Zion National Park
Riverside Walk at Temple of Sinawava
Even though Utah is home to five national parks, my husband and I have visited Zion National Park far more than any of the other parks and so many times that we have lost count. The reason for this is because we like to visit the St. George, Utah area multiple times a year. Zion is only about an hour outside of St. George so it makes it really easy for us to pop over to the park. Since we are a family with four young children under the age of ten - we are mild park visitors and don’t do anything too extreme. We just love to be outside and explore the trails so everything we do is pretty relaxed and very kid-friendly.
The Best Time To Visit
First, we have visited Zion during most seasons of the year and the best time to visit is in the early spring or the late fall. The prettiest is definitely October time when the autumn foliage is stunning, but if the weather is nice - you’ll still be battling crowds.
The summer is an absolute zoo and can get hot so I never recommend anyone travel to the park during peak tourist season. I understand this is the time most people do travel so if you do go in the summer, you need to plan to be there very early. It probably depends on the day, but we had friends who got there at 6:00 AM and were turned away. They came back the next day at 5:00 AM were able to get into the park. The shuttles usually begin around 6:30-7:00 and you can only see the Scenic View Drive by shuttle so once you get into the park you’ll want to head to the Visitor’s Center to park and get in line for the shuttles.
Keep in mind since this part of Utah can get to 100+ degrees in the summer - most people want to be in the park nice and early to avoid hiking in the heat. I will say, probably the only pro of Zion in the summer is that it is the most pleasant time of year to hike the famous slot canyons - the Narrows. If you want to do this hike at other times of the year - you’ll definitely want to be prepared with the right gear though because it can be chilly hiking in the water.
Riverwalk Trail
Now, if you have some flexibility when you travel, November or February can be some of the best times of the year to visit the park. The pro to visiting during these months is that there are very few people there and the park is still beautiful - the trees are a little barren, but everything else is still magnificent. It is so peaceful and calm and I feel like you can actually enjoy the serenity. The con is since the weather is unpredictable it may be beautiful sunny weather one week and rainy or even snowy the next week which might limit what you can do. Also keep in mind for any time of the year that flash floods in Zion are a very real thing.
However, if you can hit it at the right time when there are no crowds, the shuttles don’t run and you are free to drive your car up the Scenic View Drive as long as the parking lots up there don’t get too full. If they get too full, they’ll start to control who they let up onto the drive. A few weeks ago we got there at a relaxed 10:30 AM and had no problem getting in, but when we left around noon the junction gate was down.
When we do plan to go into Zion we usually plan to go sometime during the last two weeks of February. Last year (2023) we had a really heavy winter and knew it would be freezing to go so we didn’t even attempt it. But, this year, we watched the weather and snuck away the third week of February and the weather was perfect. It was mid-60’s so we did have jackets in the morning, but by mid-afternoon we were hiking and biking without them.
This time I asked a park ranger when they expect crowds to pick up and she said that March 3 is when Scenic View Drive will transition to shuttle only services and they’ll start to prepare for the spring break crowds. If I had to choose - I’d choose spring break crowds over summer crowds. I feel like in the past we’ve visited sometime in March or April and have had minimal shuttle wait times, but I can’t quite remember.
Always double check what parts of the park are actually open because it isn’t uncommon for certain areas to be under maintenance. In all the times we’ve been to Zion - the museum has never been open when we’re there. Maybe that’s because it only opens in the summer, but I don’t know?! There are always notifications on the National Park Service website and you can check here for the most up to date guide they’d hand you at the park entryway.
Our Favorite Things To Do
Since we always come from St. George - we enter in from the Springdale South Entrance. Springdale is a fun town to visit and we like to explore the gem stores here. I always recommend going and visiting the NP first and doing everything you want to do there before spending time in Springdale. The little city is fun to relax in after a long day in the park.
If you’ve been following us for a little while, you know we like the Junior Ranger Program so we do like to stop at the Visitor’s Center and get our booklets, stamp our passports, and this time around we decided to add the collector’s coins to our souvenirs. They have a great little bookstore to visit too. However, if you’re visiting on a day you’re worried about crowds - I’d just save all this for last.
Pa’rus Trail
Besides the Narrows - which are pretty spectacular - the Weeping Rock is my favorite place to visit. The water that is seeping out of the the Navajo sandstone is 1000 years old which just blows my mind every time I think about it. When you’re planning your trip, double check if this stop is open though. It was closed for a number of years, finally re-opened, and then had to close again last fall due to a rock slide.
The Emerald Pool hikes are also really popular. We’ve only ever hiked to the Lower Emerald Pool and it was before we had kids so I can’t say if I’d feel comfortable taking young children on the trail. On the information guide, all of the Emerald Pool hikes are described to have moderate drop-offs so we opted out of trying them on our most recent trip.
In my opinion the best kid-friendly walk/hike is at the Temple of Sinawava which is the last stop on the Scenic View Drive. It’s called Riverside Walk. There is a beautiful waterfall and you hike along the Virgin River. It’s absolutely stunning. This is also where you’d go to get to the Narrows.
The Grotto trail is also very family-friendly - it’s like one of those walking trails you might want to get up and do first thing in the morning, but it isn’t deep into the canyons so it isn’t quite as impressive as the Riverside Walk.
We also really like the Pa’rus Trail. This is beautiful to just walk, but it’s also pet and bike friendly so anytime we’ve done this trail we actually bring our bikes. We like to drop the kids and either my husband or I off at the top of the trailhead (which is right at Canyon Junction) and bike downhill and meet back at the Visitor’s Center parking lot.
The Zion Mount Carmel Highway is a drive you don’t want to miss! There have been many times where we don’t even go up the Scenic View Drive and spent our whole time just exploring this area (there is a fun tunnel to go through). Then, you can exit out the East Entrance and easily spend hours exploring this area. It is so pretty over there. You can easily drive out of the park and explore it and then turn around and go back into the east entrance (not something I necessarily recommend doing when there are really long lines to enter the park though.)
If you’re up for a day trip outside of Zion - what we also like to do is enter in the south entrance of the park, drive the Zion Mount Carmel Highway and then exit out the east entrance. Drive that really pretty scenic route an hour east to Mt. Carmel Junction and then we loop back west to the city of Hurricane. On the way and about 20 minutes south of Mt. Carmel Junction off Hwy 89 you can find the Belly of the Dragon which is a really fun pit-stop. It’s kind of an odd turn off the high way and not marked very well so be sure to look it up on your GPS and keep an eye out for it. If you’re up for even more fun - head south about another 15 minutes and visit the glow-in-the dark Moqui Cave! There are also dinosaur tracks here. I think a lot of people who visit Zion miss these fun little spots. It takes a little bit longer, but the Coral Pink Sand Dunes are also in this area. I don’t think the dunes are as impressive because there is red sand all over St. George area, but it may be something others are interested in.
Where To Stay
I may not be as helpful here because we have family property near the St. George area that we always stay at, but I can point you in the right direction.
Sand Hollow State Park
If you are RVing (or camping), you can stay directly in the park, but I imagine reservations go quickly. My husband stayed at the Zion River Resort many years ago and loved it. Sand Hollow State Park is another popular place to camp and is about an hour away from Zion.
I can tell you that besides staying directly in the park, Springdale is going to be the closest city to the south entrance to the park - which also means it’ll probably be more pricy. We’ve visited with friends who stayed at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort which is on the east side of Zion and it is also a really nice place to vacation. There are other places to stay on the east side of Zion, but I am not as familiar with them.
If you’re looking to eventually head east and visit other Utah National Parks or drop down and spend lots of time in Kanab you’ll probably want to stay on the east side of the park.
Obviously do your research and think of what other areas you may want to explore, if any. If you’re not attached to heading east - I would also recommend looking into hotels and Air BNBs in the bigger cities of La Verkin, Hurricane (pronounced Her-ah-kun), Washington, and St. George. I wouldn’t hesitate to book a little further out if the price is right for you. La Verkin and Hurricane are really good central spots because you can head west and visit Sand Hollow and St. George or south-east to Kanab and, obviously east to Zion.
What To Study
To prepare for exploring this area with your kids, you could learn more about the Anasazi and Paiute Native Americans. You could also look into Isaac Behunin who was the first European pioneer that settled in Springdale in the 1800’s and called the area Zion. He is quoted for saying, “A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as he can in any man-made church; this is Zion.”
The other obvious area of study is to learn more about the earth sciences, iron oxides, rocks, and geology. And, of course, there is a lot to learn about the plant, tree, and wildlife of the area.
Books To Read & Park Swag
We have two kid-friendly National Park reference books: America’s National Parks and National Parks of the USA. I like both, but if I had to choose one I would choose American’s National Parks. This one has real photographs of the parks and the kids like to see where we are going. It also has the perfect amount of bite-size information about the parks.
I’ve compiled a bunch of other fun Zion and National Park recommendations in my Amazon storefront so feel free to browse. I included some of the books we’ve read, favorite National Park games and puzzles, the exact scratch off poster we have, our nature/travel backpacks, and some activity books. I also threw in some apparel. We always check local Wal-Marts for cheaper park gear and I price check everything in the visitor centers with Amazon and it’s almost always cheaper elsewhere. We try to only buy things in the park that we can’t find anywhere else.
And, remember, if you have a 4th grader this year you can get free entry to the park with the Every Kid Outdoors National Park Pass.
My Last Tip
If you’re visiting from out of state, here Zion is pronounced Zie-in. It rhymes with lion. Locals can always tell when someone is unfamiliar with Utah because they always pronounce it Zie-on with an over emphasis on the word ‘on.’ Behunin named it Zion because that is the Hebrew word for refuge and sanctuary. You can read more about the history & culture of the area here.
Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!