What You Must Know When Visiting Zion National Park with Kids

The National Parks in this country are truly treasures. I will be the first to admit that before our cross country RV trip I had taken them for granted. After spending the better part of the year traveling this beautiful country, I am so grateful for the people who spend their time taking care of and protecting these lands.

We recently visiting Zion National Park as a family for the first time and I think it is quickly topping my list as one of my favorites. It may even beat Yellowstone! We lived in Utah for over five years and I am not ashamed that it took a year long cross country RV trip to get me to visit. From the second you step foot in the park it’s just 360 degrees of beauty. The colors are so unique and complimentary that I think it was hard to speak at times to put what we were experiencing into words.

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Zion National Park. May just be my new favorite national park. I’m sad we lived in Utah for six years and my in-laws lived thirty minutes from there and it took a cross country #roadtrip to get us to visit. We have seen the error of our ways and you bet we will be back. @zionnps #findyourpark . . . . . #yesvisitutah #visitutah #utah #utahphotographer #travelingfamily #traveling #fulltimetravel #fulltimerv #fulltimervfamily #laptoplifestyle #nomad #lonelyplanet #lpkids #familytravel #familytraveltribe #dottingthemap #alwaysonthego #travelingkids #travelmindset #traveldudes #nationalpark #nationalparks #america

A post shared by Reid and Hilarye Fuller (@dottingthemap) on Oct 23, 2018 at 10:39am PDT

Zion National Park is a lot different than the other parks we had been to. Usually we pack a lunch and drive into the park going on our own self-guided tours. Zion National Park is unique to the fact for that most of the year due to crowd control and to help ease traffic into the park you can not drive in the park. There are shuttles that will take you to various stops within the park. Parking itself at the park can pose some challenges and because we are traveling with young children including a toddler it did make me a little nervous to the unknown and as to what to expect.

Because of this I have compiled a list of our best tips for traveling to and experiencing Zion National Park with toddlers and young children to help you get the most out of this beautiful National Park as well be prepared so it can be enjoyable and not frustrating. 

Things To Know Before You Go

There are many places that are stroller friendly in Zion National Park but honestly, you would probably do better babywearing or carrying a baby or toddler in a hiking backpack. Many of the trails are not conducive to strollers. Plus, getting on and off shuttles will be much easier if you just wear baby or toddlers and bring a backpack for hiking essentials.

Zion National Park is a higher elevation than you might realize and it is very important to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. Make sure to bring a refillable water bottle as there are plenty of water fountains at every trail head.

There are some snacks available to purchase throughout the park but it’s not widely available. It’s best to bring in some sandwiches and snacks to tide over your family as your car will not be easily accessible to you.

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Packing List for Families Visiting Zion National Park

• Sunscreen
• Light Jacket. It will be 10-20 degrees cooler than the temperature in nearby cities of St. George and Hurricane
• Sunhat
• Reusable water bottles. There are plenty of water stations throughout the park to fill them up.
• Snacks and trail mix

• Lunch if you’re staying the day
• Camera
• Good hiking shoes
• Water proof waders if hiking through the narrows
• Walking stick or walking poles
• Small backpack for carrying supplies
• Baby carrier

Parking At Zion National Park

Parking fills up quickly and there are only certain times of the year that you are able to drive all the way into the park. By 10 am most days the parking lot at the Zion National Park fills up. So you will need to park in Sprindale (it costs about $22 for all day parking) where you can pick up a shuttle. You can look for marked parking lots with shuttle stops or you can park on a metered street parking and then walk to a shuttle stop.

I would suggest that if you have small children to try to get a stop with the lowest number shuttle as possible so that you won’t have to deal with cranky kids on a crowded bus. People are typically understanding and will offer their seats but during the busy summers, these shuttles can have some wait times. So the earlier you get there the better.

Inside Zion National Park

When you get into the park entrance you will pay your entrance fee for your family (or use your yearly pass or 4th grade pass) and walk into the visitors center area which has restrooms. You will want to take a look at your map and decide which trails you want to hike.

You will then board a shuttle bus that will take you to 9 different stops in Zion. The bus ride is scenic and it’s nice to relax and sit back and take in the scenery. We loved the bus tour also because it was educational, and we got to hear from various experts along the ride. We opted to start our day at the end (the very last shuttle stop) and work our way back towards the visitors center.  The shuttles run every 7 to 15 minutes so you could work your way through the park in any way that works for you.

Best Family Friendly Hikes At Zion National Park

Hiking is a must at Zion. There are many easy hikes in Zion that non-strenuous are enjoyable for families that even the littlest of legs can tolerate. At the time of visiting Zion National Park we had kids ages 8,6,5,2 and did not bring a stroller and everyone seemed to manage just fine. We did two hikes, the Riverside Walk which was longer and we were glad we started with that one, and we did a shorter hike to the Lower Emerald Pools. After that our little feet we were ready to finish up the Junior Ranger program and head out of the park.

Just a note about the trails. There are plenty of restrooms at most trailheads so you will want to make sure your kids are well pottied before heading on the trail as there are not restrooms located on most trails.

If you are looking for the most family friendly and accessible trails in Zion National Park for families these are some great options:

Weeping Willow Trail

This .4 mile hike will take you roughly half an hour. A nice easy trail with beautiful views of rock formations. Short and easy for the family.

Riverside Walk

2.2 miles and takes roughly 1.5 hours for a round trip. Allow more time to play in the water and even more time if you want hike into the narrows. We would have liked to do that with our kids but we weren’t prepared. You’ll need watershoes at a minimum but the water is chilly and waders are recommended. We don’t recommend hiking the narrows with small children, but older ones would probably love it.

You can bring a stroller on this hike. There will be some areas that are sandy that make it a little more difficult but it is possible. Most people we saw on this trail with small kids were babywearing.

Lower Emerald Pools

.6 miles and roughly 40 minutes round trip. This hike is pretty easy but does have some steep areas so keep a close eye on children. You can bring a smaller stroller but may be better to babywear with a hiking backpack or wrap. Our 2.5 year old wanted to walk the whole way. He only allowed us to carry him for a few minutes of the entire hike.

Zion Junior Ranger Program

Don’t forget to take part in the Junior Ranger program and get your National Parks passport stamped. These are some of our favorite parts of taking our kids to National Parks. If you’re doing Junior Ranger be sure to check the schedule for movie and presentation times.

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