Zion National Park with Kids
If you are wondering if you can easily visit Zion National Park with kids, the answer is a huge YES! In the summer of 2013 we visited Zion National Park on a long road trip to various National Parks. We absolutely loved Zion. In fact, it was our favorite park of the trip. The weather when we were there (in July) was gorgeous, the natural beauty was just beyond amazing, and the park was very well laid-out and easy to navigate with kids in tow. Zion is located in Utah, close to both Arizona and Nevada (and makes for a great road trip loop including Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon).
Zion National Park has a great park shuttle system that is easy to navigate. It makes Zion easier to explore and less congested than some of the other parks that we visited, . You can catch the shuttle from the Visitor Center or from the town of Springdale (pretty much right outside of the Park). Within the park, the shuttle stops at 9 different locations, and you can easily figure out where you want to go after you grab a map at the Visitor Center. The shuttles also come regularly, so you rarely have to wait very long to hop onto one.
What are the best things to do in Zion National Park?
Exploring the park is the main attraction here. Just the beauty of the surroundings are enough. You can hike on various kinds of trails, bike ride, or just stay on the shuttle and get a bus “tour” of the park. We recommend getting out and hiking. Hiking in Zion National Park with kids is not only easy, it is amazing.
Zion National Park Emerald Pools Trail
There are several easy and family friendly hikes that can be done by almost anyone, including children. We did several hikes with the kids, some super-easy and a couple that were a bit more challenging, but still fine for the kids to do. Our favorite hike was through the Zion Narrows, but there are many others that are fun and beautiful as well, such as the Emerald Pools Trail and the Weeping Rock trail. We are by no means expert hikers or even very outdoorsy, so if we can do this, pretty much anyone who is in reasonably good physical shape can do it too.
From the NPS park brochure – EASY hikes
Crossing the bridge to get to Emerald Pool Trail
Hiking the Emerald Pools Trail with kids
This was a relatively easy hike to do. We first stopped at the Zion Lodge to check it out (beautiful building) and get some ice cream, and then we crossed the bridge that took us to the start of the Emerald Pools Trail. We hiked to the Lower Emerald Pools, which took about an hour.
Hiking the Weeping Rocks Trail with kids
This is another pretty easy hike. It takes you to a really neat spot called Weeping Rocks, which is an alcove in the rock that “weeps” with water and has beautiful plants growing from it. There are some amazing views looking out from inside of the alcove as well.
Weeping Rock Zion National Park
Hiking the Zion Narrows with kids
Our favorite hike in the park was the Zion Narrows. This is generally listed as one of the harder hikes. It starts where the (easy) Riverside Walk ends. We did not complete the whole Narrows hike, we just kept going until we felt ready to turn back. What made it more fun and more unusual is that the hike goes through water. At the start of the ‘trail’ lots of people had left perfect walking sticks, which were very helpful for sloshing through the water.
Me hiking through the Narrows in Zion National Park
The kids had a lot of fun with this hike. At some points they needed to hold our hands to get through the water, but it did not feel dangerous or treacherous (at the time of our visit, at least). They also used small sticks to help them wade through the water.
Hiking the Narrows with kids
One of the most beautiful parts of the Narrows hike are the rock “walls” on either side of the Virgin River, which gives you the chance to walk through a canyon. There are rivulets of water running down the rock faces, which the kids loved touching as we hiked by.
Zion National Park hotels – where to stay
Right outside of the park is a lovely little town called Springdale, Utah. It may have been one of the cutest places I’ve ever seen, probably because the backdrop is just so breathtaking. There are lots of hotels, shops, and restaurants, but it all has a cute and quaint kind of a vibe. You can stay within the park at the Zion Lodge, but we chose to stay at the Desert Pearl Inn in Springdale. The Inn gets lots of great reviews, and we could totally see why. We really loved it. Our room was a deluxe room with a balcony facing the Virgin River and some amazing rock views. The room was huge and the decor was the kind that I like it my own house. The pool was great. Just a fabulous place to stay.
Desert Pearl Inn, Springdale, Utah
- View from our balcony at the Desert Pearl Inn
Our 2 day visit to Zion National Park with the kids was one of the highlights of the month-long trip. As much as I want to explore new places, I would really like to go back someday.
