r/ZionNationalPark

Which is better? And any spots in particular you’d recommend going to in the respective park for stargazing?

I’ve also seen tours you can book for stargazing - any of those worth it or are they a waste of money?

We are staying in the lodge and planning to do Paarus on bikes, and hike emerald pools, the watchman, the narrows, and Scouts Lookout with the plan to try for an Angel's Landing lottery. October 2026 opened up and our dates the trail will be closed, would scouts lookout still be worth it alone or is there another half day trail we'd be better off on now?

Is it possible to do Angles landing with no permit if you get up early morning and hike out before rangers are there to check or is this not worth it? If it is, what times are good to do this?

We are hiking the overlook, watchman and east mesa to observation point. Do we need walking poles for those. The elevation doesn’t seem overwhelming and I don’t wanna take them if I don’t need them. My husband and I are reasonably fit in pretty strong so if someone could let me know what you think I’d appreciate it.

Hi there!
It’s my first time at Zion national park so I’m here for inspiration from people who know the best use of time. I’m a decent hiker. I have done the 3 day trek to Machu Picchu (with a porter) and lengthy single day/ half day hikes in Sedona and Southern California.

I’ll be solo for the first couple of days and then joining family friends with their young children. I want to do the narrows from the bottom up before I join the families, but I heard I shouldn’t do that hike solo. Any ideas?

Please share anything you loved while visiting, I am all ears! I enjoy the views hiking provides, star gazing and any adrenaline fueled adventures. Haha

Open to tours as well if they are worth it.

it’s my husband and i’s first time at Zion and we were able to get permits for the Top-Down canyoneering route for the Subway. we’re beyond stokes as this was a bucket list hike for us. our permit is for the the end of September and as i was doing some research to prepare, i’ve been seeing a lot of mixed information so was hoping the community could help me out:

1. is a wetsuit needed for this time? i see mixed comments on this one with people saying it’s necessary and some saying it’s “nice to have”. we’re both fairly fit so wouldn’t have too much material warmth to work with
2. we got neoprene socks and dry bags, is there any other gear you would recommend? (other than the rappelling equipment obviously)
3. i saw that a lot of people get lost on the hike down, what is the best gps app to use or any other method?
4. i read people brought extra shoes and set of clothes, is that overkill?

any other advice or wish-i-knew-my-first-time pointers would be greatly appreciated!!!

I’m planning a family road trip in Southern Utah (Zion, Bryce Canyon, etc.) in October. I’m trying to understand how the America the Beautiful annual pass works for non-U.S. residents under the 2026 rules.

My situation:

• I’m traveling with my wife and a 4-year-old child
• We are not U.S. citizens or residents
• We will be traveling by rental car
• We plan to visit multiple national parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, possibly others in Utah/Nevada)

My questions:

1. Do I need to buy the $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass for each each of us, or is one pass per vehicle enough?
2. If I don’t buy the annual pass, will I just pay individual park entry fees per vehicle, or are there additional non-resident fees per person?
3. Is the annual pass actually worth it for a 7-day trip with 2–3 national parks?

I’ve seen conflicting information online, so I’d really appreciate real-world experience from people who have recently visited.

I was not expecting the $250 charge . . .

I have been here many times, I consider this my favorite park, and I live 15 hours away at the base of mount rainier. I was getting all sentimental earlier thinking about how many times I have been here and how I still have firsts (three times ago I saw my first tarantula!) and how magical it still feels to drive through that tunnel and see the view. I love watching people have their first visit here and listening to them talk to each other "how breathtaking!" "How magical!" "Wow!!" Well, today I had another first. My kiddo and I bailed on the watchman trail after starting it too early for sunset and it being too hot. We got back to the visitor center and there were only a few people outside... and a baby 1-2 years old wandering by himself. I asked the few people around if he was their baby, nope! So I took him to the visitor center and about 10 minutes later his panicked grandma was in the parking lot. I pointed her in the right direction and the baby's mother got out of the car running to the visitor center. Grandma hugged me and thanked me half a dozen times. I am so glad this had a happy ending. It also taught my 8 year old an important lesson about sticking close when I tell him to. He was pretty anxious, I think it really clicked for him how many different ways this situation could have turned out.

I've been really excited for a trip to Zion that I've been planning for October 2026, booked in October 2025 until I went to sign up for the Angel's Landing Fall Season Lottery, only to find out that all 4 (full) days we will be there are the 4 days park staff will be conducting trail maintenance.

I'm now scrambling to try to see what my options are for doing Angel's Landing during my visit.

I've done Yosemite's Half Dome before and didn't have a permit for that, but when I got to the "permit section" where an NPS staff member was waiting to check permits, you could wait there to tag along with another person who had an opening in their permit. Does Angel's Landing do the same thing?

When I did Half Dome, I didn't get to the staff member until about 1-2pm and they said I was lucky to even still be able to meet someone with a free permit by that time of day, so I'm also looking for times of day that this can be attempted at Angel's Landing, and what times of day this hike seems to be done.

With my current travel schedule, I wouldn't be able to get to the start of the hike until maybe 5pm on day 1. Is this too late to expect anyone with a permit, in case I don't get a permit for that day? Is there any info anywhere that would say or show how late the park rangers wait at the permit section to view permits? I am also looking into booking earlier flights to get there sooner as an option.

Hiii!! We are traveling from Las Vegas to Zion National Park in mid-July after my daughter competes in a Nike basketball tournament in Vegas. I thought it would be a great opportunity for our family to experience some incredible scenery and natural beauty since we normally do more city-type vacations.

We’ll drive from Vegas to Zion Monday midday and stay until Wednesday midday before heading back to Vegas for our flight home.

This will actually be our first real family road trip and first outdoorsy vacation, so I would love recommendations from people who know the area well!

A few things about us:

* We are beginners when it comes to hiking/outdoor travel
* My husband is not a fan of huge crowds or long waits
* My teenage daughter may need some convincing 😂
* I’m very excited about the landscapes, stars, and seeing things totally different from Louisiana

We are hoping to find:

* Easy-to-moderate scenic experiences with major “wow” factor
* Beautiful drives or must-see stops between Vegas and Zion
* Beginner-friendly activities (ATV/UTV tours, scenic tours, water activities, stargazing, etc.)
* Recommendations on the best area to stay
* Any tips for avoiding the most overwhelming crowds in July

We don’t mind driving a little farther if there’s somewhere nearby that would make the trip even more memorable.

Would love any advice for first-timers trying to experience the best of Zion without being hardcore hikers. Thank you

I will be spending two nights in the south campsite from 6/7-6/9. I know there is wildfires going on in the canyonlands and if anyone has visited the park recently, how was the air and sky? Was there any smoke or debris? and will the national Park be putting regulations up soon?

Visiting Vegas this July and trying to plan a self-guided day trip to Zion to hike The Narrows (need 5–6 hours in the Park).

No rental cars: Uncomfortable driving on US highways.

No guided tours: They don't allow enough trail time. I couldn't find any independent "drop & pickup" shuttles online, but hoping someone here knows of an active operator.

Are there any active shared shuttles or public transit hacks to get us to the gates and back in one day?

Thanks!

EDIT: We just need 2-3 hours of trail time in the Narrows but would require 5-6 hours in total after entering the park.