Zion National Park: 3-Day Itinerary

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Drive from where are you driving from?~2.5 hr · or 4.5 hr from Salt Lake City · Drive

   Zion sits about 2.5 hours from Las Vegas and roughly 4.5 hours from Salt Lake City. Aim to be at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center by 6:15 AM, because the lot routinely fills by 7:30 AM in peak season. If it is full, park in Springdale and ride the free town shuttle to the pedestrian entrance.

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   Angels Landing Trail~5.4 mi RT · 1,488 ft · permit required · Hike

   Take the shuttle to Stop #6 (The Grotto). Cross the footbridge to the West Rim Trail, climb through shaded Refrigerator Canyon, then up the 21 switchbacks of Walter's Wiggles to Scout Lookout. If you drew a permit, push up the spine-tingling 0.5-mile chain section to the summit; if not, Scout Lookout itself delivers a knockout panoramic view with no reservation required.

   See the trail →
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   Lunch at Zion LodgeStop #5 · Castle Dome Café · cottonwood lawn · Viewpoint

   Shuttle one stop south to Stop #5 (Zion Lodge). Grab a burger or salad at the Castle Dome Café and sprawl under the giant cottonwood on the lawn while your legs recover before the afternoon walk to the Emerald Pools.

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   Lower & Upper Emerald Pools~2.2 mi RT · shaded · waterfalls · Hike

   Cross the road from the lodge to the Emerald Pools Trailhead. The 2.2-mile shaded round-trip passes weeping alcoves and waterfall-fed pools, a perfect low-impact cool-off after the morning's climb.

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5. ⠿↑↓5Andrey Zharkikh from S / CC BY 2.0
   Stay in SpringdaleWalkable base · town shuttle to the park · lodge

   Base in Springdale just outside the south entrance, the most convenient and walkable base with restaurants and lodging at all price points. The town shuttle connects directly to the park shuttle. Book months ahead for summer and fall weekends. Dinner at King's Landing Bistro or Bit & Spur.

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Day 2 of 3

The Deep Canyon & The Narrows

Day 2 stays low on the canyon floor, wading the Virgin River through a 1,000-foot slot, where the walls close to within twenty feet of each other.

5 stopsDay two

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Zion Adventures · Narrows gear rentalSpringdale · dry-bib package spring and fall, footwear package in summer · book ahead · activity

   Gear up around 7:00 AM at a Springdale outfitter (Zion Adventure Company or Zion Outfitters) for a "Narrows Package": neoprene socks, sticky-soled canyon boots, and a sturdy wooden walking stick. Don't attempt The Narrows in running shoes, the algae-slick river rocks will eat you alive.

   Book this →
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   Riverside WalkPaved 1 mi · Stop #9 Temple of Sinawava · Viewpoint

   Take the shuttle to the final stop, Stop #9 (Temple of Sinawava). Walk the paved 1-mile Riverside Walk alongside the Virgin River to the point where the pavement ends and the river itself becomes the trail.

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   The Narrows (Bottom Up)~9.4 mi RT · 334 ft · hard · no permit · Hike

   Step into the cold Virgin River and hike upstream into the towering slot canyon. Push for roughly two hours upriver until you reach Wall Street, the narrowest and most dramatic section, where the walls rise 1,000 feet and close to within 22 feet of each other. Turn back here and retrace your route. No permit required for this stretch. Before stepping in, confirm there are no flash-flood warnings or toxic-cyanobacteria advisories.

   See the trail →
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   Court of the PatriarchsStop #3 · 5-minute walk · Abraham, Isaac & Jacob · Viewpoint

   On the shuttle ride back down the canyon, hop off briefly at Stop #3 (Court of the Patriarchs) for a 5-minute walk to the viewpoint of the three massive sandstone peaks: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Photograph and reboard the next shuttle, they come every few minutes.

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   Second night in SpringdaleWalkable base · town shuttle to the park · lodge

   Stay a second night in Springdale so you can be on the early shuttle and reach the Temple of Sinawava before the heat and crowds build. Keeping the same base means no packing up between your two big canyon days.

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Day 3 of 3

The East Rim Highway & Exit Route

Day 3 turns the trip into a seamless eastward transition toward your next destination, with zero backtracking.

4 stopsDay three

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Zion–Mount Carmel Highway & TunnelHighway 9 switchbacks · historic 1930 tunnel · Drive

   Check out around 8:00 AM and leave Springdale on Highway 9 (the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway), ascending the spectacular switchbacks that climb out of the canyon's main basin. Drive through the historic 1.1-mile tunnel blasted into solid sandstone in 1930, watching for the cut-out windows that offer brief glimpses down into the canyon.

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   Canyon Overlook Trail~1 mi out-and-back · cliff edge & boardwalk · Hike

   Immediately after exiting the tunnel, look for the small parking areas on the right and left. The 1-mile out-and-back hugs a cliff edge, crosses a wooden boardwalk bridge, and ends at a sheer drop directly over Zion Canyon. The reward-to-effort ratio rivals Angels Landing.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Ken Lund from Reno, Ne / CC BY-SA 2.0
   Checkerboard MesaPullout 10 to 15 min east of the tunnel · Viewpoint

   Continue east another 10 to 15 minutes to the Checkerboard Mesa pullout, a massive white-and-red sandstone hill weathered into a grid of horizontal and vertical cracks.

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   Onward: Bryce, Page or Grand Canyon North RimBryce <2 hr · Page ~2 hr · GC North Rim ~3 hr · Drive

   From the East Entrance you're perfectly positioned for the next leg with no repeated mile: Bryce Canyon National Park (under 2 hours northeast on UT-9/US-89), Page, AZ plus Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon (~2 hours east), or the Grand Canyon North Rim (~3 hours southeast).

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