Where Desert Canyons Touch the Sky
Nearly five million people a year visit Zion, and most never leave Zion Canyon, the gorge the Virgin River has cut through cliffs up to about 2,000 feet high beside the town of Springdale in southwest Utah. At Bryce Canyon or the Grand Canyon you look down from a rim. Here you start at the bottom and look up.
The canyon lives up to its reputation. It is also crowded, hot for half the year and run on a shuttle timetable. Plan around those three things and the rest is easy.
Southwest Utah, next to Springdale
1919
About 147,000 acres (230 sq mi)
About 5 million
3,666 to 8,726 feet
April to May, mid-September to October
From March through November, and again over Christmas, private cars cannot use the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Everyone rides the free park shuttle from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, with buses every 5 to 10 minutes and about 45 minutes to the last stop.
The shuttle works. Parking is the problem.
In summer the park's lots are often full by 9 am. Arrive at 10 am in July and you will end up paying to park in Springdale anyway, so plan on it: leave the car in town, take the free Springdale shuttle to the pedestrian entrance and walk in, often faster than the line of cars at the entrance station.
At day's end, know when the last bus leaves the Temple of Sinawava. Miss it, or find it full, and the walk back is about nine miles.
In winter you can drive the canyon yourself, but the road closes for the day once legal parking runs out. Early starts matter then too.
Angels Landing is 5.4 miles round trip with 1,488 feet of climbing. The last half mile follows a ridge a few feet wide, with chains bolted into the rock and drops of up to 1,000 feet on both sides. Since 1930, most deaths on the route have happened on that stretch.
It takes a permit, drawn by lottery on Recreation.gov: a seasonal draw ahead of each three-month period, plus a day-before draw that closes at 3 pm Mountain Time. Details shift from season to season, so read the permit page before applying.
Lose the lottery and you still get most of the hike. Scout Lookout is the same trail from The Grotto: steep switchbacks, shady Refrigerator Canyon, then the 21 turns of Walter's Wiggles, about 1,000 feet up with no permit needed. The view down the canyon from there is most of what the summit gives you, and anyone uneasy with heights should stop there anyway.
Start early. The lower switchbacks bake by late morning, and an exposed ridge is the last place to be when afternoon storms roll in.
The paved Riverside Walk runs a mile from the Temple of Sinawava. Where it ends, you step into the Virgin River and walk upstream between walls up to 1,000 feet tall and sometimes only 20 to 30 feet apart. Going upstream needs no permit.
There is no set destination. An hour in and an hour back shows you what the fuss is about. Orderville Canyon, a side canyon about two miles up, makes a good half-day turnaround. Big Spring, the limit without a permit, is a 9.4-mile round trip and a full day against the current.
Footwear is where people go wrong. Sandals on the slick, rounded rocks lead to twisted ankles and crushed toes. Wear closed-toe shoes with grip and carry a walking stick. The park rents nothing, but outfitters in Springdale rent shoes, sticks and, for the cold months, drysuits.
Summer and early fall bring the lowest, warmest water. Snowmelt can shut the river for weeks in spring, and it closes whenever flow tops 150 cubic feet per second or a flash flood warning is issued. Ask about the flash flood forecast at the visitor center that morning. The Narrows page posts current flow.
The Emerald Pools trails start across the road from Zion Lodge. The waterfalls that feed them are seasonal and can be a trickle by late summer, so the better reason to go is the Kayenta Trail back to The Grotto, a ledge with long views up the canyon. Allow two to three hours for the loop.
The Watchman Trail leaves from the visitor center, handy when the buses are packed. It climbs about 480 feet with almost no shade. Don't hike it at noon in July; go at first light or before sunset.
The paved Pa'rus Trail follows the river to Canyon Junction and is the easiest sunset spot for the Watchman. Short on time? Skip the Human History Museum and ride the shuttle to the end.
Most people drive the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway only to reach Bryce Canyon. It deserves a stop. The road, finished in 1930, climbs switchbacks and a tunnel about a mile long, then comes out among domes of pale slickrock where bighorn sheep are often seen. Cars can use it all year.
Just past the tunnel's east end, the Canyon Overlook Trail runs a mile round trip to a fenced viewpoint over Zion Canyon. For the effort, nothing in the park beats it. The tiny parking lot fills fast.
Observation Point used to be a long, steep climb from Weeping Rock until a major rockfall closed that route. It is now an easy 6.8-mile round trip from the East Mesa Trailhead with about 300 feet of climbing, if you have a high-clearance or 4WD vehicle for the dirt roads.
Kolob Canyons sits at Exit 40 on Interstate 15, about 40 miles from Zion Canyon. A 5-mile drive climbs past red cliffs to the Timber Creek Overlook Trail, and the Taylor Creek Trail, about 5 miles round trip, passes two 1930s homestead cabins on its way to the Double Arch Alcove. Worth it if you are driving I-15 anyway. Not worth two hours of a single day.
Mid-April to May and mid-September through October: warm days, cool nights, everything open. Not quiet, though. March brings nearly three times February's crowds.
Summer highs regularly pass 100°F, but it is the best time for The Narrows. From July into September, afternoon monsoon storms raise the flash flood risk.
Winter is underrated. Highs sit around 50°F to 60°F, crowds thin outside the holidays and you can drive the canyon. Expect ice on shaded trails and a Narrows that calls for a drysuit.
With one day, stay in Zion Canyon. Take an early shuttle straight to the Temple of Sinawava, walk the Riverside Walk and wade into The Narrows for an hour. Work back down: the Emerald Pools and Kayenta loop, lunch at the lodge, then Scout Lookout if you have the legs. End on the Pa'rus Trail at sunset. An Angels Landing permit changes the plan; that hike goes first.
A second day is for one long hike, Angels Landing or a big stretch of The Narrows. Both on the same day is too much for most people.
Give a third day to the east side and Canyon Overlook, then drive on to Bryce Canyon, about two hours away.
| Trail | Distance (round trip) | Elevation Gain | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Walk | 2 mi | About 150 ft | Easy | Paved; leads to The Narrows |
| Canyon Overlook | 1 mi | About 150 ft | Moderate | East side; tiny parking lot |
| Middle Emerald Pools | 2.2 mi | About 330 ft | Moderate | Loop back on the Kayenta Trail |
| Watchman Trail | 3.3 mi | About 480 ft | Moderate | No shuttle needed; little shade |
| Angels Landing | 5.4 mi | 1,488 ft | Strenuous | Permit required past Scout Lookout |
| The Narrows to Big Spring | Up to 9.4 mi | About 330 ft | Strenuous | Mostly in the river |
Gains are the climb on the way out, rounded from park data. In warm months carry a gallon of water per person.
Zion Lodge is the only lodging in the park: 76 rooms, 6 suites and 40 cabins at shuttle stop 5. If you can get a room, take it. Guests may drive in during shuttle season, the trailheads are a short walk or ride away, and the lodge has the park's only restaurant.
The three campgrounds take reservations only, on Recreation.gov, and are full nearly every night from mid-March to late November. Watchman, open all year by the South Entrance, books six months out. South Campground and Lava Point, an hour up the Kolob Terrace Road, book only 14 days ahead.
Springdale is the easiest base and priced accordingly. Hurricane, about 40 minutes away, costs less and has real grocery stores. Kanab, about 40 minutes from the East Entrance, suits a trip that includes Bryce Canyon.
Most visitors fly into Las Vegas (LAS), 170 miles and about 2.5 to 3 hours away. Salt Lake City (SLC) is roughly 4.5 hours. St. George Regional (SGU) is under an hour away but has few flights.
The South Entrance is in Springdale; the East Entrance is 13 miles west of Mount Carmel Junction. Since June 2026, vehicles longer than 35 feet 9 inches, wider than 7 feet 10 inches or taller than 11 feet 4 inches, mirrors included, are barred from the highway between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance. Big RVs must use Springdale. The large vehicle page lists trailer limits.
The per-vehicle entrance fee covers seven days and applies even if you only drive through on Route 9. An America the Beautiful pass covers it. Non-US residents aged 16 and over now pay an extra per-person fee unless they use an annual or America the Beautiful pass; the fees page has current amounts.
Dogs stay on the Pa'rus Trail and in developed areas. Toxic cyanobacteria can grow in the river, so keep pets out and never drink untreated water.
Cell service is patchy. Download permits and maps before you arrive; the lodge has free WiFi.
Shuttles, visitor centers and the lodge are wheelchair accessible. The visitor center lends an all-terrain wheelchair and issues canyon driving permits to visitors who cannot ride the shuttle.
Apply on Recreation.gov, either in the seasonal lottery held ahead of each three-month period or in the day-before lottery, which closes at 3 pm Mountain Time. No permit is needed to hike as far as Scout Lookout.
Not while the shuttle runs, which in most years is March through November plus the Christmas holidays. The rest of the winter you can drive the scenic drive, though it closes for the day once parking fills.
One day covers the shuttle, the Riverside Walk and an easy hike. A second day allows Angels Landing or a long stretch of The Narrows, and a third the east side or Kolob Canyons.
Only on the paved Pa'rus Trail and in developed areas such as roads, campgrounds and the Zion Lodge grounds, on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Dogs cannot go on other trails or the shuttle.
Last checked September 2026.