Zion National Park

Zion National Park in southwestern Utah was the state's first national park and protects 229 square miles of dramatic Navajo Sandstone canyon landscape. The Zion Canyon, carved by the Virgin River over millions of years, is the park's centerpiece: sheer red and cream canyon walls rise 2,000 feet from the canyon floor, creating a soaring slot of sky above the cottonwood-lined river corridor. The main canyon road — closed to private vehicles from April through October, served instead by a free propane-powered shuttle — connects a series of trailheads and viewpoints along its six-mile length. Angels Landing is the park's most famous hike: a 5.4-mile round trip gaining 1,488 feet to a narrow summit ridge with chain handrails on the final half-mile. A permit system introduced in 2022 manages access to the chains section during peak months, with permits released by lottery two months and one day in advance. The Narrows — hiking through the Virgin River as the canyon walls close to widths of 20 to 30 feet — is the park's other signature experience: accessible from the bottom up without a permit in dry conditions, with water shoes or canyoneering sandals essential for river wading. Emerald Pools trails (Lower, Middle, and Upper) provide a more moderate family-suitable introduction to the canyon environment. Canyon Overlook Trail, a short 1-mile round-trip hike at the east entrance, delivers sweeping views over the canyon without the crowds of the main canyon floor. The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway tunnels through solid sandstone and emerges on the park's east side where eroded slickrock formations called the Checkerboard Mesa and the White Cliffs create a different, more open landscape. Springdale, the gateway town just outside the south entrance, offers hotels, restaurants, and gear rental.