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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.
Utah!
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Zion
National Park Map
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.
Oversized
Vehicle Information
Zion
Canyon Shuttle Information
Zion Photo: The East Temple is seen
from the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway in the East side of Zion Park. The sand stone
was formed from the compacting of sand long ago.The huge desert dunes that existed
then were cemented and the sand was compacted. Those great dunes of sand are
the Navajo Sandstone that exists today. |
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Zion Park Geology
Geology changes dramatically along the eleven miles from the east side
of Zion National Park to the south side and the six miles into Zion
Canyon.
Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel
On the 4th of July, 1930, in a dedication, the completion of the Zion-Mt.
Carmel Tunnel was celebrated. The importance of the tunnel was not just to allow
access through to the east side of Zion
National Park, but also to avoid a hazardous stretch of mountain road running
through the Arizona strip. The road also shortened the distance from Zion National
Park to Bryce Canyon by
seventy miles. Today there are two tunnels in Zion Park, the longest (1.1 miles)
is located between the Canyon Overlook Trailhead and the swtichbacks and the
other tunnel is so short that the opposite end is seen as soon as entering. The
shorter tunnel is located east of the longer tunnel. The longer tunnel, the Zion-Mt.
Carmel Tunnel, divides the park with the red colored rock on one side and the
patterned white slick rock on the other.
Travel through Zion Park
Large vehicles (RV's, motor homes, large campers and trailers) require an escort to
travel through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. The Zion-Mt. Carmel Hwy, Scenic Byway
9, runs through the main section of the park, beginning at the south entrance
and ending at Mount
Carmel Junction. Many pullouts are located along this Scenic Byway. This
short fourteen-mile drive offers the Zion National Park visitor exceptional photo opportunities,
short walks, and a choice of long and short hikes.
The scenic drive through the park from the south entrance to the east entrance
or the east entrance to the south entrance is magnificent. Every moment of the
drive along Scenic Byway 9 offers eye popping scenery!
Canyon Overlook Trail
The popular one-mile Canyon
Overlook Trail begins at the east side of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. The
Canyon Overlook Trail ends at an incredible view of lower Zion Canyon. The easy
trail climbs above the tunnel leading hikers past hoodoos and a moist rock alcove
with a hanging garden. The trail ends in a nest of hoodoos high
above the canyon floor. Looking down over the fenced edge offers a stunning view
of the canyon floor and the switchbacks as they wind up toward the tunnel. Sandstone
cliffs rise in every direction.
Pine Creek
Directly below the first section of the Canyon Overlook hike is Pine Creek
Slot Canyon and farther down stream is a wonderful bouldering and hiking section
of Pine Creek. If one were to follow Pine
Creek down stream there are deep swimming holes surrounded by giant boulders
and a beautiful waterfall that
forms a pool below surrounded by a sandy beach. Pine Creek passes beneath the
road via the Pine Creek bridge and empties into the Virgin
River.
Zion Park Switchbacks
The winding road that doubles back on itself taking traffic through Zion National
Park from the south side of the tunnel to Canyon Junction is called the switchbacks.
Driving this stretch of road is thrilling for some and scary for others, but
a beautiful site for us all. Impressive geological wonders crowd the narrow Zion-Mt.
Carmel road. From the top bend note the spherical topped Beehives and Sundial,
Twin Brothers, Mount
Spry, the massive Streaked Wall and the the Great
Arch. Each Zion
landmark is a geological story in itself.
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