Your Guide to Zion National Park

Since moving to Denver in 2020, my husband and I have visited 9 national parks and countless other outdoor oases in the western United States. While I’ve enjoyed every second of our adventures, I have to admit that they’ve made me somewhat of a nature snob. Having now seen some of the most beautiful places in the US, it takes a lot to impress me these days—poor me, right? That’s why when visiting Zion National Park this year with some friends, I went in with low expectations. Fortunately, I came away from the experience beyond impressed.

Zion is one of the most visited national parks in the United States so I was picturing large crowds, long shuttle lines, and expensive accommodations. Luckily, with a little extra planning and some early morning wake up calls, we managed to have an unforgettable time. Read on to learn my recommendations for planning the perfect trip to Zion.

When to Go

The best time to visit Zion is undoubtedly in the spring or fall—April, May, September, or October are all solid choices. The summer is the most crowded time to visit and can be miserably hot. In July and August, daytime temperatures usually hover around 90°F and can easily surpass 100°F. Summer is also monsoon season in Zion, causing incredibly dangerous flash floods in the canyon on a frequent basis. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the winter months offer the least chance of crowds, but come with freezing temperatures.

Knowing all of this, guess who visited Zion smack dab in the middle of August? I know, I know. Sometimes I don’t follow my own advice. Our trip was planned around a friend’s 30th birthday so we decided to embrace peak season. If you also choose to go in the summer months, just be sure to do most of your exploration in the early morning hours or closer to dusk. You’ll still have a great time.

Planning Your Stay

Even though Zion is highly trafficked, it’s actually a fairly small national park. We were there for a day and a half and were perfectly content with the amount of time we had to explore. If you’re interested in adding more stops to your itinerary, Zion is within three hours of other top tier attractions including Bryce Canyon, Vegas, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Kodachrome Basin (see my guide to Arizona here). Our group flew into Vegas, headed to Zion for two nights, Bryce for one night, and then spent two nights back in Vegas before flying out. It was a great trip that never felt rushed or chaotic.

When looking for accommodations in Zion, there are a lot of great options. The adjacent town of Springdale is actually lovely, especially compared to the neighboring cities of some other national parks I’ve been to—I’m looking at you, Grand Canyon. Within Springdale, there are a bunch of AirBnBs, a few hotels, and several campgrounds. If you’re looking to stay right in the park, I’ve been told the best spot is Zion Lodge. With that said, the only way I’d recommend staying there is if you’re visiting in peak season and want to beat the shuttle crowds to some of the more popular trailheads in the morning. Otherwise, the town of Springdale is more affordable and has a much better dining scene.

Speaking of dining, our favorite restaurants in Springdale were The Park House, Oscar’s Cafe, and King’s Landing Bistro. For your morning caffeine fix, you can’t go wrong with Deep Creek Coffee Company.

In terms of logistics, Zion has a few more rules than a lot of other national parks. For instance, from early spring through late fall, you can’t actually drive your own car through the main section of the park. Instead, you have to park at the south entrance and take the park shuttle to various drop-off points. But don’t worry—the shuttle is free, easy to navigate, and runs at a near constant pace. Further details can be found here.

As is with all national parks, there is a fee for admission into Zion. There are several tickets to choose from, but if you’re planning to see more than just Zion, I highly recommend buying the America the Beautiful Annual Pass. The pass gets you into more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country and covers all passengers in a personal vehicle. At $80, it’s a spectacular deal, especially considering that most national parks charge $25-$35 for a single day pass.

If you’re interested, you can buy the pass at the park gate or ahead of time through the NPS website.

What to Do

When deciding what to do in Zion National Park, it’s luckily easy to fit several things in your itinerary in a short amount of time. A single road goes through the entire main canyon—Zion Canyon Scenic Drive—making navigation easy and stress free. As mentioned, this road is only accessible through the park’s shuttle system for most of the year.

If you’re planning a quick trip like my group was, I recommend doing two popular hikes in the main canyon—Angels Landing and the Narrows—and then spending a couple hours on the east side of the park. If you’re going to be in Zion for an extended period of time, consider adding Kolob Canyons to your itinerary.

Angels Landing

Angels Landing (4.4miles, 1,604ft elevation) is one of the most iconic hikes in Zion, in part because of its beauty and in part because of the harrowing last half mile stretch. The view from the top of the surrounding valley is incredible, but it’s the final climb along a narrow ridge that draws thrill seekers from around the world. With chain-assisted rock scrambling sections, stunning panoramas, and vertigo-inducing heights, there’s nothing quite like it.

Personally, I didn’t find the hike nearly as scary as people make it out to be. As long as you don’t have acrophobia, I think it’s worth attempting. After all, there's no view more dramatic than one you earn by hanging onto a chain bolted to a cliff.

Scout Lookout is generally the turnaround point for those who are unwilling to make the final summit push. The good news is that the trail offers some truly spectacular views even if you don’t go all the way to the top. In fact, if you follow the path past Scout Lookout for half a mile, you’ll come to a large plateau that offers views rivaling those you get at Angel’s Landing—and without nearly the number of fellow hikers.

Since Angels Landing is so popular, try to start your adventure as early as possible. When we were there, the shuttle started running at 6am and we were the first people in line. It made all the difference, especially when on the chained portion of the trail. It was smooth sailing the entire way up. On our way down, we ended up getting in quite a few traffic jams as the crowd started to grow.

The Narrows

If you’re looking for an unforgettable adventure during your visit to Zion, hike the Narrows. This 16-mile crack in the earth is the narrowest (and wettest) section of Zion Canyon. With walls a thousand feet tall and the river just twenty feet wide in certain sections, the gorge is one of the most beautiful in the world and something you don’t want to miss.

Before hiking the Narrows, there are a couple of things to know. First of all, next to Angel’s Landing, this is one of the most visited areas of Zion. Knowing that, try to catch the first shuttle to the trailhead. We did this and were pleasantly surprised to see very few other hikers on our way out. The way back was a different story. There was a huge crowd of people near the start of the trailhead by 9am.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this hike involves walking through flowing water. The Virgin River spreads from canyon wall to canyon wall so there’s no escaping it. To have the most enjoyable time, I highly recommend renting water boots and walking poles from one of the many outdoor shops in Springdale. I saw so many people falling down and looking miserable who were ill prepared. Trust me, you don’t want to be like the guy I saw chasing his Jordan slides down the river.

In terms of how far to go into the canyon, it’s entirely up to you. I will say that the farther you go, the less people you’ll see. We went all the way to Wall Street and loved getting to see such different areas of the gorge.

Zion-Mount Carmel Highway

If you don’t have a lot of time to explore the east part of the park, try to at least take the scenic drive along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway to the east entrance. The winding highway is open to vehicles year-round and offers incredible vistas around every hairpin turn in the road. If you’re interested in further exploration, Zion Canyon Overlook Trail (1 mile, 187ft of elevation) is a short hike with highly rewarding views.

Something worth noting is that if you’re headed to Bryce Canyon after exploring Zion, the quickest way there is via the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. You can easily do some exploration on your way out of the park.

Dos & Don’ts

To round out my recommendations, I thought I’d offer a few quick tips. Here are my top dos and don’ts to remember when planning your trip.

Do wake up early to beat the crowds.

Trust me, it will make your experience so much more enjoyable and your pictures a thousand times cooler without a crowd of people in the way.

Don’t force yourself to do something you’re uncomfortable with.

If you’re going to be miserable and anxious the entire time you hike the last portion of Angel’s Landing, it’s not worth it.

Do rent water boots and poles to hike the Narrows.

I feel like this one is worth saying twice. If you want to go far into the Narrows, it’s a necessity to have the right equipment.

Don’t disturb other hikers with loud music.

I can’t believe I have to say this one, but as evidenced by the hiker who had “Cyclone” blasting from a bluetooth speaker, I guess I have to. At a national park, you’re never alone. Keep your music to yourself.

Do pack food for inside the park.

There aren’t a lot of food options inside the park and if you plan to hike a decent amount, you’ll absolutely want some sustenance.

Don’t underestimate the amount of water you’ll need.

Even if it feels cool in the morning, temperatures rise quickly in Zion. I recommend taking a bladder with 3L of water if you’re going to do anything strenuous.

There is a reason Zion National Park gets a lot of hype. There is no place in the world quite like it. Hopefully my recommendations are helpful, but as always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a note! Enjoy your trip!

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My name is Kolby Tallentire and I’m the creator of Tallentire Travels. This site formed out of my unending love of travel. My goal is to bring you the most unique and affordable travel recommendations for every destination. Learn More