More of this Feature • Part 1: Introduction • Part 3: Lodging & Dining • Part 4: Zion Activities • Part 5: Saving Money, Tips • Part 6: Hiking Zion

Zion Resources • Zion Essentials • Zion Photos • Zion Maps • Zion Travel Planner • Walking Zion

If You Go to Zion * Zion National Park * Zion Lodge * Zion Lodging * The World Outdoors

You can sample Zion in as little as a half day, or take up to 2-3 days depending on how much you want to hike and/or lounge around.

Getting There

Zion National Park is in southeast Utah on the Colorado Plateau, and its main attractions are on UT 9 half way between I-15 and US 89, about 43 miles northwest of St. George. You can enter the park from either side an drive straight through.

The nearest major airports to Zion are Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, and the most convenient way to get to Zion from either one is to rent a car and drive. Most visitors combine Zion with other national parks in a loop trip visit reminiscent of the Union Pacific Railroad's early twentieth century Grand Circle Tour, often visiting Bryce Canyon, Zion and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in the same trip. Unless you have a reason to visit northern Utah, Las Vegas is closer to Zion and the other southern Utah national parks than Salt Lake City is.

Opinion varies about whether to visit Zion first or last if you're on a circle tour. Many people find Zion to be the highlight of their southeast Utah tour, especially if they do on of its "jewel" hikes. However, because the rock formations are much less subtle in color and form than those at Bryce Canyon, and I find Zion to be somewhat of a let-down when it's visited last.

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Zion Area Map

Getting Around

In 2000, Zion banned most automobile traffic from Zion Canyon, and put in place a shuttle bus system. Thirty propane-powered buses, each one replacing 28 cars driving through the canyon, travel up and down the canyon at frequent intervals from March through late October. During those months, private vehicles will get a ranger-led escort out of the canyon, and a traffic ticket. Visitors staying in Zion Lodge must get a red permit before driving in.

The shuttles run from early morning into the evening, in two loops that connect at the Visitor Center. One goes through park, and the other through the town of Springdale. Parking often fills up at the Visitor Center, and your easiest option is to park in town and take the shuttle to the Visitor Center. Get off and walk across the creek to catch the Zion Canyon Shuttle. The shuttle is fully handicapped-accessible, but pets are not allowed.

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