The Ultimate Southwest Vacation includes Zion National Park, Utah!
Stay in Mount Carmel Junction, the heart of the parks, and
visit the treasures of the Southwest.
Zion Park 12 miles
Grand Staircase 9 miles
Sand Dunes 11 miles
Dixie Forest 22 miles
Cedar Breaks 45 miles
Red Canyon 47 miles
Coyote Butte 57 miles
Bryce Canyon 60 miles
North Rim 85 miles
Toroweap 90 miles
Plan your Zion National Park Vacation with our Utah Maps and
Information
In these pages you will find insiders information on Zion National
Park lodging, adventures and hikes. This detailed guide includes road maps, park
maps, pictures, trail beta, backpacking, history, fees, geology, flora, fauna,
campgrounds, things for kids to do and even information on Zion's hidden treasures.
Making summer memories in the Utah National Parks and National
Monuments.
Directions to Zion National Park From Salt Lake City: Travel I-15 south, past Beaver.
Exit on Hwy 20. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to Zion's east
entrance. From Arizona: Travel 89A through Fredonia, Arizona
and Kanab Utah. Follow US-89 to to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to the east
park entrance. From Las Vegas: Travel I-15 north. Take exit 16 and
travel through Hurricane. Make a right on U-9 at the second traffic light in
LaVerkin. Continue on U-9 to the south entrance of the park. U-9 through Zion
National Park is always open and is also called the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.
Try to snow shoe in Zion National Park, at the higher elevations,
for some winter fun.
Scenic Drives through Zion and Bryce Canyon are astounding in
the winter months, when the mountains are topped with snow. Both Utah National
Parks are open year round.
Winter
photography is rewarding on the east side of Zion National Park. Evergreen
trees and towering slickrock are never so beautiful as when topped with snow.
Bryce Canyon National Park
is a Winter Haven
Cross country skiing and snowmobile rides are offered at Bryce
Canyon National Park. Hiking is permitted in the winter, but check with the
visitor center since some trails may be icy.
Cedar Breaks Cross Country Skiing
Cedar
Breaks is a fun place to snowmobile and cross country ski. Be aware, however,
of highway 148 closures.
Cross country skiing and snowmobile trails are abundant on Cedar
Mountain. This area along Highway
14 is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful area for a winter vacation. Duck
Creek Village on Cedar Mountain offers all the rental equipment you should need.
Looking for downhill skiing in Southern Utah?
Southern Utah has you covered with Brian Head Ski Resort.
Note that HIghway 148 is
closed due to snow in the winter and a detour must be made through Parowan on
I15 or Panguitch on US 89.
Dog Sled Racing
This unusual winter activity can be found at Brian Head Ski
Resort every year on December 8th. This event is sanctioned by the Dog Sled Racing
Association and the event at Brian Head is recognized as one of the finest in
the Western US.
Ice Fishing
Common locations for Ice Fishing in Southern Utah include Panguitch
Lake, Otter Creek and Minersville Reservoir.
Gear:
Crampons or some other sort of ice walker is recommend for winter hiking on many
trails.
Winter in Zion National Park
Zion National Park's winters are mild, allowing hikers to experience
many of Zion's trails in the winter. Some of the trails that get little sun might
be icy, so check with the Zion
Canyon Visitor Center before heading out. Use common sense and turn back
if trail conditions are unsafe. Crampons are used by many who like to hike in
the winter.
Swirls of rock meander with pockets of brilliant white along
Zion's main highway, the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway (SR-9). Swelling storms fill
blue skies with puffs of grey clouds, providing an ideal backdrop for dramatic
winter photography. Along the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, the trees hold their leaves
year-round allowing for wonderful photo opportunities. The east side of Zion
National Park is a winter photographer's dream.
In Zion Canyon, along the Virgin River, leaves fall padding the ground and
providing a winterscape to capture on film. The river is usually higher in the
winter and there are often waterfalls and mist that exist at no other time of the
year. The creative can capture the beauty of winter within the wall of Zion Canyon.
Hiking in Zion Canyon in the Winter
While many of the trails in Zion Canyon are open, they often have
patches of snow, ice and mud. Some of the most popular trails in the park - Weeping
Rock, Emerald Pools, Riverside Walk, Angels Landing, Hidden Canyon and Observation
Point have areas that get little sun making them pleasant in the summer, but
icy in the winter. The visitor center has current winter trail conditions. The Sand
Bench Trail is used by the horses in the summer, but in the winter when the
operation shuts down, this becomes a pleasant hike. Zion
Canyon Hiking
Hiking on the east side of Zion
Other than Canyon
Overlook Trail, the trails on the east side are not paved like the Zion Canyon
trails making mud a factor in the winter. The East
Rim Trail can have deep snow on the path, but snowshoes or skis (on the unpaved
section) can be fun on this trail. East Mesa to Observation Point and East Rim
to Cable Mountain and Deertrap Mountain are all possible for the experienced
snow hikers. Hiking over the many slickrock routes is great in the wintertime
when ice and snow are not present. East
Zion Park Trails
Hiking on the south side of Zion
Trails like Watchman,
Chinle, Coalpits, Huber, Scoggins and Eagle Crags are located farther south than
Zion's popular trails. These trails are usually too hot to hike in the summer,
but they are good winter trails due to the low elevation and the full sun.
Chinle Trail Winter hike
The Chinle
Trail is a low desert trail located outside the popular boundaries of the
park, near Rockville. Follow the narrow sandy path or wash northwest until it
forks with an obvious two track road. Follow the road toward the Rockville Bench.
After about three miles the trail will cross Huber Wash and lead to a forest
of pinyon's and junipers and an added treat - petrified wood throughout. The
next wash along the trail is Scoggins Wash, before the trail heads up to the
land between Scoggins and Coal Pits Wash. Finally it leads into the three knolls
and the junction with the Old Scoggins Stock Trail. The trail ends at a nice
waterfall near Coalpits Spring. Allow at least 8 hours of daylight to complete
this 14.4 mile round trip trail.
Coalpits Wash Winter Hike
Coalpits
Wash runs along a low desert terrain. In fact, it is the lowest point in
Zion National Park at 3666'. The trail traverses a pinyon-juniper desertscape
along the Coalpits drainage, near the base of the Cougar Mountain Wilderness
area. It ends in a canyon with a backdoor view of the Bishopric, Towers of the
Virgin and Altar of Sacrifice. Allow at least 8 hours of daylight to complete
this 14 mile round trip trail.
Scoggins Wash Winter Hike
If the stream is flowing, Scoggins
Wash is the most interesting of the far south winter trails. This trail has
a little bit of everything including some fun boulder hopping toward the end.
Scoggins Wash is a tributary of Coalpits that drains below the Altar of Sacrifice.
Allow at least 8 hours of daylight to complete this 11 mile trail.
Huber Wash Winter Hike
Huber Wash is a short hike through a wash on the far south side of the park. Its is in the area of Scoggins, Chinle and Coalpits.
Zion's Slot Canyons in the Winter
Canyon hiking is not a good idea in the winter or early spring,
due to run-off and melting snow. The access roads can be impassible in the winter
and spring. Backpacking permits are not issued for the Zion Narrows in the winter,
but exploring a short way, starting at the Riverside Walk is allowed. Wet suit
(or dry suit) and proper equipment must be used. Spry and Behunin Canyon are
two of the better winter canyoneering routes
in Zion.
Hiking in Kolob Canyons in the winter
The West Rim and Wildcat Canyon may have deep snow and mud in
the winter. Kolob Canyons should be avoided in the winter and early spring due
to high snow levels and even avalanches. Snowshoe use is an option for experienced
users on the Lava Point and Wild Cat Canyon trails. Kolob
Hiking
Winter Road Conditions in Zion National Park
Highway 9 (Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway) through Zion National Park
is always open and is a major highway. Oversized
Vehicle Information
All roads in and through the main part of Zion National Park
are open throughout the year, but if you are driving through the park during
a snow storm, a 4WD is recommended. The roads are plowed and sand is put down,
but like any travel through a snowy area it can be dangerous and icy. The Kolob
Terrace road is not plowed so it closes in the winter.
Zion Shuttle in the Winter
The Zion Canyon Shuttle does not run in Zion Canyon from mid-October
to late March, but you may drive your private vehicle into the canyon during
these few months of the year.
Zion's Winter Temperatures
Most of the winter the temperatures in Zion are nice for short hikes. Heavy
snow is common at the higher elevations in Zion, but the canyon at 4000' sees
little snow.
In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water
like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.
