Our trip to the American Southwest in the spring of 2021 brought us to a beautiful corner of the world called Zion National Park. Being here feels like you are visiting the mythical Jurassic Park; a forbidden area of exotic beauty and possible danger whose stunning natural scenery can only exist in a movie or science fiction novel. Waterfalls cascade down from the red and white rocky mountains, feeding into the Virgin River and its tributaries. Fertile canyon walls reach high into the sky, becoming ever more ethereal than they already seemed to the humble traveler. Being the adventurous spirit, it came as no surprise that Zion National Park was Julian’s favorite stop along our grand road trip through Arizona and Utah.
Come along as we share some helpful tips and insights from our trip.
Top Things to Do
Although we’re not outdoor enthusiasts back home, on this trip we made it a point to try and push ourselves out of our comfort zone and into the adventurous spirit of the old west as we explored Zion National Park. The amount of activities that are available are as varied as the amount of tourists that visit this wonderful place so depending on your preference, here are some of the top activities/attractions at Zion National Park.
Hiking: The hiking experience at Zion National Park is the most comprehensive offering available out of any park that we visited while on our trip through Arizona and Utah, with seemingly endless trails available ranging from easy to strenuous. As such, you’ll notice a healthy mix between serious hikers, amateurs, elders, young families and leisure strollers all throughout the park. We even saw some people hiking the various trails with toddlers and small children in tow.
For this reason, if you are physically capable of doing so, we highly encourage you to hike one of the many paths available at the Zion National Park. There is no cost to enter any of the trails, but make sure to note that the difficulty of any hiking trail depends on factors such as your level of fitness, experience, weather, proper gear and distance that you plan to hike. Below we’ve summarized some of the main hiking trails that are available at Zion Canyon National Park.
The Narrows: This strenuous hike takes you along the Virgin River and deep into a narrow section of a canyon appropriately called “The Narrows.” Most of the hike actually involves wading through the river, over slippery rocks and past waterfalls, shallow pools and one of the most incredible views of the canyon from the ground. For serious hikers, it may take about 4.50 hours or more to finish the “Bottom Up” portion of the hike. For us, it took 7.50 hours round trip.
Emerald Pools: This trail begins by crossing the bridge over the Virgin River next to Zion Lodge (shuttle stop #5), which then leads you up the mountain past waterfalls and charming alcoves to three naturally occurring pools. The path to each pool is divided into sections depending on difficulty, with the lower pool being classified as easy and the middle and upper pools being classified as moderate. On the trail you may even see wild deer like we did!
Angel’s Landing: This popular trail is very strenuous, with a portion that involves climbing up a steep, narrow ridge where you have to support yourself by holding onto chains that are anchored into the mountain. From Zion Lodge (shuttle stop #5) you can actually see the hikers summiting the mountain way in the distance. Due to Nina’s pregnancy and the risk of injury or death from falls (13 people have died as of the time of this writing), we opted to skip this hike on this trip but we’ll return in the future to cross it off our bucket list!
Pa’rus: Hugging the Virgin River, this trail is completely paved and mostly flat for the entire duration, leading you from Visitor Center all the way to Canyon Junction (a fork in the road where no private vehicles are allowed access). Because of the easiness of this trail, you will often see people of all fitness levels and handicaps walking along this path. This is also a popular trail for bicyclists and people with pets.
Biking
There is a main road that takes you through all of the park and because of this, biking is a popular activity at Zion National Park. With a bicycle, you can circumvent the need for a shuttle to take you around to the various trailheads (private vehicles are not allowed 9 months out of the year). Plus, the road is incredibly scenic, as it takes you past all of the park’s famous landmarks.
Zion - Mount Carmel Highway
Located between the east entrance and Canyon Junction, this is one of the most scenic drives that we’ve ever done and it is a must do on anyone’s itinerary. This drive is unique because the landscape changes rather quickly with each bend in the road. Along the switchback road, white rock mountains give way to black and red canyon walls, with lush valleys painting the landscape. There are also several overlooks/lookout points on this road but with very limited parking. Apart from the natural beauty, the fact that this is only a two lane mountain highway with no dividers will give you an extra adrenaline boost!
Picnic
Just in front of Zion Lodge (shuttle stop #5) there is a very large shaded area where you will see people picnicking and it’s clear to see why. Would you not want to relax and enjoy some nice weather with a view of these mountains?
Visitor Center
Located right next to the parking lot at the south entrance you’ll find the visitor center, where they have maps, park rangers providing guidance and an interactive display that teaches you about both the geological and anthropological history of Zion National Park.
Helpful Tips
How Much Time Do You Need?
Most visitors to Zion National Park will need no more than two or three full days for their trip unless they plan on overnight camping or hiking for multiple days. This is because most activities at this park will take up one full day if you are stopping to take pictures/video and reflecting on your surroundings as opposed to just rushing through. For example, it took us one full day to hike "The Narrows” trail and another full day to see the Visitor’s Center and hike the “Emerald Pools” trail which left just one extra day to either do another hike or to relax and explore the nearby town of Springdale, Utah (located just outside the entrance gates to the park).
How Much Does it Cost?
The entrance fee is anywhere between $20 USD - $35 USD depending on the method of arrival (private vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle or on foot). You can also purchase an annual pass (America the Beautiful - Annual Pass) which costs $80 USD and gives you unlimited access to Zion National Park and any other national parks in the USA. This option is worth every penny if you are doing a road trip throughout Arizona and Utah or plan on visiting other parks on future trips.
For more information visit: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/fees.htm
What if I Don’t Have the Proper Gear?
There are several outfitters available in the town of Springdale (located just outside the south entrance gate) where you can rent or buy any gear that you may need for your trip. We used Zion Outfitter for our hiking needs and we highly recommend them. The staff are helpful, friendly and knowledgeable.
For pricing and additional information please visit https://zionoutfitter.com/
Get There Early
Parking anywhere inside Zion or the Visitor Center is usually full by 8am - 9am and do not become available again until the late afternoon. This is because most people park and then spend a full day hiking around the park. In our case, we were at the entrance gate at 7am and there was still a huge line of cars waiting to get in! Because of this, a lot of people park on the street in the nearby town of Springdale and then take the shuttle bus or simply walk into the park. However, you can often expect large crowds waiting to board these shuttle buses so plan accordingly.
Where to Stay
Springdale, Utah: This is the best place to stay when visiting Zion National Park since the town is located just outside the entrance gate to the park. Springdale is unique because for such a small town it has so many hotel and restaurant options. It also has a college town vibe because a lot of young people visit Zion, often bicycling or walking around town and there are several boutique coffee shops as well as places serving beer and cocktails available in town. Make sure to book your stay early because most hotels are often sold out several months in advance, especially during peak summer travel season.
Kanab, Utah: This is your next best option as Kanab is a large town just 30 minutes away with a ton of excellent restaurant and hotel options.
Rockville, Utah: This town is only 8 minutes away from Springdale but the hotel and restaurant options are extremely limited. When we were doing research for this trip, there were only 5 hotels/resorts available in this town and they were all booked up for months.
Where to Eat
Springdale has several excellent options for lunch and dinner but please note, in the late afternoon restaurants are usually packed with people who are starving after a long day of hiking so expect long wait times. In some cases, you will require a reservation days in advance. In our case, we were actually turned away from a few restaurants at 5pm because they were already at capacity and restaurants in town close early (9pm)!
Some restaurants that we recommend:
Oscar’s Cafe: This is a local favorite that was highly recommended to us by the front desk receptionist at our hotel, the bus driver, the people at the welcome center and other travelers in Springdale. Their specialty is Mexican-Southwestern cuisine and they did not disappoint.
The Bit & Spur - This restaurant specializes in Southwestern cuisine with a twist, featuring menu items such as sweet potato tamales, steak skewers with peanut lime sauce and various takes on Mexican dishes. Their cocktail and mocktail menu is also excellent.
MeMe’s Cafe: This lovely outdoor cafe serves mostly breakfast and lunch items with a gorgeous view. The burgers come fully loaded with bacon, eggs, cheese and a thick meat patty which is sure to help fuel you up for a long day of activity.
King’s Landing Bistro: This fancy spot serves up creative dishes and has a full wine and cocktail bar. Everything on the menu is delicious and for desert we recommend the huckleberry pie ice cream. If you come early enough or manage to secure a reservation, you can sit on the outdoor patio which provides a panoramic view of the mountains nearby.
Deep Creek Coffee Company: This charming cafe features artisan coffee and is the perfect to fuel up for the day. If you can find a spot available, sit outside as you will be treated to pretty views of the nearby mountain range.