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Travel guide
Zion National Park
5 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to May and September to November
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Welcome
Zion National Park, in a few days
The Virgin River has cut a 24 km canyon into the sandstone, its white, pink and red walls rising up to 800 metres above a valley floor planted with cottonwoods. You can wade through the water between 300-metre walls in the Narrows, or climb along a ridge, holding on to chains, to the summit of Angels Landing.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 1 thing
- D2 Day 2 1 thing
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- D4 Day 4 3 things
- D5 Day 5 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Angels Landing · 4 to 5 hA 450-metre sandstone fin in the middle of the canyon, climbed via Walter's Wiggles and a final narrow ridge with fixed chains, on a lottery permit, for a view over the whole valley.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Driftwood Lodge ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€200 a night
D2
Day 2
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Observation Point · about 4 hA plateau-edge viewpoint about 650 metres above the valley, looking down on Angels Landing, now reached by the flat East Mesa trail through ponderosa pines from the east of the park.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Driftwood Lodge ↗€200 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · The Narrows · 3 to 8 hThe narrowest part of Zion Canyon, where the Virgin River fills the space between 300-metre walls and the river itself is the trail, waded upstream to Wall Street or Big Spring.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Driftwood Lodge ↗€200 a night
D4
Day 4
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Emerald Pools · about 2 hThree tiered pools at the foot of the cliffs opposite Zion Lodge, fed by waterfalls from the plateau and framed by ferns and maples, on an easy loop of about 5 km.
- Afternoon · Canyon Overlook Trail · about 1 hA short 1.6 km round trip from the east end of the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel, along carved steps and boardwalks to a promontory looking down over lower Zion Canyon.
- Late afternoon · Watchman Trail · about 2 hA quiet trail straight from the visitor centre, climbing to a terrace at the foot of the Watchman with views over Springdale and the Virgin Valley, best done towards sunset.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Driftwood Lodge ↗€200 a night
D5
Day 5
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Zion-Mount Carmel Highway · about 1 hThe 1930 road climbing from Zion Canyon by switchbacks and a 1.8 km tunnel with windows in the cliff, out onto a plateau of striped sandstone domes such as Checkerboard Mesa.
- Afternoon · Kolob Canyons · half a dayThe park's quieter north-west section off the I-15, with an 8 km scenic drive between the red Finger Canyons and the Taylor Creek trail to the giant Double Arch Alcove.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €175 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to May and September to November
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/zion
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.