Zion National Park

Yes, Zion is open year-round. However, Kolob Terrace Road closes in winter due to snow, and upper sections may remain closed into late spring. Kolob Canyon can also occasionally close due to snow. Check current road conditions at the visitor center or nps.gov/zion before visiting these areas.

Two to three full days in the park is ideal. One day lets you hit one major hike (Angels Landing, The Narrows, Observation Point), but three days gives you time to fully explore Zion Canyon, the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway area, and Kolob Canyons without feeling rushed.

If you're not a hiker, we still recommend a full day in the park so you have time to explore Zion Canyon on the shuttle and get out at each stop. If you're visiting when the road is open to vehicles, you may be able to pack all the scenic drives into a single day, but it's worth staying overnight to experience sunset and sunrise colors against the cliffs.

Yes, the Zion Shuttles are free and do not require a ticket or reservation. The Zion Canyon Shuttle is just inside the park, however, so expect to pay an entrance fee or show your park pass before you reach the shuttle itself.

Yes, but only in very limited areas. The Pa'rus trail at the visitor center is the only trail which allows pets (but at busy times this may not be very enjoyable due to the number of cyclists also using this trail to enter the park). Pets can be in parking areas, developed campgrounds, picnic areas, and on the grounds of Zion Lodge (outside the hotel). However, they cannot ride the shuttle, enter public buildings, or go on any of the trails or wilderness areas.

Yes, lodge guests receive a red parking permit and gate code allowing them to drive up to the Zion Lodge parking lot. However, you cannot drive beyond the lodge on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.

Only Class 1 e-bikes (pedal-assist, no throttle, max 20 mph) are allowed on park roads and the Pa'rus Trail. Class 2 and 3 e-bikes with throttles are considered motor vehicles and prohibited. Regular bicycles are also allowed on these same routes and can be placed on the shuttle racks for transport if you want to shuttle to Temple of Sinawava and ride back down instead of doing it as an out-and-back.

Visit in spring during snowmelt or just after heavy rainstorms. The waterfalls often slow to a trickle or dry up completely during summer and fall, so it's best to make a point to head to the trail the day after a storm if you're lucky enough to have one. Check recent trail reports or ask rangers about current water flow before hiking, or you can ask hikers on their way out if you're visiting later in the day.

Yes, but it's highly dependent on the flow rate as kids will have a harder time with higher flow rates than adults will. Check in with the rangers at the visitor station if you have any questions or if it's rained recently as they'll have the best advice, but you can start by checking for near real time flow updates here: link

If the flow rate is below 50 CFS, you're most likely going to have an easier hike, though younger children may need assistance across when you encounter knee-high pools. As the current goes higher, it's going to get more challenging as you walk against the current, and at 70 CFS - 100 CFS you're going to run into more sections that are thigh or waist deep with some pools further down the trail at chest deep. At this flow there are fewer "low water" areas where younger children can walk unassisted and they'll need more help, though older kids can find this to be a blast. Once you get past 100 CFS, it becomes a much more challenging hike where you're actively fighting the current to move forward, and the park will close the trail entirely when it starts to hit 150 CFS.

All that said, The Narrows is a "journey" hike not a "destination" hike, meaning you don't have to make it 5 miles into the canyon to have a good time or get amazing photographs. There are stunning views all along the way, and it is a bit easier in the early sections and not as deep. In general, we always stop in this area to do the Riverwalk, we do what we feel comfortable with that day, and we turn around when we start to encounter deeper pools we're not up for crossing.

There is no official age restriction. While internet guidance will recommend 12+, no one can make a decision on this outside of a child's guardians. That is, I both cannot and will not answer this for you, but I will share how I've thought about it.

Dustin and I are pretty comfortable with heights and ledges, and we're not afraid to take Warren on a trail that has these things, but we are constantly assessing the risk of an accident and what the consequence would be. Consequence of a stumble is a bruise? Warren does it on his own with verbal guidance as needed. Consequence of a stumble is high risk of maiming/death? We assess if we can fully mitigate that risk. Is the trail wide enough that Warren can walk on the inside with a parent on the outside? If we need to pass a short tricky section, can we position ourselves with a solid grip on him so that we're confident we've got him? On Angel's Landing, we can't mitigate the risk, and the consequence is too high, so we don't hike it as a family. Scout Lookout is absolutely doable, but Angel's Landing we're passing on for now.

With older kids this decision gets trickier, but I had a minor stumble on Angel's Landing almost ten years ago that has led me to the philosophy that hiking this trail isn't a decision I would make on anyone's behalf regardless of their age. As a parent, even when we "ask" if teenage children want to do something, they can be heavily influenced because of their trust in us and a desire to please, so I won't be ready for Warren to join us on this trail until he's both mature enough to tackle it and has made the request himself.