Zion National Park: the shuttle, the Narrows and Angels Landing

Zion is a narrow red sandstone canyon with a river running through it, and it is small enough that almost everyone wants to be in the same few miles at once. The park solved this with a mandatory shuttle, and once you understand the shuttle, the park becomes easy.

The shuttle is not optional

For most of the year the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles and served by a free shuttle from the visitor centre. Park once, ride all day, hop off at the stop you want. In practice this means arriving early, because the visitor centre lot fills by mid-morning in season. Springdale, the town at the gate, has its own shuttle line and paid parking, which is the reliable fallback.

Location: Zion National Park

The 3-day plan

Day 123

Learn the canyon on shuttle day one. Private cars are banned on the scenic drive most of the year.

1. 08:00 Zion Canyon Visitor Center Park here for the day, the lot fills by 09:00. The free shuttle is the only way up-canyon from spring through fall.
2. 09:00 Zion Human History Museum The 22 minute film is a genuinely good orientation, and the back patio view is underrated.
3. 10:00 Emerald Pools Lower, middle and upper pools from the Zion Lodge stop. About 3 miles if you do all three.
4. 13:00 Zion Lodge Lunch on the lawn under the giant cottonwood.
5. 14:30 Riverside Walk A paved 2.2 mile round trip from the last shuttle stop, hanging gardens on the canyon walls the whole way.

Start from this plan →

Entrances and getting there

• South Entrance (Springdale): the main gate, the visitor centre and the shuttle. Nearly everyone enters here.
• East Entrance (Highway 9 from Mount Carmel Junction): arrives through the switchbacks and the 1.1 mile Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel, the best entrance drive in the Southwest. Oversized vehicles pay for a tunnel escort.
• Kolob Canyons: a separate corner of the park 40 minutes away off I-15, with its own short scenic road and almost none of the crowds.

The two famous walks

• Angels Landing is a 5.4 mile climb finishing on a knife-edge ridge with chains and severe drops on both sides. It requires a permit by lottery, applied for either seasonally or the day before. If you are uneasy with heights, stop at Scout Lookout, which is the same view without the ridge, and needs no permit.
• The Narrows is a hike up the Virgin River itself, between walls that close to 20 feet apart. Bottom-up as a day hike needs no permit. You do need proper footwear, a stick, and a hard look at the flash flood forecast, because a storm miles away can fill this canyon with no warning at all.
• Observation Point via East Mesa is higher than Angels Landing, easier underfoot, and far less busy.
• Emerald Pools and Riverside Walk are the gentle options and genuinely lovely.

Flash floods, which is the real risk here

Zion's slot canyons drain a huge area. The park posts a daily flash flood potential rating at the visitor centre and online. If it says probable, do not enter the Narrows, regardless of the blue sky above you.

Book it and check it

• Official park page → Entrance fees, opening hours, park maps and seasonal road status. https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm
• Current conditions and alerts → Road, trail and weather status. Read this the morning you go. https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
• Recreation.gov → Campsites, timed entry and permits for most federal land. https://www.recreation.gov
• Angels Landing permits → Seasonal and day-before lotteries. You cannot hike the chains without one. https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4675321

Common questions

How do you get to the Narrows in Zion?

Ride the canyon shuttle to its last stop, Temple of Sinawava, walk the paved Riverside Walk for about a mile, then wade upstream in the river itself. Bottom-up needs no permit, just proper footwear and a clean flash flood forecast.

Do you need a permit for Angels Landing?

Yes. Since 2022 every hiker past Scout Lookout needs a permit awarded by lottery, either in a seasonal draw or a day-before draw on Recreation.gov.

Can you drive into Zion Canyon?

Only in winter, roughly December to February, and on some early spring dates. For the rest of the year the scenic drive is shuttle-only.

Do you need a permit for the Narrows?

Not for the bottom-up day hike from the Temple of Sinawava. The full top-down route through the canyon does require a permit.

What is the best time of year to visit Zion?

April to May and September to October. Summer is very hot and very busy, though the Narrows is at its most pleasant when it is hot.