The Virgin River in Zion National Park on May 10, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Kuta/Special to The Denver Post)
Warming my hands around a campfire just outside Zion National Park, I scan the horizon and take in the panoramic views. As the sun begins to set over southwestern Utah, the area’s famous Navajo Sandstone rocks glow pink in the fading light. Somewhere nearby, I hear the eerie, cascading cry of a canyon wren.
There’s not a soul in sight on this remote Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property. Our tranquil perch atop Smith Mesa offers views of some of Zion’s iconic views, including the Tower of the Virgin rock formations, but my friends and I are miles away from the thousands of tourists that flock to the national park every day.
Last year, Zion National Park was the third busiest national park in the country, with a total of 4.69 million visitors. For travelers wanting to experience Zion’s colorful sandstone cliffs and canyons, the park’s popularity means crowded hiking trails, long lines at entrances, overcrowded shuttle buses and packed parking lots, especially during the busy summer months.
But it doesn’t have to be that way: With a little preparation, you can plan a relaxing, stress-free trip to Zion and avoid most of the crowds. Here’s how to do it.
Biking in Zion National Park on May 11, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Kuta/Special to The Denver Post) Ride your bike
During peak season, the road into Zion Canyon is closed to private vehicles. Most people access the canyon by free shuttle bus. Zion’s shuttle system is fantastic: the buses run frequently, the drivers are friendly and easy to talk to, and they provide informative recorded information about the park’s history, geology, flora and fauna.
But if you want to get away from other tourists, consider hopping on a bike instead. This lesser-known option, traveling along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, will access all the same areas but with a more peaceful, nature-filled feel. Plus, instead of sitting on a bus, you’ll ride outdoors, offering unobstructed views of the towering 2,000-foot canyon walls.
Along the way, you can stop at any time to take photos, watch mule deer grazing, look up at intrepid rock climbers tackling the exposed sandstone cliffs and, if you’re lucky, you might even see an endangered California condor soaring overhead.
For safety reasons, cyclists must come to a complete halt to let the shuttle pass whenever it comes up behind them, but even with this minor inconvenience, biking through the canyon is relaxing and peaceful, with no other cars on the road (and, honestly, you’ll probably want to stop and enjoy the views every now and then anyway).
Another perk is that you can bypass the main Zion Canyon entrance, which is often clogged with traffic, and instead head straight to the pedestrian/bike entrance where you can just walk right in. From here, it’s easy to start your two-wheeled trip into the canyon along the paved Parras Trail, which follows the Virgin River and is well-marked with interpretive signs.
Bring your own bike or rent one from one of the many outdoor outfitters nearby. Electric bikes are permitted on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, and many rental shops offer both classic and pedal-assist models for daily rentals. If you want to explore the park in more detail, companies such as Zion Adventure Company also offer guided cycling tours ($219 for a half-day tour that includes bike rental).
Shuttle bus stop in Zion National Park on May 10, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Kuta/Special to The Denver Post) Heading to the other side of the park
Most visitors to Zion National Park spend their time in Zion Canyon, where you can access famous hiking trails like Angel’s Landing and the Narrows. If you don’t mind venturing a little further off the beaten path, consider visiting the other side of the park, which is less trafficked and just as beautiful.
About an hour’s drive from Zion Canyon, the Kolob Canyons area occupies the northwest corner of the park. Here you can drive your own vehicle or hike solo on more than 20 miles of trails and explore some unusual terrain, including steep box canyons carved into the edge of the Colorado Plateau.
Stop by the Kolob Canyon Visitor Center to orient yourself before hiking up to Kolob Arch, one of the largest free-standing arches on Earth.
Staying up late
Zion National Park will become an International Dark Sky Area in June 2021, and the nearby town of Springdale is set to become Dark Sky certified this summer. There’s very little light pollution here, so when the sun goes down, it’s pitch black. Really pitch black. That makes it an ideal place to stay up a little later than usual and do some stargazing. Most other visitors to Zion will be sleeping in RVs or hotel beds, so you’ll pretty much have the place to yourself.
The park itself is open 24 hours a day, so feel free to stay up late, wake up early, or set your alarm for the night sky. Just outside the park, on private property, tour company Stargazing Zion also hosts nightly stargazing programs ($150 for adults, $85 for kids under 12). During these two-hour tours, local astronomers will guide you through the solar system, point out different constellations, and share details about various astronomical and cosmic phenomena, including different types of twilight and black holes. All the while, you can relax under a blanket in a plush, zero-gravity bean bag chair, sipping hot chocolate, and peering through the provided binoculars.
You can also stargaze from the comfort of a glamping tent if you book a stay at Open Sky, a new off-grid resort in Virgin, Utah, opening in summer 2021. The property’s “Starseeker” tents feature large glass ceilings above your bed, giving you a clear view of space as you fall asleep (nightly rates start at $688).
The Pine Valley Mountains as seen from Red Cliffs National Conservation Area on May 9, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Kuta/Special to The Denver Post) Venture Outside the Park
Zion National Park covers 229 square miles, or about 150,000 acres. But if you venture outside the park, you’ll find plenty more public lands to explore, none of which are as crowded as Zion Canyon.
For example, the 7,300-acre Snow Canyon State Park is home to burnt-orange petrified sand dunes, formed by grains of sand hardening into bizarre hills over millions of years, and helps protect the habitat of 13 endangered species protected by federal and state laws, including the desert tortoise and Gila monster.
Meanwhile, within Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, you can find footprints left by a three-toed dinosaur (possibly Gralattor, Kayentapus or Eubrontes) from 190 million years ago, as well as petroglyphs and indigenous rock art.
Paddleboard on the turquoise waters of Sand Hollow Reservoir in Sand Hollow State Park. Keep your eyes peeled for wild horses as you cruise around the Stud Horse Draw Loop in Dixie National Forest in an ATV or UTV. Or mountain bike along the flowing singletrack and slickrock trails of BLM-managed Gooseberry Mesa.
Visit in the off-season
The summer travel season is fast approaching, but if your schedule allows, consider visiting Zion in late fall or winter. The park’s monthly visitor statistics speak for themselves: 70% of all tourists arrive between April and September. By comparison, December and January combined account for just 5% of the park’s annual visitor numbers. While the area’s alpine terrain may not be accessible, there’s still plenty of nature to get out and explore, and photos of the snow-capped sandstone cliffs will leave you stunned.
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