Zion Planning Guide - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (2024)

  • Zion Shuttle Schedules
  • Angels Landing Permits
  • Ranger-led Activities
  • Visiting with a Pet
  • Stay Healthy at Zion

Welcome to Zion National Park!Zion Planning Guide - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (1)

Park rangers care for the special places set aside by the American people to conserve and experience our heritage. This page will help you learn how to steward and enjoy Zion.

Experiencing this desert oasis can be a magical, but it can also be dangerous if you're unprepared. Zion is shaped byforces to be reckoned with and respected.Planning ahead can you prepare to face or avoidscorching heat, frigid cold, or roaring flash floods.

When you're ready, Zion offers many experiences to enjoy. You can follow the paths where dinosaurs, indigenous people, and pioneers walked,gaze up at cream, pink, and red sandstone cliffs that soar into a brilliant blue sky, and explore Wilderness innarrow slot canyons. The park's unique landscapes, plants, animals, and history will enchant as you encounter their rich past while enjoying the excitement of present day adventures.

Your safety is your responsibility. Use this information to help informhappy,healthy visits at Zion National Park.

Zion Planning Guide - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (2)

Maps & Basic Information

Parking

Lots fill early year-round. When you are in Zion Canyon, you can park in Springdale and ride the free Zion Canyon Shuttle System to enter at our pedestrian entrance. You do not have to drive to enter Zion from Springdale.

No matter where you are in Zion, only use designated parking areas. Parking outside of designated spots can harm plants, animals, and history.

Seasonal Hours

Zion is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round. Park visitor center hours change seasonally. Check hours before you visit.

When the Zion Canyon Shuttle System is operating, Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only accessible by shuttle. If you want to use a personal vehicle on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive at a time of year when the shuttle is not running, check the Zion Canyon Shuttle Schedule.

Conditions change quickly. Check the forecast before you enter the park, dress in layers, and bring plenty of water no matter when during the year you visit. Flash floods are always possible, and it is essential to know what to expect before entering canyons. Trails and roads roads are sometimes not open due to rockfall, flooding, or weather.

Junior Ranger

Zion offers a guided and self-guided Junior Ranger booklet for visitors who are four years old and older. Check facility hours and get a Junior Ranger books for free at visitor centers, the Zion Human History Museum, and the Nature Center.

Maps

Zoom in on our map and tap the points that mark entrances, shuttle stops, visitor centers, trailheads, campgrounds, and other facilities.

For more maps, including the park brochure, large print publications, and backcountry hiking, camping, climbing, and canyoneering information in our Wilderness Guide, read Zion publications.

Everyone who visits Zion needs to have a park pass. You can buy a weekly pass (the cheapest pass we are authorized to sell) at the park entrance, or you can show an annual or lifetime pass.

If fee stations are not open when you enter the park, please pay when you leave or speak to a ranger with a cash register at a campground or visitor center.

Large vehicles like almost all motor homes, recreational vehicles (RVs), and travel trailers cannot travel through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel unless a ranger stops traffic so that the driver can drive over the tunnel center line. Most cars or SUVs can drive through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel at any time, but some pick-up trucks are too large to fit through the tunnel without traffic control.

Know when rangers will be present because you cannot drive a large vehicle or trailer through the tunnel (i.e. drive across Zion) unless they stop traffic for you.

Park Activities

  • Camping

    Campgrounds fill quickly in Zion. Make a reservation before you arrive.

  • Hiking in Zion Canyon

    Most visitors who come to the park enjoy hiking trails in Zion Canyon, many of which require the shuttle to access.

  • Backpacking

    Start planning an overnight backpacking trip, discover which trails are best for your group, and reserve permits in advance.

  • Canyoneering

    Technical canyoneering is an adventurous sport that requires ropes, harnesses, and other equipment and skills to safely descend slot canyons

  • Angels Landing Pilot Permit Program

    Enter a lottery, print or download your permit, and make your plans to hike Angels Landing

  • Free Ranger Programs

    Learn about the landscapes, plants, animals, and history that define Zion.

Need to Know

Your safety is your responsibility. Be prepared for your day ahead, and whether you ride a shuttle or drive your own car in Zion Canyon, be prepared for crowds.

  • Parking fills early year-round.

  • Park only in designated parking areas. Illegally parked vehicles can harm park plants and animals and may be ticketed or towed.

  • In general, fewer people visit Zion on weekdays than weekends. Consider arriving early or after 3 p.m. to avoid the busiest times of day.

  • Monitor weather reports and always check current conditions

  • Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and watch for signs of heat stress.

  • Stay on trails and avoid walking in the road.

  • Go Before You Go. Use restrooms at trailheads and shuttle stops before venturing out on trails.

  • B.A.R.K. in the park. Pets are only allowed in campgrounds, on paved surfaces, and the Pa’rus Trail. Plan ahead if you will visit with a pet.

  • Ride your bike on the road or the Pa’Rus Trail. Bicycling is not allowed on any other trails in the park. If you are riding in the road, you must stop to let buses pass you.

Follow Leave No Trace practices everywhere in the park and be sure to pack out all your trash.

Take a Hike

  • Kolob Canyons Trails

    Several hiking options are located in Kolob Canyons, the northwest corner of Zion National Park.

  • Kolob Terrace Hiking

    The Kolob Terrace boasts many miles of hiking trails at higher elevation than the main canyon of the park.

  • East Rim Area Trails

    This area is located east of Zion Canyon at a much higher elevation.

  • Wilderness Day Hikes

    Explore the many trails that access the Zion Wilderness.

  • The Narrows

    Know the flow before you go. Water can be fast, cold, and deep.

  • The Subway

    Every hiker needs a permit to visit the Left Fork of North Creek (the Subway).

Calendar of Events

Park rangers share their knowledge with free talks throughout the year. Look at our calendar to see when and where you can join a program during your visit.

Some programs require you to sign-up at a visitor center ahead of time, so be sure to read the details before you plan to attend.

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Zion Planning Guide - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (2024)
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