Road Trip to Zion National Park from Park City Utah

An Amazing National Park only 4 hours from Park City!

Many of the great things about living in Park City are not even in Park City itself. Park City is of course an amazing place to live and visit, but what makes it even more amazing are all the nearby fun things to do and see. Utah is possibly one of the most beautiful states in the U.S. and is for sure one of the most diverse in landscape, scenery and ecosystems. From staggering tall and green mountains in the north end of the state, to exquisite deserts of sand and world-famous red rock in the south, there is no end to the "must see" list in Utah. Be sure to check out our photos of "Angels Landing" below:

Hiking on the Watchman Trail in Zion National Park

Zion National Park is located in southern Utah, just about 30 minutes from St. George. If you live in Utah or plan to soon, be sure to put Zions on your list of places to visit. If you are going to be visiting Park City for more than a week, you might want to drive on down, even if only for a night or two. Zions and the town of Springdale is only about 300 miles or just over 4 hours from Salt Lake City and Park City. Its an easy drive down I-15 and is the perfect little road trip, a fun and unique experience for the entire family. There is nothing like Zions anywhere in the US, other than other Utah state parks, or maybe the Grand Canyon. Utah is famous for these amazing red rock formations and people travel from all over the world to come see the beauty Utah has to offer.

Watchman Trail

An easy introduction to the park is the Watchman Trail. The trail can be accessed from the Visitors Center at the entrance to the park. This trail is recommended as a 2hr route, but can be done in about half the time if youre going quick. Its a good intro because it is walking distance from the Visitors Center at the park entrance and is fairly easy to do, yet is still quite scenic. You'll head up the path and will begin to ascend and the higher you get, the more views you'll enjoy. Once at the top of the trail, you'll encounter the "Loop Trail" which was not on our map. This is a short little loop at the top of the trail, circles around from the end of the Watchman Trail, and right back to that same spot. So an easy addition to the trail. This trail will get you some good views. There are a few drop offs to be careful of, so if you have a fear of heights beware, but really its not too scary. Because its quick to get to, and a quick hike, you can do this trail the evening you arrive. You can drive during the morning or day to Zions, check-in or set up camp, then do this as an introductory hike, saving bigger hikes for a full-day.

Angels Landing Trail

Wow! Angels Landing is the hike you will hear about when someone mentions Zions National Park. I did not really know what I was in for as we headed up. I had heard a little about it, but did not pay much attention to the stories. Its absolutely amazing, and I still cannot believe its open to the public. Angels Landing is the sort of hike that people will place on their bucket list, its that special. Angels Landing starts out easy enough. You cross a pretty little river, and head up a nice wide safe dirt path. As you head up the trail the intensity increases a bit as the trail ascends higher up, and exposes you to steep, very high drop-offs. Continually, the mellow trail gets steeper, and the drop offs become much higher. It gets a little scary, but is a relatively safe hike as the trail is quite wide still. Eventually the trail heads back into the canyon, and then you get to a vertical staircase of switchbacks, that go way, way up.

Once you come out to the top of the switchbacks the scenery opens up and you are amazed again at the views of the nearby canyon walls and red rock peaks. The Zion Canyon is beautiful, and if you're hiking in the early morning or later evening the sun totally lights up the canyons walls. At this point you'll start to notice that the drop-offs are huge, and that you're quite close to the edge at times. You'll start thinking about how its amazing that they allow people up here without railings. Just wait...

This is where it starts to get interesting. You'll soon see a sign noting that you are about to head up to Angels Landing from the Scout Lookout point. The sign will alert you that "Since 2004, six people have died falling from the cliffs on this route". The sign also stresses that this "is a strenous climb on a narrow ridge over 1,400 feet above the canyon floor. The route is not recommended during high winds, storms, or if snow or ice is present."

Once you look at the photo below, you'll see why the warning is there. This photo below is of Angels Landing. If you look closely, you should see people on the spine ridge. This is the route up to the top. Its a narrow rocky ridge that you will climb up, no longer simply hiking, but instead using all your limbs to climb and manuever your way up (and down). Additionally, there are many sections lined with a guiding chain bolted to the rock for you to use in pulling yourself up, and too help you from falling off the cliff's edge in case your feet slip. It would be nearly impossible to do without it, as you'll encounter some sand on the rock, making it a bit slippery in places. Without the chain it would be too easy to slip and fall to the canyon floor below. Many people do not go up from here, and thats fine. I was actually amazed to see kids aged 10-12 doing the hike, and a few older folks which was great, but I'd be terrified to have my daughter or nephews do the hike. Its extremely scary, and if you have a fear of heights, it may not be for you. As you go up, you will be stunned that this is actually open to the general public. Its almost surprising that it has only been six deaths since 2004, I would easily have guessed more - its gnarly!

The final spine-like ridge climb to the top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park in Utah

Using the life-saving chain on the way up to the top of Angels Landing

Using the chain to climb back down from Angels Landing

Now to be clear, we are recommending for you to visit Zion National Park and to check out the Angels Landing trail. If you think you're up for it, then by all means do the Angels Landing hike to the top, but consider this a disclaimer that you must make that decision on your own. Don't try to hold us accountable if something goes horribly wrong. Its an intense hike, just look at the photo above, its not for everyone!

Where to stay in Zion National Park

Although this is not a full guide to lodging at Zions, we do have a good recommendation. We just stayed at the Cliffrose Lodge and it was great. The rooms were nice, the resort grounds are beautiful and they have a nice pool, great for the kids. Another really nice aspect of this location is that you are right at the entrance to the National Park. So you can actually just walk right over to the Visitor Center - no driving and parking to mess with. There are a few hikes that start right there, and this is where you'll catch the shuttle buses up to the other stops and trailheads within the park. Camping is also an option and there are a few choices within the park's boundaries. The Watchman campground looked great and is also right near the entrance. The town of Springdale had many great options for dining out and we would highly recommend the Bit & Spur. We had dinner there and it was great, a real sense of pride in what they serve.

Springdale is a neat little town, I wish we had planned for a longer stay. Very relaxing and charming town. And Zion National Park is truly stunning, something you must experience on your own, nothing else like it anywhere. So if you're going to be in Park City for a while, take a quick road trip down, you'll be glad you did!

If you would like to learn more, or have any other questions give us a quick email or call at 435-901-2158. We'd be happy to share with you!