By air
Las Vegas (LAS), ~2.5 h by road
North America · United States
Zion, United States
Red canyons and river hikes
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to May and September to October — mild
Don't miss
The Narrows
Angels Landing
The Emerald Pools
Zion Canyon
Things to do
The Narrows river hike
Angels Landing (permit needed)
The scenic shuttle
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Water shoes for The Narrows, sun protection
A quieter corner
The Canyon Overlook Trail, short and spectacular
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to hike in Zion?
April to May and September to October, when it's mild.
Which hikes should I do in Zion?
The Narrows river hike, Angels Landing (a permit is needed) and the Emerald Pools. The Canyon Overlook Trail is short and spectacular.
What gear do I need for The Narrows in Zion?
Water shoes for The Narrows, and sun protection.
How far is Zion from Las Vegas?
About 2.5 h by road from Las Vegas (LAS), the airport to fly into. Once there, ride the scenic shuttle and eat at Springdale's cafés.
About Zion
- Desert
- Riverside
Where it is
Zion National Park is in south-western Utah in the United States, where the Colorado Plateau meets the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert. Its main canyon, cut by the North Fork of the Virgin River, is up to 800 m deep between red and cream sandstone cliffs.
History
Ancestral Puebloans and later Southern Paiute people farmed and hunted along the Virgin River. Mormon settlers arrived in the 1860s and gave the canyon its biblical name, Zion, and it was protected as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909 before becoming Zion National Park, Utah's first, in 1919.
People
Zion lies in the homeland of the Southern Paiute, whose descendants still live in the region, and many of its landmarks carry biblical names, such as the Great White Throne and the Court of the Patriarchs. Springdale, the small town at the park's gate, lives largely from visitors, while nearby towns keep up ranching and farming.
Known for
- The Narrows, hiked in the Virgin River
- Angels Landing
- The Emerald Pools
- Towering Navajo Sandstone cliffs
- The Zion–Mount Carmel Highway tunnel
Did you know?
In the Narrows the gorge is in places only about 6 m wide between walls up to about 600 m high, and much of the hike is spent wading up the Virgin River itself.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.