Visiting Zion National Park: How to Plan for the Perfect Trip

In the excitement of planning a visit to Zion National Park, you might have forgotten some of the practical info that goes into having a successful trip to this outdoor haven.

That’s where this post comes in handy. I want to take the boring, logistical information out of your hands and tell you everything you need to know to have a great time while visiting Zion National Park.

Getting to Zion National Park

You have three choices to get to Zion National Park: drive in from Las Vegas, Salt Lake City or Phoenix. Las Vegas is the shortest drive by far. It’s still a 2.5-hour drive, but that’s nearly two hours closer than Salt Lake City and 3.5 hours closer than Phoenix.

Despite both of these drives having some fantastic scenery, they are still much longer than coming in from Vegas. If you only have a finite amount of time, flying into Las Vegas and then renting a car is a no-brainer.

In addition to giving you some time to have fun in Sin City, it still provides some epic landscapes as you drive in. If you have an extra half day you can also take the scenic drive through the Valley of Fire State Park.

There is a time change if you are coming in from Las Vegas or Phoenix. Traveling to Zion from either of these cities will cause you to lose an hour due to Daylight Savings Time (or lack thereof in the case of Arizona). If you follow my 1.5-Day Zion itinerary, this is significant because it could impact how you start your first day in the park.

Where to Stay When Visiting Zion National Park

I can only recommend the one place I stayed: Zion Canyon Campground and Resort. For our first time ever RVing, this campground was a great experience. Besides how accessible it was, it provided great scenery for us to admire while resting after a busy day of hiking.

Zion Canyon Campground is for tents or RVs. You get access to the swimming pool, bathrooms, showers and picnic tables. If you’re in an RV, you have all the hook-ups you need unless you are staying alongside the river where you won’t have sewage. Each site has either 30 or 50-amp power outlets depending on your RV’s needs. You also have a firepit to keep you toasty at night for when you’re sitting outside watching the moon come up over the cliffs.

Easily the best part of Zion Canyon Campground is its location. You are only a half mile from the entrance to the actual park, yet you’re far enough away to avoid most of the tourist hustle and bustle. If needed, there are several restaurants, small art galleries and a market within short walking distance of the campground.

You are also right underneath an absolutely stunning piece of red rock sandstone. It offers a nice backdrop to admire as you finish up your day.

Supplies and Food

There are two markets near the park entrance. Each seem to serve different needs depending on what you are looking for.

Hoodoos General Store is more for camping supplies and gifts. They have a grocery section, but it is rather limited and expensive. There is a really good deli where we purchased a couple tasty sandwiches for lunch on our first day. It also has ice cream and pizza available. Hoodoos is located across the road from the Zion Canyon Campground, which does it make convenient if you are staying there.

There’s also Happy Camper Market a little farther down the road next to the park’s main campground. It’s more of an actual grocery store so it has a good selection at reasonable prices. This store also has a gift section and some camping gear, but it is not as extensive as Hoodoos. Even more importantly, they have a great beer selection!

Bike Rental from Zion Adventure Company

Zion Adventures near the Hoodoo General Market offers several services including bike rental, gear rental for either the Narrows or technical hikes, and guided trips throughout the park.

We rented e-bikes on our first day which I highly recommend. If you’re not familiar, e-bikes are electric bikes that assist with pedaling so that you can go much faster than you typically would on a normal bike. They are especially helpful when going up inclines.

We were able to take our bikes from their shop to the West Rim Trailhead at the Grotto six miles away in only about 15 minutes. Asides from that, it was a fun experience seeing the canyon floor for the first time out in the open with the wind in our hair.

The pick-up process of our bikes went smoothly. We were in and out in less than 10 minutes. Keep in mind, that time frame was during fall of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was still at its height, so it was not too crowded. It may take longer when the park is in full swing.

The Narrows Gear Rental from Zion Outfitter

Rent any waterproof gear you need from Zion Outfitter. Their prices are great, and they’re located right next to the shuttle pickup stop to take you to the trailhead.

If there during warmer times of the year you could probably get by with just shorts and sturdy hiking sandals. When we went, it was fairly cold in the morning, so the waterproof pants and shoes were nice to have.

They also have waterproof backpacks and walking sticks. Unless you’re clumsy, I don’t think the backpack is necessary unless you are going all the way to Big Springs where you may encounter some deep water.

The walking stick, however, was helpful. I’m pretty surefooted when hiking, but there were a couple of times when I was in some tricky spots amid small rapids and slick rocks. You could get by without it as long as you are extra careful to avoid any precarious areas.

Zion Outfitter takes reservations for equipment, but their website guarantees walk-in availability.

Fees for Visiting Zion National Park

Zion National Park is one of America’s national parks that requires a fee for entry. These fees are an integral part of maintaining and creating expansions to the park itself.

For Zion, the fee is $35 per vehicle, $20 per motorcycle or $20 per person. These fees grant you access for seven consecutive days including the date of purchase. Veterans and Gold Star Families are able to access the park for free.

All that said, my recommendation is to purchase the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass. These passes are $80 and grant you access to over 2,000 Federal recreation sites, including any national park that charges an entry fee. If you plan on visiting at least three national parks in a year, the pass easily pays for itself.

Read more about the National Park Pass!

Reservations

If you plan to hike Angels Landing, you will need a permit. Tickets are acquired via a lottery system. Visit Recreation.gov for more information and to enter the lottery.

Otherwise, you don’t need to make reservations for any other hikes or to enter the park.

How to Get Around the Park

The main way to get around the park is via the park’s shuttle system. The shuttles run the length of the scenic drive from the Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava.

There are nine stops total, and a round trip tour from end to end takes about 90 minutes. Importantly, tickets or reservations are not required to board the shuttle. Of note, though, the shuttle does not run during winter months, so plan accordingly if visiting then.

Zion Brewery

Zion Brewery near the park entrance gets its own section as good beer is always near and dear to my heart. We partook in the local fare twice on our full day in Zion: once for lunch and then another time after finishing hiking for the day.

If it’s warm enough, they have a great outdoor seating area with views of some of the canyon walls and the Virgin River. They do have heaters if the weather is cooler.

The food was good, but the beer was great, especially after a long day of hiking. They have flights if you want to sample several of their beers at once. I recommend the Conviction Stout and the Pumpkin Please.

Some Other Practical Info for Visiting Zion National Park

The temperature is a big consideration that some people might overlook. Our trip was at the end of October when temperatures were pretty comfortable. Depending on your health and experience hiking in the heat, you might not be able to do the amount of hiking that we did during this short period of time. Be aware that if you come in the middle of summer it is going to be very hot when you’re down in the canyon and plan accordingly.

On our West Rim Trail hike where we only did about 6 miles, I still drank roughly 40 ounces of water when it was only about 75 degrees out. If you’re going to be hiking in summer make sure you bring plenty of water, nutrient-dense snacks and comfortable clothes for being out in the sun.

Finally, I recommend a good pair of trail shoes. You do not need hiking boots unless you are doing more technical hikes, but trail runners with good grip are very helpful on some of the weather-worn rocks and any wet or sandy areas.

I purchased a pair of Merrell trail runners specifically for our trip. They’re a little on the pricer side but well worth it. They served their purpose and are continued to hold their grip on trail runs and hikes eight three years later when I finally had to get rid of them.

More Posts for Planning Your Grand Circle Road Trip

Here are my guides to more of the Grand Circle’s stops.

• Bryce Canyon
• Grand Canyon
• Las Vegas
• Moab (Arches and Canyonlands)
• Popular Detours (including Capitol Reef)
• Renting an RV
• Zion Hiking Guide

And don’t miss my full 12-day itinerary to planning your Grand Circle road trip!

Resources to Book Your Trip to Zion National Park

Whether you’re looking for tours, hotels or flights, here are some tools to help get you started planning your trip to Zion!

Look for activities and tours offered through GetYourGuide or Viator!

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out my travel essentials pages for more of my recommendations.

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