r/ZionNationalPark

My boyfriend and I are staying in Kanab for 5 days. We plan on spending 2 days at Zion, 1 day at Bryce Canyon, and 1 day exploring some more local, shorter hikes (Belly of the Dragon, Moqui Caverns, Dinosaur tracks, etc.). That leaves us with 1 "rest day." Is there any non-hiking places we should go on our day off?

First, I KNOW that one day is not enough to fully experience ZNP. I get it. Please don't answer if you're just going to lecture me on that point. One day is not enough, understood. But one day is what we have. Moving on.

We're doing a road trip along the Utah/Arizona border in June. Yes, it's a lot of driving but we're used to it.

• Day 1 - Fly from New York to Vegas in the morning, drive to and visit Pipe Spring National Monument. Drive to Zion National Park Lodge and spend the night.
• Day 2 - Zion National Park all day. Staying in St. George that night. Hoping to grab a second night at the Lodge if it opens up.
• Day 3 - Church in the morning. Drive to and visit Cedar Breaks. Stay in Brian Head.
• Day 4 - Drive to and visit Bryce Canyon National Park all day. Stay in Brian Head.
• Day 5 - Drive from Brian Head to Page. Nothing planned for the day besides the drive.
• Day 6 - Flightseeing tour over Glen Canyon and Rainbow Bridge.
• Day 7 - Navajo National Monument
• Day 8 - Drive from Page back to Vegas
• Day 9 - Fly home

My question for this group is how to best take advantage of the fact that we're staying at the Lodge the night before our Zion day. We have no problem waking up as early as needed to beat the crowds, but I'm having a hard time envisioning the size of the park and the logistics of the shuttle system. It sounds like the shuttle that comes to the Lodge is coming FROM the VC, so it'll already be full first thing in the morning? If that's the case is it even possible to beat the crowds?

We will have young kids in our party so we will not be doing Angel's Landing or The Narrows, but they can handle Moderate hikes up to ~5 miles on a single hike or ~7 miles in a single day split over multiple hikes.

Just got word that my wife has a conference in Salt Lake City in mid-June, so we're going to take the first part of that week and head to Zion for a couple of days. Looked at Cable Mountain because the cabins and lodge are sold out. We are driving down Sunday afternoon after we land to just get there and get acquainted.

Any recommendations for places between Salt Lake City and Zion to stop? Also, I know it's going to be hella hot, so we'll try to do the mornings as early as possible. Any recommendations there? Can you get the e-bikes pretty easily and bypass some of the shuttle stuff?

Any tips you wish you would have known first time there and in?

I’m taking my 10-year-old son on a 5-day trip out West and would love a quick sanity check from folks who know these parks well. Trying to balance “wow” moments with not overdoing it. Last days of May/first of June

Day 1 (Sat May 30th):
Fly into Vegas in the morning, then drive to the Zion area. Hoping to squeeze in a short scenic hike that evening if energy allows.

Day 2 (Sun):
Early start in Zion, planning to do the Narrows (bottom-up) and then keep the afternoon pretty relaxed (picnic, light exploring, early night).

Day 3 (Mon):
Drive from Zion to Grand Canyon South Rim. Planning a couple of key stops (Desert View + Mather Point) and a short walk along the rim, then continue on to stay near Peach Springs. This is a long day of driving, I know.

Day 4 (Tue):
All-day rafting trip on the Colorado River (Hualapai) with a helicopter exit...crash in desert Airbnb with stargazing.

Day 5 (Wed):
sleep in. Drive back to Vegas and fly home in the afternoon.

Flights and rafting trip are booked already, so those are fixed. What's the 1 top tip or insight you would add if doing this?

I’m heading to Zion National Park for one full day and looking for help building a solid itinerary for me and my GF (she has horrible stamina) We are going this Friday and our ultimate goal is to have beautiful scenic views doing nothing dangerous.

I hear e bikes are nice and so far thinking these are good options; Riverside Walk, Lower Emerald Pools, maybe Canyon Overlook?

We have a rental and are open to taking shuttle

I'm a research scientist and (amateur) graphic design enthusiast. Zion is my favorite NP and I just visited for the second time a few weeks ago, during which I joined this group while getting excited for my trip.

Like many others, my heart broke reading about the recent death in the park. I've seen so many comments circulating about Angel's Landing falls and other deaths in the park since then. I came across archives of all park related incidents (https://npshistory.com/morningreport/incidents/zion.htm) and it honestly hasn't left my mind since.

Long story short, I'm part-way through compiling an infographic timeline of all park related deaths since recordkeeping began in the 1980s, but its taking me a while and I'm not going to prioritize it if its just for me... but it doesn't have to be just for me.

I'd be really happy to share this resource with you all if it sounds like something people would be interested in and, more importantly, if it would be useful to prospective Zion visitors.

My goals are to not sensationalize whatsoever (for example: I refuse to use a stick figure icon falling for fall-related deaths, none of the categorical icons will depict humans being hurt)... my goal is purely to inform.

For example, I've noticed some deaths occur in "clusters," indicative of an increase in broader hazardous conditions rather than genuine, by-chance accidents... these are things that really might help people be safer in Zion.

My plan right now is to categorize first by CoD (falling, climbing, MVA, drowning, etc) and use a category marker along the timeline, then also come up with a way to indicate if this happened at a popular destination like Angel's Landing, Narrows,

Is this something you're interested in? Any requests?* Suggestions?

*I refuse to do anything that is distasteful, disrespectful, sensationalizing, or dishonoring to these victims. On that note, I'm all ears to hearing suggestions as to how I can make sure the final data visualization values these moral guidelines. I'm also genuinely interested to hear if you think this is a bad idea altogether despite my positive intentions- really... I am listening.

Thank you.

Hi, my wife and I are planning a road trip from Denver to Vegas in late May 2026. We have 2 kids: 11 and 12. The current plan is to rent a car in Denver, spend 2 nights at Arches NP, 2 nights at Bryce Canyon and 3 nights at Zion before reaching Vegas for a night before our flight home.

Question:

There's so much to see in the area... From Moab (Arches NP) to Bryce, is it better to take the more direct route of hwy 70 and focus on getting to Bryce or would we be missing out huge by not going the longer route of 191-South via Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon? If we opted for the longer route South we'd likely try and break up the trip by spending a night halfway from Moab to Antelope in Monument Valley.

To fir everything in we'd likely have to cut Zion down to 2 days from the current 3.

Wondering if anyone has any opinions on what the better options are... essentially focus on the 3 Natl' Parks we have or add Monument V and Antelope and more driving while sacrificing a but of time at Zion.

Thanks in advance all.

I was coming in from Bryce Canyon and there was a bit of traffic before the overlook trail. Saw some search and rescue cars. Does anyone know any information? Hope no one was hurt especially since the most recent incident.

Hi! 47F here bringing her two 12 year old twin boys on their first out west hike! They are boyscouts and used to camping/hiking, but as someone who hiked Arches and Canyonlands in a week of constant 107 degrees, I know out west is a totally different beast!

We are landing in LV on a Thursday in June and flying out of LV the following Tuesday. So we have 5 total nights. Our plan is to get off the plane, pick up the SUV rental and stay Thursday night in Vegas (no gambling despite how desperate my 12 year old is to try lol) and then leave Friday morning for Zion. We want to stay Friday night in Zion and then either stay one more night in Zion if having fun or head on to Bryce. I have already booked nights at the lodge inside the park in Bryce Canyon for Saturday, Sunday and Monday; but am willing to eat the Saturday night if we are having fun in Zion and want to stay an extra day.

My question: where is the best place to stay in Zion. Im seeing Springdale is probably the best town, looking for hotel suggestions for me and two kids. Money isn’t much of a problem I’ve saved forever for this trip so I can splurge on whatever hotel is best suited for us.

Next question: activities at Zion: my kids desperately want to do the Narrows. Is that realistic? They are both taller than me and extremely strong swimmers/athletic. But they are still 12 year olds. If that is a safe consideration for something we can do, what else do you recommend? I have a vehicle so I can drive to wherever (although I realize shuttles are required to see most places). We don’t have extensive gear, what should we rent and where from? I don’t want to over rent gear and have us bogged down. Is it even possible to get the Angels passes at this point in the game? So many questions I know and I appreciate anyone taking the time to answer! My mom died 2 months ago after a vicious 10 month cancer battle. Her and I and the kids were supposed to be taking this trip. I will be spreading her ashes during it, in a place that I get approval from before I do. She hiked the 107 degree week in Moab with me back 3 years ago. She was 72! Such a beast! She could do anything! I miss her and can’t wait to take her with me in heart and soul on this trip.

Most importantly, I want this to be amazing for my kids as losing Funny Grandma devastated them as much as me and this trip is to help us all heal.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!!!!!

We are planning to visit the Southwest National Parks Loop (Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon, and the Grand Canyon) from May 17 to May 23.

This will be our first time visiting Zion National Park. Our flight arrives in Las Vegas around noon, so we expect to reach Zion at about 6:00 PM. The next day, we plan to hike Angels Landing in the morning and then explore more of the park afterward.

We are planning to drive to Bryce Canyon National Park in the late afternoon, since we have a hotel booked there for the night of May 18.

I’m wondering if one day in Zion (actually less than a full day) is enough. After reading many reviews, I’m starting to regret that we are only staying one night.

I also have questions about what kind of clothing to bring. Will it still be cold in the morning in late May?

Here is what I’m planning to pack:

.Short-sleeve hiking T-shirt

.Long-sleeve hiking shirt

.Light, breathable jacket

.Hiking shorts

.Hiking pants (Do I need warmer, cold-weather hiking pants?)

.Windproof, breathable jacket

.Sun hat (Do I also need a warmer hat?), sunglasses, hiking boots, and hiking socks

Thank you in advance for any advice!

Hi all!

I was really lucky this morning to snag a campground at Watchman after turning on alert a couple days ago and this really helped us to cut down the early morning drive from St. George into the park.

I was looking at google maps and wanted to ask if people are allowed to cross the Virgin river on the west side of the camp and walk into springdale.

We have an e-bike reservation for our one full day at zion and plan to pick it up around 0500-0600. We don’t really want to drive up because then we have two vehicles to deal with and only one of us knows how to drive. The main option is to walk and I was looking at walking route that kinda takes you through a very roundabout way to go back into town. It would be really helpful if we can just cross the river and get to our ebike rental.

Has anyone else done this or knows if we can cross the river close to the restrooms? We are camping on loop B

I received so many tips on my itinerary and getting into the park that I wanted to share my experience.

My partner and I went to the park with the intention of hiking the Narrows bottom-up. We got there Thursday evening at 5pm, and picked up the rental gear from Zion outfitters that was conveniently located near the visitor center. Since they close at 7pm, and they have 2 hours free parking for customers, we were able to park our car there and avoid looking for parking in the visitor parking, while we walked over and completed Watchman’s trail at sunset. I will say, that was completely underrated and the view is amazing! We came back down with headlamps.

The next day, we got to the visitor parking at 6:45am. We got easy parking - a third of the lot was empty- and were able to get into the first shuttle of the day at 7am. Thanks to everyone who recommended to get there early!

We got our gear on and started the Riverside trail from Stop 9 at 8:30am, and took our time in the water, stopped and took photos and ate snacks. At any time there were less than a handful of people around us and everyone was helping each other in harder parts to navigate. We turned around at Wall Street and got back to the start of the Narrows at 1:30. By then there were a lot of people in the water, especially in the first 1 mile of the trail. I highly recommend getting the gear, we saw a bunch of people raw-dogging the trail in flip flops and kids on their shoulders and we were worried for them. The rocks are slippery and there are bits where the current of the water makes it hard to navigate without a wooden stick or trekking poles . I wouldn’t take it lightly, especially with children.

We went back by shuttle, and had lunch at the Brewpub without moving the car from our parked spot.

After returning the gear at Zion Outfitters, we took out the car and drove up to the Canyon Overlook trail and completed that for sunset. It was an easy <1hr trail and we got lucky with parking right at the beginning. It can get scary for people scared of heights but I promise it isn’t hard with the right shoes, don’t get tunnel vision! People were very respectful and gave each other space and time in the narrow bits.

The next morning we drove through the park and out of the East Entrance to head to Bryce National Park. The tunnel view was amazing!

Overall, our experience at the park was great. In light of recent events,(the day we were there) I’d recommend not to take any trail lightly. Read people’s experiences, check AllTrails, wear the right gear, and don’t pack too much into your trip and tire yourself out. There’s something there for everyone and don’t feel pressured to do a hike because of FOMO!

Wanted to see if anyone had a water level report for the subway hike (or more recent photos). Heading that way the first week of May and trying to make sure my neoprene socks and boots will be enough.

Have checked USGS for the left fork and they have no information.

I have a reservation at Watchman this Fall and want to sanity check the actual parking pad dimensions. The site I have booked is angled relative to the road and is listed at 19' x 15'. I just wanted to know from people that have camped or parked a van at such sites if the 19' length refers to the shortest of the two sides?

Thanks

In light of the tragedy at AL on Friday I wanted to reach out to those who have done the hike for tips on successfully and enjoyably completing the chains section.

Proper etiquette for passing/letting others through, how to stay hydrated, where to take a bathroom break, gloves or no gloves for chains, what to do if you feel unsteady/where to rest, how to prepare the night before, etc. Feel free to add any suggestions you may have to help foster safety and fun on Angels Landing.