Zion National Park Tips | 5 Things to Know Before You Go!

If you’re planning your very first trip to Zion National Park, there are a few things you need to know before you go!

In this video you’ll learn about the crowds, trails, lodging, when to go, and why this park is so exciting.

5 Things You Need to Know
0:35 Zion is extremely crowded
3:31 Zion is fabulous year-round
6:29 Book your lodging in advance
9:27 Zion has a mandatory shuttle
13:34 Zion is one of the most adventurous national parks in the country

My goal is to make national park trip planning easy!

Connect with Ash at Dirt In My Shoes
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[TheKret]

I just bought the itinerary after watching this video. If you’re on the fence, it’s a wonderful resource! Very professionally done too!

[ladybugmom]

We went there on Super Bowl Sunday of this year. There was hardly anyone there, there weather was beautiful and we were able to drive the entire park. It was perfect!

[crocodile]

Just got back from my first visit to Zion, and she is absolutely correct about the crowds! I've been to many national parks all over the US (including Alaska and Hawaii) and I have never felt the impact of crowds as much as in Zion. Even Smokey Mountains (which has 3 times the visitors as Zion!) has never felt as crowded as Zion in the end of June.
The best thing we ever did, though, was to stay at Zion Lodge. It is expensive, but even staying one night there made everything worth it! You're allowed to drive your car to the lodge, and you feel like you have the main park road all to yourself. Once you're past the gate (which they give you a code to when you reserve lodging), there are virtually no other cars and parking was a breeze anywhere along the main park road. You do have to catch the shuttle from the lodge if you want to go deeper into the main park road--to get to riverside walk/The Narrows trail for example--but that is not a bad ride at all.
So do yourself a favor and stay at Zion Lodge, if you can find room, during the summer or when riding the shuttle into the canyon is mandatory. Good luck!

[Flyers]

Your video was very good. As a somewhat close resident to Zion (Vegas) your video telling people what to expect is dead on. You earned a new subscriber and I look forward to future videos.

[grrrrr]

Crowded in early October. People were fighting for a parking spot at the visitor center. It was ALWAYS full. In town parking near the entrance was expensive. We had a great RV spot in the park and had no issues. The entrances are super busy during prime time. If you have a camping spot inside the park you can walk across a bridge to get supplies, eat out or get gear rental. Whoever owns that property next to the entrance is making a tremendous amount of money! This park and the other desert parks get a LOT of foreign visitors. You hear visitors speaking French, German, Italian, etc. Just shows how special it is. That said, we liked the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon better as an older couple.

[scmarshall]

You helped me so much with planning my trip, i knew exactly what to expect! Thank you!!

[erinbroderick]

I go in the winter when there are no shuttles. You can just drive to the popular places.

[rayross]

Thanks from the east coast of Canada. Hope to make it to Zion in the not too distant future.

[davidarnsparger]

My concern with staying at the Zion Park Lodge is that there may not be amenities that our group is used to. Like, grocery market, restaurants, etc. So in the evening, could we drive into Springdale to eat or for supplies?

[patriciapieton]

HOW AWESOME is this information!! Thank you for your tips and advise!!!! What a huge help.

[PabloVillaVideo]

To avoid shuttle crowds near the entrance to the park, can I park near the visitor's center and walk to the second stop?

[NFamilyFun]

If I am going this May (Friday of memorial day eek) what time should I aim to be at the visitors centre to get a parking spot?

[miraclebub]

We're staying at the Cable Mountain Lodge for 2 nights in mid October. Is renting a bike to get into the park a good idea or should we just stick with the shuttle? Thanks!

[xmomostephanie]

I am trying to narrow down hiking shoes because we’re going the first week in Nov. what’s your recommendation? I got some light weight waterproof ones but my husband said they might be too light?

[frachoi]

I'm planning to go there on Christmas Day. I believe the park is open all year round. Are there crowds around Christmas time?

[jsned]

We applied for the spring permit, and did not get one. But on the website it says there are Day Before Lottery tickets. If we went there and camped close and applied each day for one of these permits what are the chances we would get one?

[danielsmyth]

Super super informative site! Fantastic job.

[christianavalos]

What time do crowds start to dissipate on a daily basis in late July, early August??

[stephrainspirite]

We are heading to Zion in a week. Is there any scenic route outside of the park without taking the bus and just driving? . We will have my mom handicapped so we need scenic drives without hiking.We are heading to Bryce in one day. Thank you

[carlotv]

Do I need a pass to camp here for a weekend