Zion National Park, Utah, USA
Zion is for hikers and photographers.
Around a dozen desert waterfalls. The inspiring Angels Landing’s knife-edge tiptoe along a serrated mountain ridge. Rocks that weep. Emerald Pools and waterlogged slogs through Narrow red-rock Subways. All surrounded by towering cliffs. It’s equally beautiful and intimadating.
The crosshatch of canyons scratched in this step of the Grand Staircase makes for a hundred trails in all kinds of contexts, at all levels of difficulty. Zion hiking includes walking along sidewalk-grade paths into pretty nature, or a claustrophobic slot canyon or up a chain-anchored ascent of a vertiginous pinnacle!
Zion means “the heavenly city” and the park’s Kolob Canyons are named after a place described by the local Mormons as being near God’s throne. There are no churches in Zion National Park, but there’s plenty to inspire reverence.
Getting there
The drive from St George, Utah is about 1 hour. We recommend you use St George as you base for visiting Southern Utah.
Take the Veterans Memorial Highway (Highway 15) north out of St George. Take Exit 16 onto UT 9 through Harrisburg Junction. Follow UT 9 until you reach Zion National Park, about 53 kilometers.
Getting to St George, you have a number of options. Driving from the following cities is easy and the roads are great summer or winter. From Salt Lake City, Utah - 4 1/2 hours, from Las Vegas, Nevada - 2 hours.
You can also fly into St George, Utah.