Best Hiking Trails in Zion National Park

Overview

Zion is an iconic national park in far southwest Utah, known for its greenery-floored sandstone canyons, blue-green pools and streams, and its death-defying hike to Angel's Landing.

Getting Started

Zion is a bit of a drive for most visitors, but absolutely worth it. Once there, stop at an entry kiosk to enter the park and pay a fee, or show your pass. You can buy a 7-day pass inexpensively, though most visitors don't spend 7 days in the park.

For the main attractions, either pay to park outside the park in Springdale, or take your chances trying to park at a few different places in the park, though be warned: parking in the park can be a real pain.

If you're not so sure about hiking Angels Landing, which might just be the craziest hike in the national park system, there are plenty of other less scary ones. Try out the hike up to Observation Point instead, or the much easier hike to Emerald Pools. The Narrows is another Zion classic.

When to Go

Because parking can be such an issue, shuttles run April through October. Typical visitors to Zion will park in or near the park, and ride the shuttles to do day hikes and see iconic sites. Read these traffic and travel tips. If you don't mind brusque weather, you can avoid the crowds in the off-season, and get easier parking for a personal car.

The best time to hike the Narrows is late-spring to early summer, when you'll get to wade through cool water. Just make sure to check the weather, as flash-floods and hypothermia can be extremely dangerous.

Permits

Like most national parks, entrance fees are required at Zion. Backpacking and canyoneering require permits, including for popular routes through the Narrows. You can reserve and get info for lotteries for these permits.

You can also reserve campsites in the park.

Dog Info

Leashed pets are only allowed on the Pa'rus Trail in Zion. See nps.gov for more info.