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Visiting Zion National Park with Kids

We have many attractions we’ve visited largely in need of a “do-over” due to lack of time or weather. In honor of National Parks Week here in the US, this is our re-visit to Zion National Park in Utah. Our trip last month was a stark contrast to our visit a few years ago when it was covered with snow and we practically had the park to ourselves. Zion is popular among hikers and outdoor enthusiasts and a natural spectacle of canyons and cliffs.

Zion National Park cover

It was designated as a National Park in 1919. Zion is Utah’s oldest and most visited park.The Mormon pioneers who settled in the area in the late 1800s called the canyon “Zion” which was a Hebrew word for refuge or sanctuary. We entered the park this time through the East Gate along Mt. Carmel Highway after our trip from Lake Powell and the Lower Antelope Canyon in Arizona. Our last trip was through the South Gate and the town of Springdale. The reddish-brown paved road was a welcome sight. It almost seemed natural and blended in nicely with the surrounding red rocks.

Zion National Park sign

Zion is famous for its colossal canyon walls and monoliths. Unlike many of the Southwest National Parks, Zion is viewed best from below and not on viewpoints looking down. It’s a different perspective but just as spectacular. Driving here made us feel infinitely small. We were immediately greeted with orange, red and beige cliffs and rocks.

Zion National Park sandstone

It took a million years of flowing water to carve through the Navajo sandstone to form Zion’s huge cliff walls. The varying layers of sandstone showed how forces of nature carved and molded these formations into these extraordinary rock formations.

Zion National Park cliff
This was one of the most scenic highways we’ve ever driven. The towering cliffs and red canyons were enough to make us drive slowly and stop at almost every turnout along the road to admire what Mother Nature has created.

Zion National Park cliff
Another contrast during our visits was the crowd. It was the last day visitors could take private vehicles into the park. April 1 was the start of the shuttle system that transports visitors throughout the park’s main road. We also didn’t realize that most of the nearby cities’ Spring Break coincided with our kids’ school break. People were everywhere on a Monday afternoon. Can you see some in this picture?

Zion National Park cliff
It was hard not to miss one of the park’s landmarks known as Checkerboard Mesa. This 900 feet cone-shaped mountain’s façade looked like the criss-cross patterns of a checkerboard. It made for an interesting stop and added diversity to the landscape.

Zion Checkerboard Mesa
Nearby was Crazy Quilt Mesa which also had the criss-cross patterns on its surface. We didn’t see these types of formations anywhere else in the park. Wind, weather and pressure contributed to the unusual patterns and cracks to these mesas.

Zion National Park Crazy Quilt Mesa

One of the highlights for my kids has always been going through the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel. This 1.1 mile tunnel was completed in 1930. Its main purpose was to provide an easier way to access neighboring Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon National Park.

Zion National Park tunnel

It was an incredible achievement and an engineering marvel on how they were able to cut and blast this tunnel through the 2,000 foot thick Navajo sandstone. Cars cannot stop inside the tunnel but we’ve always driven slow enough to look out into the tunnels’ “windows”. These openings gave the tunnel some light and glimpses of the rock formations and were such wonderful bonuses.

Zion National Park tunnel window
This stunning view of the heart of Zion greeted us when we emerged from the tunnel. The majestic peaks certainly knew how to command visitors’ attention.

Zion National Park tunnel view
The road down to Zion Canyon from the tunnel was curvy with a lot of switchbacks and blind spots. It helps to drive slowly with an added benefit of enjoying the panoramic views. Each turn produced one dramatic view after another.
This was how one of the tunnel windows looked from below. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Zion National Park tunnel window
The Zion Canyon scenic drive winds through canyon and cliff walls alongside the Virgin River on some areas. This was one of the rock formation groupings known as Court of the Patriarchs, aptly named Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Zion National Park court of the Patriarchs
The  six mile scenic drive ended at the natural amphitheater known as the Temple of Sinawava. Sinawava was the coyote god and spirit of the Paiute Indians. This was probably the most crowded area of the park with the small parking lot surrounded by huge sandstone walls. It was also the entrance to the Riverside Walk which is the park’s most popular trail.

Temple of Sinawava Zion

The Altar and the Pulpit were two rock formations by the river that stood out within the temple. I imagine their shapes have changed over the years. It is one of the most photographed landmarks of the park.

Zion Temple of Sinawava Altar & Pulpit
I actually like our winter picture of the Altar and the Pulpit more with the contrasting red rocks against the blanket of snow. Or maybe it was because we got to enjoy the serenity of this area more during our winter visit.

Temple of Sinawava with Altar and Pulpit
We were disappointed that we couldn’t do any of the hikes since we hard a time finding parking at most of the trails. There were so many people going into the trails we decided not to join the masses and go back here during Fall instead. This just reinforced my desire and recommendation to visit the parks during the off-season.

Zion Virgin River
Zion National Park is one of America’s gems. It’s no wonder that visitors repeatedly visit this park and made it one of the most popular in the park system. It’s hard not to enjoy and be amazed at the soaring sandstone cliffs and  red canyons. Despite two visits, there’s so much to Zion we stll haven’t seen hidden in its hiking trails and canyons. I guess this looks like another “do-over” attraction to add to that list.

Zion National Park cliffwall

Visiting Zion National Park Basics and Tips

  • Park Admission: $25 per car for 7 days; It’s also covered by the America the Beautiful Pass and Lifetime passes. Free admission during Fee Free Days.
  • The 6-mile Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only accessible via a free shuttle system from April through October. Check the website for the shuttle system schedule.
  • Bring binoculars. You never know what you may spot on those cliff walls.
  • Food and lodging services are available at the Zion Lodge  (open year-round) which is on the halfway point of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. The town of Springdale is outside with many lodging and restaurant options.

Zion National Park

Have you explored Zion National Park?

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ZION NATIONAL PARK

52 thoughts on “Visiting Zion National Park with Kids”

  1. It looks incredible – such stunning scenery. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and Bryce, but not Zion. It’s one that’s on my list for a return journey, even more so now!

  2. Zion National Park ranks as one of my all time faves. I think the hiking is extraordinary and the scenery is out of this world.
    I LOVE your photo of the Court of the Patriarchs.

  3. Zion and Bryce are 2 of my favorite parks ever! The whole Southern Utah / Northern Arizona region is to-die for if you love the outdoors. Lesser known, but also nearby is Willis Creek Slot Canyon.. another beautiful setting/hike with no crowds! :)

    1. Thanks for the Willis Creek suggestion. We’ll need to look into that. I agree that this whole area is just incredible and we love going back here. I wish we lived closer. Great to hear these two are your favorites and I can certainly understand why.

  4. Gorgeous pictures!!! Too bad you didn’t get to do the hikes, but that picture with the park covered in snow is so beautiful! I’ve been to Zion once and had the chance to do a couple of the less-demanding hikes. It’s definitely a place I would like to go back to and spend a little more time at, and maybe do the infamous Angel’s Landing hike next time!

  5. Love your photos. Zion is on my wish list, and reading about it makes me even more interested. Thanks for the information about how busy it is – off-season sounds like a great idea.

  6. I love the beautiful earth tones, Mary. I impressed by the color of the roads. They look like they were formed from the rocks and just smoothed out.
    Man, those vehicles look tiny!
    Thanks for the tour.

  7. Loved your pictures! I agree, I like the winter shot the best…both are gorgeous though. We’ve been to Zion and LOVED it, but had to blow through it due to the heat. After reading your post, I’m heading back in the fall for sure. Or winter to maybe see a dusting of snow!

  8. I can’t get over how beautiful and how diverse the National Parks are! Of all the U.S. National Parks, we have only visited Denali, Glacier Bay, Haleakala and Grand Canyon but every time I see your photos I add more to my wish list. Thank goodness someone had the foresight to protect all of these natural wonders for future generations to enjoy!

  9. Zion is so beautiful in your photos. I’ve never been there but would love to take the kids some day. I especially like that far-off shot of the tunnel window and the view looking up from the amphitheatre. Did you do this in conjuction with a trip to Las Vegas?

  10. Hi Mary! Your shots are beautiful. I love the muted colors. I love visiting places in the off season (weather permitting). Too many people somehow dilutes the magic :)

  11. I visited Zion last fall and it became one of my favorite spots. I loved the rich oranges of the sandstone and deep green colors of the trees. I would love to see this park in the winter and from your winter photo it looks stunning!

  12. Hi Mary, I’m yet to explore Zion (at least now I know what the name meant!). It truly is a majestic park. Your photos brings it beauty and immensity to life. I like your photos of the Altar and the Pulpit. I like seeing the difference in the seasonal mood. Good to know that its best to visit during off season. I bet it would nice in the Fall.

  13. I find it interesting how similar parts of Zion look to Big Bend National Park, where I was last weekend. A lot of the landscape, especially the mountains, look almost as if they’re from the same park!

    That said, these pictures are amazing and I would love to visit Zion. Despite the similarities, there are enough differences to definitely make it unique and worth a visit. Bummer about the crowds — I hate when my hiking trails are inundated. It was a bit busy along the trails in Big Bend, but the park is so far out there that it doesn’t see too many visitors, even during the cooler season.

    Happy National Parks Week!

  14. Wow stunning – it’s been too long since I’ve visited – enjoyed the visual tour and seeing those highlights – i do love seeing the winterscape image better with those rocks, great job!

  15. So glad I found this post on Sunday Traveler! :) I have wanted to visit Zion for so many years how and you have given me even more reasons to make it a priority. You’ve captured some great areas of the park I haven’t seen before in photos, love that and I especially like seeing the Altar and the Pulpit during two different seasons. Thanks for all the great tips I can refer to!

  16. Lance | Trips By Lance

    I’m not familiar with any of the Southwestern parks but really want to visit them all one day. Zion looks so beautiful and seems possible to visit in a short amount of time with minimal hiking. I hope to make this visit one day in the next couple of years. I’d like to do a week-long visit to the Southwestern parks.

  17. Zion has really been brought to my attention the past couple of months. Those brightly coloured rocks and interesting formations really makes me want to visit. Hopefully one day! And definitely in the off season :)

  18. Incredible photos. I would love to visit here someday! It looks like it would be beautiful all year round – I love your winter photo! Add it to the bucket list :)

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