Zion National Park

Year Established: 1919
Annual Visitors: 5.04 Million
Size: 147,243 Acres

Best Time to Visit Zion National Park

March to May, September to October

If you are planning to visit more national parks, check out our complete list of all US National Parks.

Best Experiences Zion National Park

• The Narrows
• Angels Landing
• Observation Point
• Zion Canyon Scenic Drive

A Brief History

In the 1860s, Mormon pioneers found this place so beautiful that they gave it a name from the Bible that means Jerusalem.

Not surprisingly, the park’s 230 square miles of buttes, natural arches, and mesas, many of which have beige, red, and chocolate bands of exposed sediments, have many such biblical references, such as the Court of the Patriarchs, the Towers of the Virgins, and the Pulpit.

Zion Canyon, a 15-mile-long cut in the land, is where most people go.

More adventurous visitors can wade through the Narrows, a 20- to 30-foot-wide slot through a 1,000-foot-high gorge. They can also climb to higher elevations to see the juniper and ponderosa pine forests or see bighorn sheep and California condors, but you should be careful of the park’s mountain lions, which may now only have as few as six.

Zion RV Camping

If you are looking for nearby RV camping options for Zion National Park or in Utah, consider checking out our other post:

• Best RV Parks in Utah

Visitor Information

Fees

When you go to Zion National Park, you have to buy a pass to use the park for recreation. Zion takes part in the Federal Recreation Lands Enhancement Act, which was made possible by Congress. Under this program, the park keeps 80% of all fees they collect. The other 20% will be put in a special account and used in parks that don’t charge fees. The money from the fees is used to pay for projects that the parks couldn’t do with the money Congress gave them every year.

Individuals 15 years old and younger are admitted free of charge.

Weekly Park Passes

These passes are valid for 7 days.

$20.00 per person/cyclist

$35.00 per vehicle

$30.00 per motorcycle

Annual Park Passes

Interagency Annual Pass – $80.00
Admission to all Federal fee areas for one year from date of purchase.

Zion Annual Pass – $70.00
Admission to Zion National Park for one year from date of purchase.

Military Annual Pass – Free
Active duty military admission to all federal fee areas for one year.

Senior Annual Pass – $20.00
Admission to all federal fee areas for one year from date of purchase.

Lifetime Park Passes

Lifetime Senior Pass – $80.00
Admission to all federal fee areas for life, U.S. citizens 62 years or older.

Lifetime Access Pass – Free
Admission to all federal fee areas for life, permanently disabled U.S. citizens

Contacting Zion National Park

Phone Number

(435) 772-3256

Visitor Centers

Zion Canyon Visitor Center

Located just inside the South Entrance of the park near Springdale.

Zion Human History Museum

The Museum is a half mile north of the park’s south entrance. It is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm, and the summer hours are longer. From November to February, it is closed. The history of Zion National Park is shown in both permanent and temporary exhibits. Every half hour, a 22-minute video plays so that visitors can get a quick overview of the park.

Kolob Canyon Visitor Center

In New Harmony, the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center is a good place to start your trip. You don’t have to pay anything to go into this center for tourists. Kolob Canyons Viewpoint, Kolob Arch, and Taylor Creek Trailhead are also close by and worth a visit.