Zion National Park
Visitor Services
Zion may be reached from the west on I-15 and then heading east on Route 9. From the east on U.S. 89, take Route 9 heading west to the park.
Park Fees: Entrance to Zion is $25 per car and $12 per pedestrian or bicyclist (good for seven days). For more information, call (435) 772-3256. Fees are subject to change.
Visitor Centers: At the park's south entrance, Zion Canyon Visitor Center is open year-round, except for December 25, and provides information, exhibits, backcountry permits and book sales. At the park's northwest border (off I-15), Kolob Canyon Visitor Center offers information, backcountry permits and limited items year-round, except for winter holidays. Zion Human History Museum is open spring through fall and provides exhibits, an informative park orientation film and book sales.
A free guide, The Zion Map & Guide, lists Zion services, activities and hiking trails. Pick up a copy at either entrance station or the information desk at either visitor center.
Camping: Please see pages 33—34 for more information.
Dining: The Red Rock Grill dining room inside Zion Lodge is open year-round at mealtimes. It offers diners informal, yet gracious surroundings. Dinner reservations are recommended; call (435) 772-7760. Food service includes children's menus and is usually available from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., please call for current hours. Sack lunches are available but must be ordered at least eight hours in advance from the dining room cashier.
The Castle Dome Cafe, open April to October, is located adjacent to the gift shop.
Gasoline: There are no gas stations in the park, but several are located in nearby communities.
Gifts: Authentic, handmade American Indian jewelry, pottery and souvenirs may be purchased in the gift shop, a Fred Harvey Trading Company store, which is located in Zion Lodge. Please call (435) 772-7755 for current hours.
Groceries: Groceries and other supplies are available in Springdale and other nearby communities.
Ranger Programs: Park rangers conduct interpretive talks, programs, guided walks and evening programs. Schedules are posted at visitor centers, and the lodge.
Horseback tours, offered March through October, last from one hour to a half-day, and can be arranged at the stables near the Zion Lodge. For reservations, contact Canyon Trail Rides, P.O. Box 128, Tropic, UT 84776; or call (435) 679-8665.
Hiking: Please see page 34.
Lodging: Zion Lodge was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood in the 1920s. In 1966, a fire destroyed the building and it was rebuilt in just over 100 days. This rapid reconstruction, however, sacrificed Underwood's classic design and historic appearance in an effort to maintain service. In 1990, the exterior was restored to represent more of its original rustic appearance. Six suites, 40 cabins and 81 motel-style rooms are available. The lodge is open year-round.
As a general rule, accommodations are in heavy demand May through October. Prospective visitors should make their reservations several months in advance, if possible. Contact Xanterra Parks & Resorts®, 6312 S. Fiddlers Green Circle, #600N. Greenwood Village, CO 80111; or please call (303) 29-PARKS (297-2757) or toll-free at (888) 297-2757. Visit online at www.zionlodge.com. The reservations office is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (MST), seven-days-a-week.
Shuttle System: The free shuttle system runs from April through late October along the six-mile Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and provides access to all trailheads in that area. The only vehicles allowed on the drive are guests with reservations at the lodge. No vehicles are allowed to drive past the lodge when the shuttle is in operation. The lodge provides a guided tram tour for groups by reservation. During the winter private vehicles are allowed on the scenic drive.
Medical Emergencies: Call 911 or (435) 772-3322. First aid is available at visitor centers year-round. The nearest hospitals are in St. George, Cedar City, and Kanab. A physician's assistant is available in Springdale in the summer and all year in Hurricane.
Religious Services: Roman Catholic and Protestant services are available in the summer. LDS services are available all year. For current times and locations, check the information board in the lodge lobby.
Road Information: Please call (435) 772-3256 for updates.
RV Facilities: Campgrounds within the park contain disposal stations, and Watchman Campground has some electric hookups (generator use is prohibited at night). Both trailer and tent sites are available.
Vehicles more than 7 feet 10 inches wide or wider (including mirrors), or 11 feet 4 inches high or higher, are subject to one-way traffic control through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. The size limitation provides for user safety through the narrow and limited-clearance tunnel. A fee is charged.
Showers and Laundry: These services are available in Springdale, and other nearby communities.
Special Services -: Several campsites in the South and Watchman campgrounds are accessible to visitors with disabilities. The Pa'rus Trail, Zion Lodge, visitor centers and rest rooms are accessible. From the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, the first half mile of the Riverside Walk is accessible. All shuttle transportation is wheelchair- accessible.
Park Address: For more information, contact Zion National Park, Springdale, UT 84767; please call (435) 772-3256 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/zion.
Zion In Depth
News from the Parks
In Boston Harbor, but a World Away
July 24, 2008 - 2:31pm
BY many measures, the view from the arched doorway of the cobblestone home on Bumpkin Island, off the Massachusetts coast, has most likely not changed much since the 19th century, when hay farmers lived there. Now, as then, the sun dazzles off wind-streaked waves beyond a pebbly shore fringed with staghorn sumac and bayberry. Yet in other ways, the landscape is startlingly altered, thanks to Boston’s skyline, whose clustered, gleaming high-rises jut from a flat horizon like Oz’s Emerald City.
July 24, 2008 - 2:31pm
BY many measures, the view from the arched doorway of the cobblestone home on Bumpkin Island, off the Massachusetts coast, has most likely not changed much since the 19th century, when hay farmers lived there. Now, as then, the sun dazzles off wind-streaked waves beyond a pebbly shore fringed with staghorn sumac and bayberry. Yet in other ways, the landscape is startlingly altered, thanks to Boston’s skyline, whose clustered, gleaming high-rises jut from a flat horizon like Oz’s Emerald City.
Rescue at the Grand Canyon
July 24, 2008 - 10:09am
More than a dozen tourists and two guides had to be rescued from the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon after their raft became stranded. They were taken from their raft to the shore by the National Park Service's inflatable rescue boat.
July 24, 2008 - 10:09am
More than a dozen tourists and two guides had to be rescued from the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon after their raft became stranded. They were taken from their raft to the shore by the National Park Service's inflatable rescue boat.
South Dakota's Wind Cave offers night hikes to see black-footed ferrets
July 24, 2008 - 10:06am
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. (AP) — Visitors to Wind Cave National Park this summer have the chance to see black-footed ferrets at night. To mark the one-year anniversary of the reintroduction of the creatures to the Black Hills park, rangers are offering night hikes through prairie dog towns in hopes of seeing the rare animal. The program starts at Elk Mountain Campground at 9 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through Aug. 16. No reservations are necessary.
July 24, 2008 - 10:06am
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. (AP) — Visitors to Wind Cave National Park this summer have the chance to see black-footed ferrets at night. To mark the one-year anniversary of the reintroduction of the creatures to the Black Hills park, rangers are offering night hikes through prairie dog towns in hopes of seeing the rare animal. The program starts at Elk Mountain Campground at 9 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through Aug. 16. No reservations are necessary.
Illegal jump under investigation in RMNP
July 24, 2008 - 10:02am
Park rangers are investigating after someone leaped from the top of Longs Peak on Wednesday morning, descending with a parachute. BASE jumping is illegal in Rocky Mountain National Park, as it is in all national parks. BASE jumpers are skydivers who jump from buildings, antenna, spans or the Earth rather than aircraft. It's considered an extreme form of skydiving, since a jumper literally has only seconds before impact to deploy their chute. Rocky spokeswoman Kyle Patterson confirmed the 9 a.m. jump from the east side Diamond face of the 14,259-foot peak and said the incident is under investigation.
July 24, 2008 - 10:02am
Park rangers are investigating after someone leaped from the top of Longs Peak on Wednesday morning, descending with a parachute. BASE jumping is illegal in Rocky Mountain National Park, as it is in all national parks. BASE jumpers are skydivers who jump from buildings, antenna, spans or the Earth rather than aircraft. It's considered an extreme form of skydiving, since a jumper literally has only seconds before impact to deploy their chute. Rocky spokeswoman Kyle Patterson confirmed the 9 a.m. jump from the east side Diamond face of the 14,259-foot peak and said the incident is under investigation.
No new cases of virus seen in Yosemite
July 24, 2008 - 9:54am
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK -- Park officials said Wednesday that they haven't seen any new cases of a gastrointestinal illness that sickened hikers and hospitality employees in the Tuolumne Meadows area over the past two weeks. About 30 people came down with symptoms consistent with the norovirus infection at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and High Sierra camps in the area, said Shane Sims, a specialist in the safety office at Yosemite National Park. The lodge, at an elevation of 8,775 feet, serves as a base camp for day hikers and backpackers. Park rangers began receiving illness reports the weekend of July 12-13; the cases tapered off last week.
July 24, 2008 - 9:54am
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK -- Park officials said Wednesday that they haven't seen any new cases of a gastrointestinal illness that sickened hikers and hospitality employees in the Tuolumne Meadows area over the past two weeks. About 30 people came down with symptoms consistent with the norovirus infection at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and High Sierra camps in the area, said Shane Sims, a specialist in the safety office at Yosemite National Park. The lodge, at an elevation of 8,775 feet, serves as a base camp for day hikers and backpackers. Park rangers began receiving illness reports the weekend of July 12-13; the cases tapered off last week.
