Springdale, Utah
General Information
Zion National Park is one of the most visited National Parks in the United States, and after having spent a weekend in May, I can understand why. The closest of the Utah Mighty 5 to Las Vegas airport, Zion also sits nearly on top of Springdale which is established enough to be a great town to enjoy when you're not inside of the park. It is an absolutely gorgeous park and there's very little to not love. I didn't hike every single trail, but I did explore a lot of Zion Canyon and enjoyed most of it. Unlike most other national parks you may visit, Zion has a few extra items that you will need to consider in your planning.
For most of the year, Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is accessible only through the park shuttle or your own two feet (or two wheels). The shuttle is the only way in and out of Zion Canyon for the majority of the year, And, in case you were worried about the shuttle not being able to get you where you want to go, I'm here to tell you not to worry. The buses run fairly frequently and you can hop on a bus heading further into the park (up canyon) or the one heading out (down canyon) to get around. They run every 5-10 minutes, so as long as the bus has room, it won't take long to get where you need to go. The bus routes have nine stops starting at the visitor center and ending at the Temple of the Sinawava, with occasional closures. In the 2024 season, the Weeping Rock stop (#7) was closed due to a major rockfall event blocking off several trails.
The best place to pick up the shuttle is at the visitor center, but unless you plan on getting there early you are unlikely to find parking. During peak season months, the parking lot is typically full by 8:00 am. The best way to avoid circling the parking lot for who knows how long is to take the Springdale shuttle and if you're staying in town, probably stops at your hotel. I found this shuttle to be a bit slower, and the NPS says it's around every 15 minutes. The benefit of using this shuttle is that you don't have to pay for parking in addition to what you're likely already paying where you're staying. This also allows you to walk through the pedestrian access gate behind Zion Outfitters. The same rules apply here as through the vehicle access gates, so have your access pass and ID or money ready. Once entering through this gate, you are nearly at the visitor center doors.
The park store at Zion is one of the most extensive I've seen, and if there's any collectible item you want, they probably have it in more than one version. Additionally, there is a lot of gear that can be picked up last minute if needed. Because it is such a busy park and everyone wants their souvenirs, expect to wait a little in line but please be sure to show the cashiers a little patience. Additionally, check out the park's history by strolling around the visitor center. The base rock of Zion Canyon NP makes up the rim rock of the Grand Canyon NP. A similar situation exists between Bryce Canyon NP and Zion. This is part of the Grand Staircase, a series of "steps" in the Earth's surface that ultimately lead to the 1.8 billion-year-old rock layer known as the Vishnu Schist in the Grand Canyon. If you ever get the opportunity to explore the Staircase, it is just as breathtaking as the national parks surrounding it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you drive Zion Canyon Scenic Drive?
Personal vehicles are generally not allowed on the drive when the shuttle is in operation. According to the 2024 schedule, this would be during the winter months with most of December through to early May. However, the shuttle system operates fantastically and I would highly recommend riding the shuttle to protect our park system.
Can you fly into Zion National Park?
The closest airport to Zion is St. George Regional Airport. If you're flying out of one of the few airports that fly nonstop to St. George, this is probably a great option for you. If this is not the case, as it will be for most of you, your best option is to fly into Las Vegas and drive. While the drive from Las Vegas is an hour and a half more, your layover to get to St. George is likely just as long, if not longer. If you plan on visiting other national parks in Utah, or any of the great state parks and national monuments, flying into or out of Salt Lake City is also an option. However, the drive specifically from Zion is over four hours.
When is Zion National Park open?
As a park, Zion is open year-round (minus holidays) and 24/7 if you don't need to speak to a person, but that doesn't necessarily mean the entire park is accessible year-round. During the peak months of May to September, the park is full and fully operational aside from closures due to natural reasons such as high water (the Narrows) and rock falls.
Are dogs allowed in the park?
Yes? But they can't go in public facilities, on the shuttle, or on any trails so unless you have a plan to watch them while you're out in the park, I wouldn't recommend bringing them.
My Experience
I arrived in Springdale after a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon following a six-hour climb out of the canyon. After three nights of backpacking, I was ready for a shower and a bed. I quite enjoy staying at Best Westerns, and I found the one in Springdale to be as good as I had hoped. The first thing I did after checking in was take a shower and if you know, you know. I had skipped lunch on the way to Springdale and my stomach was reminding me it was way past time to eat. I had picked out Zion Brew Pub for dinner, which was outstanding. I had a burger and a soft pretzel to try to make up for lunch and get some energy for the next day. After dinner, I made a beeline back to my room watched some Suits, took a melatonin, and then passed out. After sleeping on a sleeping pad, which is still comfortable but not mattress comfortable, the bed was awesome.
After a week of rising with the sun, waking up at 6:30 am felt like a luxury. A continental breakfast was ready in the hotel lobby, and I sampled a lot of everything available. I was especially happy to have some orange juice, which I believe is often overlooked in continental breakfasts. Following breakfast, it was time to take care of the laundry. Even vacationers have chores to attend to. My biggest concern was my dirt-stained pants from the Grand Canyon, which are still stained several months and washes later. While my clothes were in the wash, I stayed in the laundry room browsing apartments and doing some light shopping. It definitely wasn't the most comfortable workspace, and I would have preferred to be back in bed watching TV, but at least I had stable internet. When I was folding, I noticed that a few items, including my favorite shirt, were missing. Note to self when traveling, don't separate items into multiple bags or if you do, keep the bags in one central bag. I didn't have time to dry anything after a quick soapy rinse, but I knew that if I could find a way to leave it outside in the sun for a little they would dry in no time. Utah has an extremely arid climate and most things dry very quickly.
I reached the park entrance a little past 11 am and noticed that the line to enter wasn't very long. I think this is because most visitors end up realizing they need to park in Springdale and either take the shuttle or walk to the park, contributing to the short line. I had good luck leading up to that day and had hoped to find parking towards the back of the lot by lunchtime, but I couldn't even locate the back of the lot after wandering around for about ten minutes. I ended up on the road leading out of the park and decided to try parking down in Springdale which ended up being $30 for the day. If you're staying at a hotel, just go ahead and use the town shuttle. Opting for the shuttle not only helps reduce pollution and congestion around the park entrance but also enhances the safety and enjoyment for all visitors. While waiting for my friend to catch up, I browsed through the gift store, which I found quite enjoyable. The store offered a wide variety of options, and it was fascinating to see the diverse collectibles on display. Once my friend joined me, we boarded the shuttle, packed pretty tightly, and set off to our first destination.
Zion requires you to get off at the last stop heading into the park, even if it isn't your final destination. So, depending on how you want to spend your day in the park, you will likely end up doing Riverside Walk or hanging out on the bank here whether you want to or not. This is one of the most accessible trails in the park and also one of the most crowded. Riverside Walk leads to the start of the Narrows, so the end of the trail is kind of a cool sight. Because the buses at Zion run so frequently, you can't hike this trail without running into groups of people, even if you try to wait. As far as trails, it was super enjoyable as a warm-up to the park! Walking along the Virgin River was a great way to get excited for the days ahead. After Riverside Walk, we made our way to the Emerald Pools trails. Unfortunately, the bridge to access the trailhead at the typical stop, number five, was closed. This meant we had to get off at stop number six, The Grotto, and take the Kayenta Trail. I didn't find that this added any length to the trail but I do think that everybody having to take the same path to the pools makes the Kayenta Trail a little overcrowded. We had originally planned on going to the Middle Pool, but when we got there it was hard to realize we had reached the end of the trail. It wasn't what I was expecting and was honestly a little underwhelming. We had gotten a tip to take the extra 0.2-mile walk to the Upper Pool, so we decided to continue on to see if there would be a better spot to stop for a minute. I should note that at this point, it was 1:00 pm, in the low 80s with full sun, and very little wind. It felt very hot and I was starting to feel the heat. Utah is a very arid environment and you do not get the benefits from sweat like you would in other parks so please be mindful of the heat and sun exposure. It is very easy to get burned and it is very easy to get dehydrated and overheat. The Upper Pool was definitely an awesome place to drop our bags for a while. The pool is huge and it sits in kind of a cave-like structure. The water was emerald green and, we think, there were tons of frogs talking around the cave. It was a really cool experience and everyone there seemed to be equally enjoying the peace. Around the Lower Pool, we had heard a ton of kids but the Upper Pool was quiet and felt almost meditative. We stayed there for a nice break before heading back to the trailhead. On the way up, I saw a ton of incredible views that looked into Zion Canyon which I thought would have been fantastic photo opportunities had there not been so many people. On the way down, there were a lot fewer people and I was able to take advantage of some of those photo ops.
After hiking in the heat, we were a little hungry and a lot tired, so we headed back to the visitor center and since it was finally past check-in time, I was able to move into the campground for my two-night stay. For those staying in Watchman, it is possible to walk to a grocery store just outside of the park. There are a lot of different loops in the Watchman Campground, so when you're picking your site be sure to pay attention to which site you're booking. Typically, I try to get electric hookups so I can charge everything but I ended up booking the tent-only campground with water hookups only. I saw a lot of rooftop tents and a couple of car campers. The park officers rode around a few times and never said anything about my setup, so I think they're pretty relaxed. I did find that the sites were pretty close together and that it is a very noisy campground. Because Zion is so popular, there are a lot of people with kids staying in the campground, which I find to be quite the opposite of what I normally see. The sites were pretty big though. I'm guessing I haven't figured out how to properly do tent stakes cause I kept hitting rock and ended up fashioning some tie-downs using the guy wires. A few of the sites I passed while walking to and from the bathroom seemed to be a lot more tent-friendly. There were uncovered picnic tables and fire rings at each site, as well as a designated parking spot for your vehicle. The bathrooms were quite nice, but I will say if you want a shower you will have to walk to the Zion Outfitters outside of the park. It's five dollars for four minutes and they take cash and card. I felt like four minutes was just a hair too short to shower and wash my hair, but afterward, I thought I probably could have done it. I spent the rest of the evening hiding in the shade. There was a nice breeze that helped, as did sitting in the shade of trees. Between sitting with the sun occasionally hitting me and constantly forgetting to put on sunscreen, I was a little burnt the next day.
The second full day at Zion was the whole reason for planning my trip the way I did. Several months before, I had applied for an Angel's Landing permit and got it for a Monday morning in May with a trailhead start time before 9:00 am.
The first park bus departs at 7:00 am, which was the one I aimed to catch. However, it proved challenging to make it on time without a quick breakfast or pre-packed essentials. Despite this, we managed to board a bus around 7:30 am and hit the trail just 20 minutes later. Unlike the previous day's relaxed pace, we didn't wait for the crowd to thin out before starting this hike. The story of Angel's Landing included 17 fatalities, prompting the installation of safety chains and a permit system, and I was determined to reach Scout's Lookout to avoid the crowds. The initial stretch of the West Rim trail offered a pleasant walk by the Virgin River before the steep ascent began, seemingly never-ending. It felt like walking on a treadmill set at a constant incline of nine. On sections of the incline, the trail is actually cut into the walls. The next portion is through a forested quiet zone to help protect owls. If you're lucky to go at a less crowded time of the day, this section is incredibly peaceful. After the peace, starts the 21 switchbacks of Walter's Wiggles. They are short and steep, but it isn't a terrible incline. It's pretty easy to power through if you keep a slow and steady pace. Up on Scout's Lookout, there are restrooms available, and the landing is a nice break before starting (or ending) the permitted section. There are still plenty of awesome views from this area if you aren't lucky enough to get permits, and I believe you can hike even further up the canyon walls if you continue along the West Rim Trail.
We headed on to tackle the permit section of Angel's Landing, and although I initially believed I could handle the heights, I soon realized that was not going to be the case. When we reached only a few hundred feet into the chain section, I found myself gripping the chains with both hands. Most of this portion is walking along the edge with cliffs on either side. In some areas, there was enough space for a tiny group of people to pass through. In other parts, we had to wait and cross in a single-file line. At more than one point on the trail, I felt like a mountain goat on a cliff. There were even sections where I felt uneasy sharing the chain with another person. My hiking companion had grabbed the same chain, and when I felt it pull backward, I freaked out a little. Excluding that incident, I didn't find the trail to be overly challenging.
Because we had started a little late, there were a lot more people than I had wanted but the chain section was still fairly quiet. I would think that later in the day, when more people were on the chain portion, having to pass by people would increase the fear factor. When we got to Angel's Landing, we took our photos and then turned around. Unlike most of my hikes, I did not want to stop and snack here even though it was an incredible view. My personal opinion on this trail is that having to deal with a crowded chain section decreases the value of the view. Especially if you can't spend time and enjoy it. Heading back down, I did use intentionally slide on my butt a few times, a few others I walked down backward because it felt safer than going down front first, and in some sections, I was able to walk fairly normally. A few people we passed on the trail were quite fearful of heights and were requesting a large distance between themselves and others which, while I understand, is hard to do on this trail. Others had already chosen to turn around and were walking back with us if I heard some groups' conversations correctly. There is some wildlife on this trail, including several chipmunks that had no fear and were practically running over your feet to get food. Of all the places I have been, the wildlife in Zion has become way too comfortable around people. While on the trail, we had actually come across a fellow who was trying to scare off a California Condor and was encouraging people to act threatening if they came across it. While the animals aren't friendly, they definitely don't have a fear of people. It wasn't just on the trail that I noticed this, either. I saw it in the campground when a couple of deer were wandering around people's campsites looking for food.
By the time we got back to the bus stop, our feet were tired. Mine, from a week of hiking, and my friend's because good hiking shoes are important. We decided to stop at Zion Lodge because the bus driver had mentioned that there was a nice little cafe to stop at. Somehow, I was fooled into thinking cafe meant there would be coffee. We got there a little before noon, but a few people were already trying to crack open a cold one. The only coffee they had was a standard brew, which wasn't exactly what I was looking for. They did have some food available that would have been good to snack on, but I had a fantastic lunch waiting for me at camp. We hopped on the next down-canyon bus and at this time, which was around lunch, there was a line forming with people who were repeatedly getting skipped by buses going further into the canyon. At some point, it does get busy enough that you need to try to get to another stop to get on a bus. The bus drivers will tell you this information, so there's no reason to ignore it in the hopes that a bus will show up empty. The trails between stops, where available, are not long or hard and would personally be my preferred alternative over getting repeatedly skipped.
When we got back to the visitor center, we went our separate ways. In an effort to find the coffee I had wanted, I stopped at Canyon Coffee House which was a little further down the road from the Zion Outfitters. They had a cute outdoor patio section that was nice to sit down and enjoy the coffee. I had tried one of their signature lattes, which I think was a maple lavender. To be honest, I can never taste any of the subtle flavors they add to these, so I will probably stick with caramel and mocha lattes going forward. That was pretty much the last thing I did with my time at Zion and Springdale. I headed back to my campsite, tried to stay cool, and packed up my car as the evening drew on.
TLDR
If you want to avoid the hassle of finding a parking spot, take the shuttle. It picks up at most hotels and will save you $30 in daily parking fees, which I unfortunately had to pay. The shuttle system is honestly fantastic though, so it's not a hassle to take it. If you do get stuck with buses being too full inside the canyon, which happens, it is possible to take a short trail between different stops.
Riverside Walk is extremely crowded but is a short warm-up walk along the river. Because the bus drivers will kick you off the bus at this stop anyway, you might as well hike to the end to see the entrance to the Narrows. Also because everyone gets kicked off at this stop, it is super accessible and incredibly crowded. The Emerald Pools can be accessed using two different stops, which is handy if one of them needs to be closed. The Lower Pool is a better option over the Middle Pool, which is quite underwhelming, but the Lower Pool had a lot of kids when I was there. The Upper Pool is the better of the Emerald Pools, but respect the peace and quiet if you choose to go. The hike to Scout's Landing is almost entirely uphill on a rather steep incline, but it isn't impossible and it's a well-paved trail. There's a quiet section to help protect some of the wildlife in the area, so please be mindful and leave no trace. (Yes that includes noise) There's a restroom at the landing and plenty of room to look out over Zion Canyon and snack. Angel's Landing is not for the faint of heart and many people attempt this trail and turn back after a couple hundred feet. Be early or be late, but do not go in the middle of the day if you want to avoid a crowded chain section. Keep at least one hand on the chain even if you don't think you need it, be patient, and let people pass as necessary, whether they or coming down or moving faster than you.
There are many loops inside of the campground, some with electric hookups and some without. It's a little easy to get turned around the first time you get inside the campground, but once you find your spot it makes sense. It's a pretty loud campground because of the number of people and proximity to Springdale, and you don't feel like you have a lot of privacy at your site. Deer will wander into your campsite, so be sure to button down any food. You can walk to showers, which cost money, and a grocery store for any of your needs outside of the park. Showers are $5 for four minutes and if you skip the conditioner, you can probably make it in that time.
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