When I started planning our late-May trip to Zion National Park this past January, I was already far too late.
This was entirely my own fault. I’d put in for an Angels Landing permit and decided to hold off on booking anything until we found out because, quite frankly, if we couldn’t hike Angels Landing, we weren’t interested in doing this trip.
(Don’t get me wrong; Zion is great. Even if you don’t hike Angels Landing, it’s still well worth a visit. But for us, Angels Landing was a must-do, and we weren’t going to drive 500+ miles (800+ km) to Zion if this hike wasn’t on the itinerary.)
It turns out I shouldn’t have waited, because by the time our permit was confirmed the campground was completely booked, as were a couple tours and tickets for other places we were hoping to visit while we were in the area. Luckily, over the course of the next three months I was able to snag a campsite and the other Zion permit we wanted thanks to other people’s cancellations.
We spent three full days in Zion National Park, and we felt that was a good amount of time. In this post, I’ll provide an overview of where to stay and what to see and do in Zion and then, over the next three weeks, I’ll talk in more detail about each of our three big hikes.
Table of contents
Entering the park
Zion is somewhat of a long, skinny park, with four separate entrances: the northwestern Kolob Canyons Entrance, the southwestern Kolob Terrace Entrance, the South Entrance (the most popular of the four) at the mouth of Zion Canyon, and the East Entrance. Note that the two western entrances are via roads that do not connect to the other sections of the park; it’s a 40-60 minute drive out and around to reach Zion Canyon.
Currently, Zion National Park does not require timed entry permits or advance reservations to enter the park. All that’s required is payment of the park entrance fee ($35/car for 7 days) or an America the Beautiful pass.
Once inside the park, if entering through the South Entrance into Zion Canyon, you must park your car and transfer to the park shuttle.
If entering Zion from the east, you will travel Utah Highway 9, also known as the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. There are two tunnels here, one of which is over 1 mile (1.6 km) in length. It’s also narrow and low clearance; some RVs may not fit through the tunnel at all. Other large vehicles may need to drive down the middle of the road to fit; this requires a fee, and passage through the tunnel may only take place during certain times of day when traffic is controlled. More information can be found here.
If entering through either of the western entrances – one of which does not have an official entrance station but still requires payment of the park fee – there are no driving restrictions.
Lodging
One look at the scenery, and it’s easy to see why Zion is one of the most visited national parks in the US. While you can see the highlights of Zion in a day, I recommend spending more than one day in the park. There are many options available for overnight accommodations in and around Zion.
The town of Springdale, located at the mouth of Zion Canyon, has multiple hotels, cabins, and campgrounds. Further out, various lodging options can be found off Highway 9, which runs along the southern edge of the park. Food, gas, groceries, and other amenities can also be found in Springdale and along Highway 9.
Inside the park is Zion Lodge as well as three campgrounds: Lava Point (located near the end of Kolob Terrace Road), South Campground (closed in 2025), and Watchman Campground. The latter two are located at the mouth of Zion Canyon, just inside the South Entrance, and require reservations. Lava Point campground does not take reservations but is also much more remote.
We spent three nights at Watchman Campground, specifically in the walk-in camping area, which we found to be quiet and scenic. Our site wasn’t terribly far from the parking lot, and having a sizeable bear box in each site means we didn’t have to trek all the way back to our car every time we needed something.
Zion Canyon
Most visitors to Zion spend their time in Zion Canyon. This is far and away the most popular section of the park, and for good reason. It’s hard to beat the views of the Virgin River winding its way through Zion Canyon, with its red and white rock walls towering approximately 2000 feet (610 m) above the canyon floor.
If you only have one day to spend in Zion, it makes sense to focus your visit here. With good planning and an early start, you should be able to see all of the canyon and squeeze in a couple of the shorter hikes or one longer one.
Riding the shuttle
As mentioned above, travel in Zion Canyon is restricted. Back in the late 1990s, roughly 5000 vehicles per day were entering Zion Canyon… a canyon that only has about 450 parking spaces. With no room for expansion, the park instead implemented a (now fully electric!) shuttle system. From March-November, private vehicles are not allowed in Zion Canyon, with the exception of overnight guests at Zion Lodge.
The shuttles depart from the visitor center roughly every five minutes (first and last departures of the day vary by time of year) and travel the full length of the canyon. Up-canyon shuttles service stops 1 (visitor center), 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9, while down-canyon shuttles service all 9.
The shuttles are free and do not require reservations. However, you may have to wait in line for a few minutes, particularly at the more popular stops. Beware that the visitor center parking lot fills by 8:30am during peak season. If the lot is full, you’ll have to pay to park in Springdale and either walk or catch the free Springdale shuttle to the visitor center.
Alternately, you can travel the entire 9 mile (14.5 km) length of Zion Canyon on foot or by bicycle.
Zion Human History Museum
Accessible from the down-canyon shuttles only (or by car; personal vehicles are allowed on this section of the highway), Zion Human History Museum (shuttle stop 2) is an interesting place to spend 30 minutes on your way out of the canyon. The museum has exhibits on the history of Zion as well as some archaeological artifacts on display.
The Southern Paiute people believe their ancestors lived in and around Zion Canyon since the time of creation. They called the canyon Mukuntuweap and, in fact, Zion National Park was created in 1909 as Mukuntuweap National Monument. The name Zion was originally bestowed upon the canyon by Mormon pioneer Isaac Behunin who, along with many other Mormons, fled west to escape religious persecution and ended up in the canyon.
Canyon Junction
Shuttle stop 3 – also only serviced by down-canyon shuttles – is Canyon Junction, where the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway branches off toward the east entrance. For a nice walk along the Virgin River, you could exit the shuttle here and hike 1.7 miles (2.7 km) along the Pa’rus Trail back to the visitor center.
Court of the Patriarchs
Shuttle stop 4 is at Court of the Patriarchs, the starting point for a couple trails along the Virgin River. I haven’t hiked either of these, though. We simply hopped off the shuttle here and wandered around for a few minutes, which gave us enough time to enjoy the view and watch a couple wild turkeys meander on through.
Emerald Pools
Shuttle stop 5 is Zion Lodge, which is also the main departure point for the exceptionally popular hike to Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pools. As of June 2025, this trail has reopened. Roundtrip distance to the three pools is 1.2 miles (2 km), 2.2 miles (3.5 km), and 2.8 miles (4.5 km), respectively, with 200 feet (60 m) elevation gain.
About five minutes up the Emerald Pools trail, I did something I’m not sure I’ve ever done before on a hike: I bailed. I’d ended the previous day with a large and rather painful knot in my calf, and while it was better, it wasn’t gone. We had permits to hike Angels Landing in a couple hours and I absolutely didn’t want to have to bail on that one.
So I came back to the trailhead and found a comfortable place to sit while my husband hiked to the Emerald Pools. The photos below are his, and he reports that it was an oasis in the desert but also extremely crowded.
In the roughly 75 minutes I was sitting at the trailhead, I watched hundreds of people – not an exaggeration – head up toward Emerald Pools. It was absolutely nuts.
The Grotto/Angels Landing
Home to Angels Landing, The Grotto (shuttle stop 6) is one of the most popular. We completed the Angels Landing hike and I’ll be writing an entire post about it soon. For now, I’ll just highlight the important pieces:
- You can hike the first 2 miles (3.2 km)/1700 vertical feet (520 m) up to Scout’s Lookout without a permit, but to go beyond that point, a permit is required.
- Permits must be obtained in advance through the lottery system.
- There was a park ranger at Scout’s Lookout checking permits.
- The final section of the hike from Scout’s Lookout to the Angels Landing summit is steep, slippery, rocky, narrow, exposed, and not a good choice for anyone with a fear of heights or exposure.
Even if you don’t want to hike Angels Landing, or can’t obtain a permit, I think it’s still worth hiking to Scout’s Lookout. The views are great, and you also have the option to continue the opposite direction on the West Rim Trail, which extends for miles to the north.
Weeping Rock
Shuttle stop 7 was closed during our visit due to rockfall. I assumed this meant a few boulders fell onto the trail, but a quick google search reveals it was quite a dramatic event! It’s unclear when this trail will reopen.
I know I hiked to Weeping Rock with my family on my first visit to Zion twenty years ago, but I don’t seem to have any photos of it. Similar to Emerald Pools, though, Weeping Rock exists due to the porous nature of sandstone. Water seeps into the rock of the canyon walls and percolates through until it reaches a harder, less porous layer. This forces the water out of the rock, creating a spring.
Big Bend
We didn’t end up getting off at shuttle stop 8 (down-canyon shuttles only), and to be honest I’m not really sure why the stop exists because there are no trailheads here.
Temple of Sinawava
Lastly, all the way at the end of the road, is shuttle stop 9, also known as the starting point for the Riverside Walk (roundtrip distance 2 miles/3.2 km), a mostly flat path along the Virgin River.
The Narrows
To continue beyond the end of Riverside Walk, you’ll have to wade up the Virgin River through water that, depending on the time of year, may be chest-deep. This is the start of a well-known hike through The Narrows, a deep and – as the name suggests – very narrow section of Zion Canyon.
No permit is required to hike approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) upriver to Big Spring. Continuing beyond that point, or starting from the other end of the The Narrows and hiking downriver, requires a wilderness permit, which must be obtained in advance.
Before hiking any distance upriver, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the challenges of this hike and the relevant safety considerations. Among the most important are:
- The risk of flash floods, which can occur anytime it rains anywhere upstream of the Virgin River, even if the weather in Zion is warm and sunny.
- Toxic cyanobacteria present in the water, making it unsafe to drink. Boiling, filtering, and other treatments will not remove the toxins. While contacting the water with your skin isn’t harmful, be very careful not to get any water in your mouth, nose, eyes, open wounds, etc.
Also, be sure to check the park website and confirm that The Narrows is open. During spring, the park may temporarily close the river when it is flowing too fast and/or the water levels are too high.
Kolob Canyons
Aside from Zion Canyon, the two major outlying areas of Zion National Park are Kolob Canyons and Kolob Terrace. The Kolob Canyons (northwest) entrance is about an hour northwest of Springdale off I-15.
Just past the park entrance is the visitor center. From here, the road ascends and curves around into Kolob Canyons, an area of towering red rocks and lush green valleys. Zion Canyon is undeniably beautiful, but I personally love the contrast of green and red in Kolob Canyons even more.
If you’re not interested in a significant amount of hiking, spending 1-2 hours here on your way to or from Springdale is probably an adequate amount of time to stop at the visitor center and all the viewpoints and maybe walk the short Timber Creek Overlook Trail at the end of the road.
If you do want to hike (or backpack – permit required), and particularly if you’re interested in leaving behind the crowds of Zion Canyon and heading deep into the Zion Wilderness, Kolob Canyons is your place.
We devoted our day in Kolob Canyons to the 14 mile (22.5 km) Kolob Arch hike. It was exhausting but well worth the effort, and it will be the topic of next week’s post.
Kolob Terrace
And lastly, we have the Kolob Terrace (southwest) entrance to Zion, located off Kolob Terrace Road outside the tiny town of Virgin. Until this most recent visit, I’d never been to this section of the park.
Kolob Terrace Road heads north from Utah Highway 9, passing through BLM land before entering the park. The road then exits Zion and continues north to Lava Point Campground and Kolob Reservoir.
We didn’t make it that far, however, because our main focus was hiking The Subway – a 9 mile (14.5 km) roundtrip excursion up a creek and into a slot canyon (permit required). It was a challenging but amazing hike, and one I will be writing all about in more detail in an upcoming post.
Safety in Zion
I’ve already touched on a couple of the main safety issues: the risk of flash flooding in all of Zion’s canyons, and the toxic cyanobacteria found in the park’s rivers and streams. Luckily, the park gives regular updates about cyanotoxin levels, posts signs about it at all trailheads, and issues daily flash flood forecasts.
Daily weather forecasts are also posted online and at the visitor centers, and while it’s always important to check the weather and ensure you’re prepared for any hike, it’s especially important to check the risk of thunderstorms if you plan to hike Angels Landing because you’ll be on an exposed rock ridge surrounded by metal chains and not much else.
No matter where you are in the park, be sure to bring adequate food, water, footwear, clothing, and the Ten Essentials. Phone service is limited to non-existent, and aside from Zion Lodge there are no amenities inside the park. If you’re branching off the busiest trails and heading into a canyon or elsewhere in the backcountry, it’s a good idea to also carry a satellite SOS device.
The final safety issue I want to mention is related to wildlife. At all the popular trails, the chipmunks and squirrels were clearly habituated to humans and not at all shy about poking around in people’s backpacks or making off with any food left unattended for even just a few seconds.
Not only is human food harmful to these animals, but some of them have become aggressive and will bite people. Cute though they are, chipmunks and squirrels are wild animals and can carry deadly diseases such as rabies and the plague. Please don’t pet them, feed them (intentionally or accidentally), or use food to lure them closer so you can take a photo.
Wrap up
Our trip to Zion took place just a few days prior to Memorial weekend, which we later learned from a shuttle driver is the busiest weekend of the year. The time we spent in Zion Canyon was definitely the most crowded national park experience we’ve had in years. If I was to return, I’d go in April, September, or October when it’s not quite so busy but also not the dead of winter.
All in all, though, we had a great time.
Despite the crowds, Angels Landing was absolutely worth the hike. It always is. It remains one of my favorite hikes of all time, and The Subway has been added to that list now too.
Zion National Park is popular for a reason, and hopefully this post and the next three will show you why it’s worth braving the crowds to make the trip to the most-visited of Utah’s mighty five.
Leave a Reply to Monkey’s TaleCancel reply