Zion National Park

Activities

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  Bird Watching

  Zion is home to 207 species of birds. Bird checklists are available at the visitor centers. What's great about visiting Zion National Park is that the park has always been an important part of a vital recovery effort. The Peregrine falcon, the California condor, and the bald eagle are all found here. This place of protection and sanctuary harbored these birds with a safe haven where their needs for food, nesting, and habitat never changed.

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  Bicycling

  Bicycles may travel on roadways and on the Pa'rus Trail. The Pa'rus Trail offers a paved, car-free alternative for bicyclists to connect with the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Shuttle buses are equipped with bike racks.

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  Camping

  Zion National Park has three campgrounds. South and Watchman Campgrounds are in Zion Canyon. The Lava Point Campground is about a 1-hour drive from Zion Canyon on the Kolob Terrace Road. There are no campgrounds in Kolob Canyons. Camping is permitted in designated campsites, but not in pullouts or parking lots. Camping is popular; all campgrounds are often full by early afternoon on weekends and holidays. During June, July, and August, the campgrounds are full every night. Reservations at Watchman Campground are recommended. If you are unable to make a reservation, the earlier in the day you arrive, the better your chance of getting a campsite.

  Several private campgrounds are a short drive from the park.

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  Climbing

  Zion's 2,000-foot cliffs are world renowned for their big wall climbs. Zion is not a place for inexperienced climbers. There are few top roping areas, and no sport climbs. Permits are not required for day climbs, but they are required for all overnight bivouacs.

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  Hiking

  There are a wide variety of trail sizes and shapes in the park ranging from a half an hour to eight hours long. Hiking in canyons, even short hikes, requires advance planning. Many hikes involve walking in water, and the rivers and creeks are subject to flash flooding. River flows vary greatly depending on time of year and weather conditions.

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  Horseback Riding

  Canyon Trail Rides offers one hour and half day horseback rides in Zion Canyon. Most people who ride the trails in Zion have never been on horseback before!

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  Picnicking

  Visitor Center Picnic Area: Located 0.3 miles from the South Entrance on the outer edge of the visitor center parking lot. Picnic sites are level but unpaved. Most tables are extended. Accessible unisex restroom is available near the visitor center.

  Grotto Picnic Area: Located 3.5 miles up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and accessible only by shuttle bus from April through October. Reserved parking spaces in the off months. Picnic grounds are level but unpaved. Accessible, unisex bathroom.

  Kolob Canyons Picnic Area: Located at the end of the 5-mile scenic drive. Restrooms accessible. Tables located up steep unpaved path.

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  Wildlife Watching

  As the sun rises in the sky, plateau lizards scurry frantically about over sandy trails, soaking up the heat of a desert day to keep their bodies warm. Mule deer and wild turkeys coexist up canyon where they graze the surface of an ancient lake bed for forage. A Western rattlesnake coils up in the shade of sagebrush, avoiding the sun's unforgiving rays. Afternoon gives way to evening and gray foxes emerge to hunt for rodents for their young. Canyon tree frogs begin to call as dusk approaches, leaving swifts and Western pipistrelles to play in the dimming light. It is only after the sun has sunk in the west, leaving the canyon walls dark and silent, that the chores and mischief of the ringtail begins, to be accompanied by the mountain lions, red spotted toads, porcupines and other nocturnal creatures of Zion Canyon.

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  Winter Sports

  Please contact the park for information on seasonal activities.