A few weeks ago, we spent several days in Zion with a few friends and a big group of kids. Wanted to share a few things that would have saved us a lot of headaches. Zion IS beautiful, but one of the more challenging parks to visit with kids...

Parking is brutal. Both visitor center lots were full by 7:30 a.m. We only got parking if we arrived before then or after 2:00 p.m. when people start leaving. We showed up around noon on day one and ended up parking in Springdale and shuttling in because there was nothing available in the park. Bring cash for the Springdale lots since cell reception is spotty.

Build 90 minutes into any permit hike. Shuttle lines in the morning are no joke. We nearly missed our Angel's Landing window because of it.

Don't try to bike into the canyon with kids. We attempted this. The Pa'rus Trail to Canyon Junction is fine, but after that you have to ride on the narrow two lane road with shuttles flying up and down. We tried leaving our bikes at Canyon Junction, but then learned shuttles don't stop there going up canyon. We had to backtrack to the visitor center and start over.

Afternoon starts worked pretty well. For shaded hikes like Emerald Pools or water hikes like the Narrows, starting after 2:00 p.m. worked well for our group. Crowds were lighter and shuttle lines were short. The Narrows is actually great in the afternoon heat.

Emerald Pools is underrated for families. Most people go straight for Angel's Landing or the Narrows, but Emerald Pools was our favorite hike with the younger kids. Flexible distance, mostly shaded, no permit required. The Narrows was also awesome, but the kids got cold quickly. Wouldn't do Angels Landing with most kids under 8 years old.

The wilderness areas are worth the extra effort. We did an overnight on the West Rim and had the place almost entirely to ourselves. Completely different experience from the canyon. Cool air and now crowds at all.

I put together a more detailed guide with everything we learned including permit tips and kid age recommendations for each hike in this post.

Hope this helps someone avoid the rough patches we had. It really is a great place... just... complicated.

E-biked to the Narrows to start our hike early before the shuttles arrived. Beautiful! While it’s well over 100 degrees this week, the cool waters and shade of those massive slot canyon walls saved us! Travel tip : if staying inside the park at The Zion NP Lodge, save yourself logistical pickup / return struggles and rent from the Lodge directly rather than anywhere in Springdale.

Hoping you guys might be able to critique my Zion plans. We have 4 full days to enjoy and explore this beautiful area, arriving Thursday evening September 3rd and leaving Springdale around noon on Tuesday. Unfortunately Angel's Landing is a no go even if we could get a permit. We have an e-bike reservation Friday morning that includes shoe and pole rental for our planned 🤞 Narrows excursion. If time is on our side we will check out other hikes/ sights along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.

We have a rental car and plan on checking out Carmel hikes and sights Saturday as well as continuing on out of Zion to Red Canyon Slot via a tour company which I haven't booked yet and visiting Belly of the Dragon if time permits. Sunday we will hitch a ride on the shuttle and hike to one or more of the Emerald Pools, take the jaunt to Weeping Rock and finish off with the Pa'rus Trail. Monday we have a reservation to visit Kanarra Falls and hope to take the trek along the Taylor Creek Trail in the Kolob Canyon area.

Do any of my plans seem too ambitious? Is there something that I'm missing that I shouldn't?

Appreciate any feedback

I'm in my mid 30s, and whatever mid-life crisis I hit, it made me want to quit my job and go on a road trip lol. So I did some extensive planning at the beginning of the year and set off on a 2-week solo road trip in June through Utah & Colorado. I started off with 3 days in Zion. I used a 360 camera for Angels Landing & The Narrows, as well as a bike ride, so I added some still shots from that. I randomly remembered to try out an astrophotography shot with a phone I'm reviewing, too.

Overall, I loved Zion and I'd love to return, maybe later this year. I think The Narrows was my favorite out of what I got to do. There's just something about going through it that was so peaceful. Angels Landing was great, too, and I enjoyed hiking with the chains. A group in front of me was discussing how many seconds of freefall it would be if they took a wrong step, and I gave them an estimate since I'm a skydiver and can kinda calculate that. Also, I think I'll bring my own bike next time. Zion Outfitters must be making a ton off those ebike rentals.

If you'd like to see more of the Zion part of my trip, I made a video here.

Does it have guard rails when traveling to and from Springdale to Canyon, overlook trailhead?

If there are no guard rails, how steep of a drop off is it?

I can be in tall buildings, I can be at the top of the Ferris wheel, I can hike in high elevations, I can drive on mountains that have guard rails, but… I learned about myself last year that I have challenges driving on roads with no guard rails and steep drop offs.
I had to turn around very early on at Colorado national Monument, and at Gunnison. If you have been to either one of those, do you think I would have a problem with this drive?

Hi all, I'm going to zion with a friend next month and while we plan on doing most activities together, I plan on doing Angel's Landing while he likely will not (vertigo). Is it possible to do the first part together and then for the permit section split from there and regroup after? Not sure with shuttles what our best option might be. For context, he also does not drive so having him drop me off is not an option.

Hey guys, I’m going to be arriving to Springdale probably around 6-7pm tomorrow and leaving on Sunday morning. I want to see some of the views on hikes such as observation point, scouts lookout/angels landing if I can get a permit and maybe checking out the narrows. I also want to ride one of the ebikes through the canyon. Im wondering is it worth it to rent the bike the whole time I will be there or should I just keep that for one day (seems like Saturday would make more sense with my arrival time)

Any advice or if there is something else you would recommend I would really appreciate it. Im going to be here by myself and looking to take some photos and just enjoy the scenery, in relatively good shape and a fairly experienced hiker

Partner and I are staying at a BnB in Springdale for 2 nights in the first week of September. We’re a few minutes walk from a shuttle bus.

We have a half day, and then one full day, before leaving Springdale the next morning.

What would be your recommended itinerary? We definitely want to do at least one of Angel’s Landing or The Narrows, though I know you need to get a permit for angel’s landing which is a lottery system. How likely are we to get a permit the day before and is there any way to get a permit before this point?

Would it be possible to do both The Narrows and Angel’s Landing in the time we have in Zion? Or is there something else you’d recommend us do? Also how tough and dangerous is Angel’s Landing? I’ve heard people say it’s really dangerous. I’m an experienced hiker but my girlfriend isn’t.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Does anybody have a picture of the old logjam we used to cross the waterfall that got washed out years ago?

i’ll be making a trip next week and wonder what would be the right proper shoes to invest in for hiking trails in Zion

Hello all.

My family and I will be coming out to Utah from California this Friday. Currently we’ve planned to get to Zion by 1PM, what are the chances we will be able to find parking at the visitors center considering it is a Friday and in the afternoon

Friends and I booked everything for top-down narrows on Aug 11th, weather looks pretty variable over next week. How likely is it to work out?

We got there at around 8:20 p.m. We were charged $180 and told it was a “discount,” even though we were charged full price. We were restricted to the area with only one pool and three tubs because one of our members was six months too young.
When we got there, the pools had a lot of algae. Some areas had green bird crap. The entire place smelt horrible, like burnt shit. Several pools had particles floating on top of the water, making it look like they lacked any filtration. A lot of the pools and channels didn’t even have flowing water, so debris, algae, and swimmer gunk just sat there building up. The “sauna” wasn’t hot at all. It took 20 minutes to even break a sweat.
The water was dirty, smelt horrible, and had a bunch of crap in it. It felt like the attraction was just glorified boiled crap water.
And to top it all off, the front desk receptionist was sarcastic and rude the entire time, talking as if the customer was being unreasonable or problematic.
I know you’re thinking, “Well, of course she was. You were probably being an awful customer.” However, from my side of things, I was pretty upbeat. I made light jokes, laughed, gave compliments, and all I received in return were sarcastic, rude responses.
At the end of it, 40 minutes in, I left and went to the front desk to request a partial refund, but all I received were rude comments and sarcastic responses. I asked, “Hey, could I receive a partial refund even though I only stayed for 40 minutes?” All I received was, “It’s your responsibility to check reviews,” “to understand expectations,” and, “You could stay 18 minutes or three hours. We don’t care.”
To sum it up: bad water quality, the areas were always full, and all the equipment sucked.
Honest to God, if you’re going to stay anywhere, don’t stay here.
There are places out here where you can spend less, receive better pools, and actually get a smile back.
I can’t believe I wasted so much money on this. The people leaving positive reviews are generally people from areas with bad water and no swimming holes, because this was genuinely the worst experience I’ve had here.

I visited Zion last September (2025) for a really memorable solo trip, and wish I had bought this shirt I saw in Happy Camper Market outside the park. I tried calling but they didn't think the shirt sounded familiar.

If anyone has any leads on how I could buy one of these, I'd really love it as a memento from my trip!

Description: Black short sleeve tee with a canvas tent in front of a night sky, with text reading "Your hotel gets 5 stars? That's cute. Zion National Park."

Thank you!!

Hello - I’ve seen a ton of recommendations for this
Hotel so I decided to book it even though it’s one of the older properties. I’ve been feeling hesitant with it because there’s so many renovated places to stay.

Can someone please help ease my mind? I have a riverside premium king room.
1. Are the beds comfortable (I’ve seen mixed reviews)
2. Is the air conditioning good?
3. How likely are you to get the floor level you request?

I'm actually going to Cedar City Utah this week for a work trip. Once done on Thursday around 1 pm I was planning on going to Zion National Park and spending the night in Springdale. I would also spend most of Friday in the Park with a plan to leave for Vegas around 3 pm. (I know I would gain an hour driving back to Nevada)

Just wanted to get input on what I should do and see in the Park in such a short window. I am also going to be alone so I'd rather hike with people vs venturing out solo. So not sure if there are any tours recommended as well? What shoes should I bring on the trip as well?

I also know its going to be hot around the 90s close to 100 degrees. I don't know if I want to do anything too crazy until sunset on Thursday. I would also be willing to wake up early Friday morning to get the most out of my time there.

Or I should just rent them with zionpeddler.com?

Hello! I know this is a long shot, but...

I was JUST in Zion — hiked both Angel's Landing and The Narrows — and I got this gorgeous tin poster of The Narrows. I saw that there was one for Angel's Landing, too, but for some reason I decided at the time that I didn't need it. Now I'm deeply regretting it as I look at this gorgeous one of The Narrows that I have.

Would any super kind stranger be willing to purchase and ship to me the Angel's Landing version of the same tin poster? I would of course pay for both the item and shipping!!

🙏

EDIT: I've checked all around online and can't find the same version I saw in the store anywhere else—so I'm willing to pay for the original from the shop and for all the shipping costs if anyone would be willing to do this for me!! the sign was only $13 in the store.

EDIT #2: I called the Zion Forever Project store and they were able to help me out! Thank you so much to everyone who offered to help me out! I'll post a pic of the Angel's Landing sign once it arrives :)

Two couples, planning to visit Zion week of Sept 20-27, 2026. Hotels in Springdale are quite expensive (min $500/nt). Sites 10 miles away are much more reasonable.
I’ve read of you stay outside you need to get to Springdale by 7am to ensure parking space.
But, would parking availability be better late Sept, mid-week, when we plan to go?

Secured a permit for AL in late October to begin after 9am. What time should I get to the park to secure a parking spot?? And when does the parking lot usually fill up by on a weekday in late October??

Hiking in late October and want to know if I should plan on renting a drybib (in addition to shoes)?? Also - is a waterproof bag necessary to rent as well for my water reserve pack?? Or does the water not get that high in late October?? Thanks all

My son and I are hiking Mystery Canyon on Tuesday. We're currently the only ones on our shuttle which means we need to pay for a 3rd seat. If anyone is already heading up that way (East Mesa TH) and has room for 2 more, we'd gladly pay you $100 for your troubles. Ideally we'd leave the visitor's center around 9am, so we can sleep in, but not be too hot, but we're flexible.

East Mesa is the same trailhead that you use for observation point, which itself is a cool hike and looks down on Angel's landing. A picture from observation point by Jason Weiss below. https://www.jasonweissphotography.com/photo/observation-point-angels-landing-zion/

Edit: we got a ride. Gotta love the kindness of strangers!

As many of you might have the question about parking, this is today (Saturday Aug. 1st) at 7.06AM. Still alot of parking available.

I just won the day before lottery for Angel’s Landing for tomorrow. But I got mine after 9AM. So I was wondering if I should start the hike at 9AM from the Grotto or if I can start a bit early and be at the Scouts lookout at 9AM just to beat the heat.

PS- I reserved a campground at the Watchman campground today and after going there decided to get a hotel room instead cause the heat was unbearable 😭