The Zion Canyon Visitor Center was an amazing first stop and made the rest of our visit much…read moreeasier! We stopped during the fourth of July weekend at Zion from Las Vegas! It is located just inside Zion National Park's South Entrance at Springdale, Utah. This is the main visitor center for Zion Canyon so it is the most convenient location for getting maps, checking trail conditions, asking questions, and figuring out the shuttle system. The rangers were helpful, and the outdoor exhibits were useful for planning the day! The visitor center is right next to Zion Canyon Shuttle Stop 1, which is the starting point for the shuttle into the canyon. During shuttle season, private vehicles generally cannot travel along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, so this is where most visitors begin their trip to places like Zion Lodge, The Grotto, Weeping Rock, and the Temple of Sinawava. The shuttle is free after entering the park, and no separate ticket or reservation is needed. Shuttles leave this stop seasonally, but operating times change throughout the year so be sure to check the schedule before your visit. There is a large parking lot, but it can fill quickly especially during summer, weekends, and holidays! Luckily we got in early around 6:30 A.M and found a spot open. Parking inside the park is free after paying the park entrance fee and is available on a first come, first served basis. When the lot is full, the best backup plan is to park in Springdale and take the free town shuttle to the entrance. The center also has restrooms, drinking water and bottle filling stations, picnic tables. There is a park store with maps, books, souvenirs, and gifts, plus a Wilderness Desk for questions and permits related to backpacking and canyoneering. The park itself is open 24 hours a day, but the buildings have set operating hours. The current posted hours are 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. for the Information Desk, 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. for the Zion Park Store, and 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. for the Wilderness Desk. These hours can change seasonally, so double check before arriving! The Watchman Trail and the paved Pa'rus Trail are also accessible from this general area. I highly recommend stopping here before doing anything else in Zion!

I love the design of the visitor center and its surroundings. The spacious bathrooms are in a…read moreseparate building so when things get busy, the queues aren't blocking access to other amenities. There are more information panels outdoors than indoors, which takes advantage of the large plaza space so that there's not a crowd indoors. There's an abundance of information about the hikes, ecology, and history of the area. There's even information about the construction of the eco-friendly visitor center! Indoors, there's the park shop and the information counter. The gift shop has a lot of books, plushies/kids activities, stickers, and other sundries. The rangers at the information desk were quick and efficient. They have to be given the sheer volume of visitors they have to help out! They were quite polite as well.

If you ever get the chance to go to Zion, take it! Zion is such a beautiful place with so many…read moredestinations to offer. My friends and I did a weekend trip here, and got to do two hikes and stargaze. The Narrows: I've watched videos and did some research before the trip. Highly recommend getting the $35 hiking set with shoes, stick, and socks from Zion Outfitters. To get to the narrows, you'll take the shuttle to the last stop, and hike the Riverside Walk trail to the end. The Narrows goes pretty far, and there are no restrooms once you get off the shuttles. The hike is very rocky, and you're essentially in the water most of the time. The water is absolutely gorgeous, and I'd recommend starting as early as 8am! Water is very cold, and cools down throughout the day. There's no real "end" so you kind of keep going until you're ready to turn out. Our friends and I, medium-hikers, spent about 6 hours and walked 8 miles round trip. The hike is mostly shaded, and only very few parts of the water went up to about chest level. For reference, I'm 5 feet. I'd recommend spending a full day for this hike to really enjoy it and a relaxing pace. We also did the Watchman trail on a beautiful morning, and it was so cool getting to go from bottom to top of the mountains. The hike was approximately 3 miles and took us 3 hours with the inclines. We also got to see a sheep along the way! At night, we stargazed right by shuttle stop 2, aka the museum. Because it is nearly pitch black out there, you could see so many stars and constellations. I don't personally know any other than the big and small dippers, but it was really cool to check it out!

Zion National Park covers nearly 150,000 acres. Most people will go the most popular area in…read moreSpringdale, but there's a separate area known as Kolob Canyons which is located in a different area of the park about an hour's drive away. Kolob Canyons is a very pretty area, but less developed than Zion Canyon. Anyway, Zion has steep and sheer cliffs that leave you breathless. It also has a river and swampland, as well as emerald pools and waterfalls. It is so varied in its landscape, I really can't compare it to anything else. I hiked a whole bunch here: Angel's Landing, Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, Riverside Walk, Canyon Overlook, even a bit of the Narrows. I want to do a through hike of the Narrows next time - I didn't have enough time in my schedule this time unfortunately. I saw more wildlife than expected too. I think a lot of the animals are habituated to humans, and aren't frightened at all. I also love how well run the shuttle system is. The bus drivers will radio to each other if there's a long line at any stop, and they will send an empty bus there to help avoid extended waits. It's so thoughtful. I stayed in the Zion Lodge, but I'm sure that the gateway town of Springdale has a similarly efficiently run shuttle system as well.

Yes, it's pricey, but the quality is excellent and the convenience can't be beat…read more I'll admit I was skeptical. Seeing crowds of tourists in identical boots carrying the same poles felt like classic herd behavior and an unnecessary upsell. I was wrong. The rocks in The Narrows are uneven, slippery, and constantly changing. The boots provided great traction, and the pole was invaluable for both balance and gauging water depth. Could you buy cheaper gear for about the same price? Probably. But it likely wouldn't be as good, and you'd have to carry it around. Sometimes there's a good reason to follow the herd. This was one of those times.

Omg I forgot to review this place !…read more I went last min trip to hike the narrows back in Nov, is always been on my top list. Little that I know we really need it the whole outfit to get in the water so rent it ! Is worth it if you visit from Oct -Feb I promise you need it ! We were doubting about the bikes instead of the bus ride so all well we rented the bikes best decision ever ! The views c the air you breathe the time you spend in the road are priceless! Also prices are pretty good and the owners are so professional and super nice ! I can't wait to go back

This is an amazing hike! The NPS implemented a lottery system to cap the number of hikers per day…read moreto ensure safety. There are chains which you use to help navigate the trail, so if the trail is overloaded it could get backed up and potentially increase the number of slips and (potentially life threatening) falls. When I visited, someone had actually fallen to their death a day or two prior (RIP), and when I got to Scout Lookout, I overhead several people deciding to not complete the trail despite having permits. I think this helped reduce congestion. Another tip is that not a lot of people want to hike this later in the day, so if you start hiking past 2-3 PM, not a lot of hikers will be on the chains. The end of the trail will give expansive views of Zion Canyon. You will definitely want to take a rest here and enjoy some snacks of one of the most scenic views in the United States. The ground squirrels and chipmunks are also quite friendly, having associated people with accidentally dropped food during snack breaks. They will literally crawl on you and are quite persistent on trying to share your food. There are bathrooms on Scout Lookout, but no water. There's an NPS ranger and a volunteer who will check your permits. They usually leave by mid afternoon. Have permits printed out as reception may be spotty. 100/10 hike

This was a thrilling hike and definitely a national park bucket list item to check off! We were…read morelucky to both get next day lottery permits for Friday afternoon, but it turns out there were no rangers stationed there in the afternoon. I have heard rangers are usually only there in the morning, so one could probably hike without permits if you wait for later in the day. Including breaks and 20 minutes at the top, we took three hours in total. Even in March, it was hot, and I probably should've brought more than 1.5 L of water. I logged a 4.8-4.9 mile hike from the Grotto trailhead up to Angels Landing and back down again. The hike up to Scout Lookout was challenging because of the elevation, while Angels Landing was more challenging due to the technical aspect. They have chains to hold on to in most of the sections. People brought their young children to hike, which I think is irresponsible and dangerous when one small slip could mean a tumble down the canyon.

I love how there's a variety of hikes in Zion National Park that visitors with different levels of…read moremobility can use. The Pa'rus (Paiute for bubbling water ) Trail follows the Virgin River and so it's pretty flat. The trail is paved and so if you have wheels (as in bike, wheel chair, walker, etc) or have a dog, this is the trail for you! The view of the river is beautiful, and gorgeous views of the Watchman. There is some shade from the vegetation lining the riverbanks, and I feel like that the temperature is cooler due to the water nearby, although this might be placebo. I didn't see many people on this trail, probably because it's underrated. Occasionally, there are information panels alongside the trail, which discuss ecology, geology, and human history. Great for learning!

We drove up to Vegas for the day and had an incredible time on this trail! It was so beautiful my…read morefirst time in Zion and it was absolutely stunning! Fairly easy trail and we took a dip in the ice cold water too! Looking forward to going back again soon!

When the Zion Canyon Shuttle is running, Weeping Rock is shuttle stop #7…read more This trail is pretty short at 0.4 miles, but it is pretty steep with stairs at the end! If you are fit and fast, maybe you could do it in 10 minutes, but if you want to enjoy a slower pace or have small kids, maybe budget closer to 45 minutes. This area drips continuously since the Navajo Sandstone layer is porous like a sponge and so water runs through it and seeps out due to gravity. Do not expect a waterfall at the end of this hike. Standing in the alcove, you can see down the valley and admire Angels Landing, the Great White Throne, etc. The hike is definitely unique and worth checking out if you have some time in your schedule. It does get crowded and there were a bunch of people filming themselves at the end of the trail (for social media?) so if you're looking for solitude this place isn't it.

Weeping Rock was one of my favorite hikes at Zion National Park!…read more It's considered an easy trail, but just a heads up, it is steep going up. It's not a long hike at all, but that incline definitely caught me a little off guard. If you take your time, though, it's very doable and completely worth it. You get to it from shuttle stop #7, so it's easy to add into your day if you're already using the Zion shuttle. Once you make your way up, the view is beautiful. You get this really pretty look at Zion, and then you have the water dripping down from the rocks, almost like little waterfalls. That part was my favorite. It felt peaceful, cool, and different from the other stops I visited in the park. There's just something about standing there with the canyon around you and the water coming down that makes it feel special! Even with the steep walk up, I'm so glad I did this trail! It was short, scenic, and ended up being one of the most memorable parts of my Zion trip! If Weeping Rock is open when you visit, I'd definitely make time for it.

awesome experience. zack is awesome. we absolutely loved this tour i highly recommend!!!read more

We did the morning Half Day Family Slot Canyon Tour at Lambs Knoll, and our guide Forrest made the…read moretrip. While some of us had rappelled before, none of us had been canyoneering. Forrest struck the perfect balance -- fun, knowledgeable, and great with kids -- so everyone felt completely safe and comfortable while still having an amazing time. Our 9- and 11-year-olds crushed 50-foot rappels and were so proud of themselves. Highly recommend, and we'd book with Forrest and Zion Adventures again without hesitation. We also rented our Narrows gear through them, using the new Virgin location instead of Springdale. It was more convenient for us since we were staying in Hurricane, making it easy to pick up gear the night before. Easy process, and Maile made sure we had everything we needed plus all the info necessary to stay safe on the hike. One tip: if you're not staying in Springdale and are booking a canyoneering tour, book the Virgin location. It's right by Kolob Canyon Road where Lambs Knoll is, so it saves you the drive into Springdale.

Pa'rus Trail was a great way to experience Zion, especially since we arrived later in the day and…read morewere still able to find parking near the Visitor Center. The paved trail is easy to follow and winds through some of the newer campground areas, which looked really nice. This is a shared-use trail, so you'll want to watch for bikes along the way. It was a warm afternoon, but there are several spots where you can access the Virgin River, and we appreciated the chance to cool off by the water. The views throughout the walk were absolutely gorgeous. My favorite part was simply being able to share the experience with my daughters. We walked as far as the shuttle stop and then caught the shuttle back to the Visitor Center, making for a relaxing and memorable visit.

This is such a fun and easy trail near the visitor center, parking lot, and camping area in Zion…read moreNational Park. The trail is flat and allows you to walk for as long as you want. As you stroll along, you'll be treated to breathtaking views of the magnificent red mountains that surround you. I had the fun doing this trail during sunset. It was such a beautiful experience

Zion National Park covers nearly 150,000 acres. Most people will go the most popular area in…read moreSpringdale, but there's a separate area known as Kolob Canyons which is located in a different area of the park about an hour's drive away. Kolob Canyons is a very pretty area, but less developed than Zion Canyon. Anyway, Zion has steep and sheer cliffs that leave you breathless. It also has a river and swampland, as well as emerald pools and waterfalls. It is so varied in its landscape, I really can't compare it to anything else. I hiked a whole bunch here: Angel's Landing, Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, Riverside Walk, Canyon Overlook, even a bit of the Narrows. I want to do a through hike of the Narrows next time - I didn't have enough time in my schedule this time unfortunately. I saw more wildlife than expected too. I think a lot of the animals are habituated to humans, and aren't frightened at all. I also love how well run the shuttle system is. The bus drivers will radio to each other if there's a long line at any stop, and they will send an empty bus there to help avoid extended waits. It's so thoughtful. I stayed in the Zion Lodge, but I'm sure that the gateway town of Springdale has a similarly efficiently run shuttle system as well.

Zion National Park absolutely lives up to the hype. The scenery is incredible, with towering red…read morerock cliffs and breathtaking views around every corner. We visited several areas of the park, including the Pa'rus Trail, and loved how accessible it was. Since we visited during warmer weather, we appreciated being able to enjoy the park without tackling strenuous hikes. The shuttle system made getting around easy. They have a great visitors center as well. One of my favorite parts was simply slowing down and taking in the beauty of the landscape. Photos don't do this place justice. Whether you're hiking, sightseeing, or just enjoying the views, Zion is a place everyone should experience at least once.

Located at the Temple of Sinawava, which is shuttle stop #9 when the shuttle is running, this is a…read morenice paved two mile round trip walk alongside the Virgin River. I got to see turkeys and deer though, so don't go rushing through or else you might miss some sweet wildlife viewing. If it has rained recently, there might be puddles or spots of mud. The trail ends at the river where The Narrows begin - aptly named as it's the most narrow part of the gorge. This hike passes through some swampland which is unusual terrain in the desert. It's due to the erosive forces of flash floods. Speaking of which, you shouldn't enter the The Narrows if there's any rain in the weather forecast or any rain in the surrounding areas. It's too risky to be caught in the canyon with any chance of flash floods. The trailhead/parking lot has water, as well as a lot of porta-potties.

This hike is everything I read about it - chill, easy, paved, and CROWDED. Lots of families with…read morekids and strollers and people just headed to the narrows along this path. I still enjoyed it and had fun going to the beginning of the narrows before turning back (which lots of people do who don't want to get wet). It's not a long walk either, like a mile or so so you can do it fast. It starts at the temple of Sinawava, plenty of signs point the way towards it. Would rec the walk even if you aren't going to do the narrows itself, just for the vibes :)