fee stations on either entrance along the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. To access Kolob Canyon Road, the entrance fee must be paid at the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center. There’s no fee to access Kolob Terrace Road.
Camping
There are three developed campgrounds at Zion. Watchman Campground is located south of the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. It has 176 total sites that are open year-round. It costs US$35 for a tent only site and US$45 for an electric site (as of September 2024). Reservations are required.
South Campground is located north of the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. It has 117 sites that are open from March through October but is currently closed for rehabilitation (as of September 2024).
Lava Point Campground is off Kolob Terrace Road and typically open from May through September. It has six primitive sites available for reservation on a two-week rolling window. Cash is not accepted at the site and fees are US$25 per night (as of September 2024). It’s highly recommended to reserve ahead of time.
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
Because the campsites were fully booked, we stayed outside the east entrance of the park at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. It’s a little out of the way but well worth the effort to get to. They have tent sites, cabins, conestoga wagons, glamping, cowboy cabins, and a lodge. Our tent site was huge and there was a clean bathroom facility a short walk away.
Zion Ponderosa is a great place to stay with friendly service and a good restaurant. There are also several activities available, such as a swimming pool, horseback riding, miniature golf, paintball, rock climbing, and many more. I would happily stay there again.
Zion National Park Lodge
Zion National Park Lodge is the only lodge at the park. The original lodge was built in 1924 by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, but it was destroyed by a fire in 1966. It was rebuilt in 100 days.
There’s a restaurant at the lodge as well as separate cabins. It’s located along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.
Shuttles
A free shuttle bus makes stops along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive from March through November, the holiday season in December, and weekends in February and March. This is the only way to get through the park during those times, and no cars are allowed on the road while the shuttles are in operation.
The shuttle runs on a loop leaving from a shuttle station at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and traveling all the way to the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Buses come every 7-10 minutes and there are 9 stops in total. There’s also another shuttle that leaves from the visitor center and stops at hotels and restaurants in the neighboring town of Springdale.
Private vehicles are allowed in other sections of the park and on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive when the shuttle isn’t in operation. Overnight guests at the Zion National Park Lodge can receive a permit to drive on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and must park in the lodge parking lot only.
Parking
The parking lot at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center fills up early. We arrived at around 9am and were very lucky to find a spot after waiting about 15 minutes. Get there early before it fills up.
Activities
Hiking, stargazing, photography, horseback riding, bicycling, canyoneering, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities are available. Check the official website for more information on these activities. Information about ranger guided programs can be found at the visitor center.
Safety
My best advice is to be very careful on the trails and wear proper footwear. There’s a big risk of falling off a cliff if you aren’t careful. Also heed flash flood warning levels while hiking in canyons.
Drink plenty of water. There are water bottle stations at the visitor centers, campgrounds, and some shuttle stops.
