How to Visit Zion National Park in Under 24 Hours

One of my favorite parts of a road trip is stopping to see sights along the way to your destination. When my boyfriend and I drove from Colorado Springs to Salt Lake City for a wedding, we knew we’d have to plan out a couple of stops on our drive. Driving to SLC, we got to see the Colorado National Monument, but that’s a story for another day. On the way back, we made it our goal to take the long way and stop at the breath taking Zion National Park in Southern Utah.

If you’ve never been to Zion, I promise, you can’t possibly imagine it’s grandiosity, no matter how many photos you see online. I had expectations that were just blown out of the water. This was my 7th National Park to cross off of the list- following in the footsteps of giants like Yellowstone and Glacier, and it ended up being my new favorite.

With a pressing work schedule to return to, and a 13 hour drive home, we really had to squeeze Zion NP into less than 24 hours. Now- I don’t claim to have seen everything the park has to offer, but we got a great sense for it. The truth is, you could spend weeks in the park and still leave stones unturned (pun intended), but for those of you who need to make this a quick stop, here are some of the quick and easy things to do in under 24 hours at Zion National Park.

Drive the Zion – Mount Carmel Highway

One of the first things I do when I visit a new National Park is drive through it (if accessible) especially if I am in a time crunch. This gives you a high-level overview of the park from the safety of your vehicle. If you can, I would advise entering Zion National Park from the Eastern entrance, onto Zion- Mount Carmel Highway. This road takes you back to the Zion Canyon Village, and the South Entrance of the park. Everything drivable is done on this road. You will not only drive through the entire southern portion of the park, but the famous 1.1 mile Zion tunnel. This tunnel is pretty neat, offering periodic windows to view the canyons outside. Drive slow or you’ll miss them! There are plenty off pull-offs to stop at to take in the views along the way before and after the tunnel.

Once you finish your drive you will end up at Zion Canyon Village, another entrance of the park where a little town sits. Here you can find fuel for you and your vehicle. **Please be advised that stores close very early here, and there really isn’t much else nearby. Plan accordingly for food and gas before dark!

Take the Free Shuttle for the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive

The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive takes you North into the park, and is only accessible (most of the time) by shuttle bus or foot. The shuttle will take you from Zion Canyon Village, all the way to the end of the ZCSD road, which ends with the Temple of Sinawava. There are approximately nine stops on this shuttle route, which take you to a variety of hikes ranging from the strenuous Narrows hike, to more moderate hikes like the Canyon Overlook. This is a beautiful ride between canyons and over rivers, and you get to decide when you’ve had enough!

Take your pick when it comes to the hikes along this route. I would advise doing some research beforehand, especially if you have a full day in Zion. Make sure you are also aware of the bus schedule. Once the last bus leaves, you’ll be stuck to walk back to the town on your own. If you only have time for one hike, I would encourage the hike below.

Riverside Walk to The Narrows

If you want a beautiful and easy hike, take the shuttle all the way to the last stop at the Temple of Sinawava, and take the Riverside Walking hike. This is an easy and light, mostly paved (wheelchair accessible for the first .4 miles with assistance) trail that takes you to The Narrows. The total distance round trip is 2.2 miles, and takes about an hour and a half (if you aren’t stopping to take in the views).

It is not a joke when I say this is one of the most MAJESTIC walks you will take in your life. The entire trail follows the Virgin River through deep canyon walls. These canyon walls tower over you with their red and orange majesty, sometimes sharing their mystical waterfalls and vibrant foliage. You feel as if you are walking through an ancient jungle yet to be discovered. You really cannot put into words how incredible this trail is. Along the way, watch out for hungry squirrels. They have learned to take advantage of humans offering them food- DON’T! Maintain a safe distance to protect them and you!

At the end of the trail, there is an option to continue on into…dun dun dun…The Narrows. This is one of the most popular trails/locations within Zion National Park. As the name suggests, The Narrows is a very narrow canyon carved out by the Virgin River. At some points, you can touch both sides of the canyon at once! The water isn’t terribly deep- going as high as your waist in some parts (or your thighs if you are taller than 5’2″). The Narrows is a very long and strenuous 9.4 mile trek round trip, and can take as long as 9 hours to complete. If you are an experienced hiker and this is for you- send pics! For the rest of us, going out about a quarter of a mile is fun too! Just plan to get wet and bring waterproof shoes! *Please also follow park advisories for flash floods/rock slides! This is no joke*

If you have some time after your hike to The Narrows, hop back on the Zion Shuttle and visit some other stops along the way. If it is getting late, you’ll want to head back to the Zion Canyon Village to check out the next hidden gem.

North Kolob Terrace Road for Sunset or Sunrise

I am forever thankful to my Airbnb host for showing us this hidden gem. This kind of completed our 24 hours in Zion National Park, and we left feeling like we’d seen Zion in all of it’s glory. The North Kolob Terrace Road is a road that leads you to a whole different side of Zion, one that isn’t very mainstream or highly trafficked. To access this road, you will need to drive West out of Zion Canyon Village toward the town of Virgin (plug the road into your GPS before you lose service, because you will lose service!).

How far down this road you drive is up to your discretion. We drove about 10-12 miles in before turning back before it got too late and dark. At the “end” of the road is the Kolob Resevoir, if that’s your thing. So what’s the deal with this road? Besides being a “hidden” entrance into Zion, it’s more so the time of day that you drive it that makes the magic come alive.

In the heat of the afternoon, the canyons of Zion can appear washed out and uniform as sunlight hits the walls directly. If you want to see Zion in a new light (literally) drive the North Kolob Terrace Road at sunset or sunrise. The low light brings out some surprising colors and dimension in the canyons that you won’t get with regular sunlight. Drive up about an hour before sunset and watch the magic before your very eyes. If you’re brave enough, hang out to see the starry night sky too! Budget at least a few hours for this venture, but it is the perfect end or beginning to your day in Zion!

What Else?

These four events took up an entire day for us before we had to make the 13 hour drive back to Colorado that next morning. If you have more time to kill, look up some of the more desirable hikes and see if those may work for your schedule. Hikes that lead to the different Emerald Pools, for example, may suit you. Outside of this, spend some time in the Zion Canyon Village grabbing breakfast at Oscar’s Cafe, lunch at Meme’s Cafe, or dinner at Zion Pizza & Noodle Co. If you want to learn more about Zion, make sure to also check out the Visitor Center for some fun Zion history and a cool gift shop.

You may have also heard about famous hikes like Angel’s Landing. This is something we did not do in Zion as it requires a permit ahead of time. This 5 mile hike can take up to 5 hours, and is considered strenuous. However, the views (or so I’ve heard) at the top are unbeatable. If you have the time and are interested, learn more on permits and access here.

Happy Exploring!!