Experiences Near Zion National Park
Zion is one of the most popular National Parks and our favorite for a reason. If you are looking for some fun things to do, you came to the right place!
Last November (2023) we did a trip for my birthday and wanted to share some of the highlights.
Where we stayed:
For a couple nights we stayed in the park at Zion Lodge. There are limited spaces so book ahead, but people do cancel so we kept checking back. The hotel is a bit outdated, but we loved the experience if being in the park and waking up ready to explore.
We also stayed in Zion Mountain Ranch - this was also a great experience. They have cabins with different sizes and you are staying on ranch with animals (including Bison down the road) and a pair of farm dogs!
What we did:
We loved the Narrows Hike. It may see intimating from the amount of milage, but we found it's still a great experience even if you do a few miles. If it's cold you WANT the gear, I am 5'1 and the water was up to my chest at some points. Even with the gear, our feet got pretty numb but we did get used to it. Make sure to bring a wet bag (or rent one), wet bags for your phone & water, snacks, lunch.
If you are looking for things to do outside of Zion National Park - check out:
Riding UTVs at Duck Creek. About an hour outside of Zion we ventured into Duck Creek Village to ride UTVs. This was a ton of fun as you can do it with out a guide ... so they give you a map and let you explore! We were covered in dust, so make sure to wear clothes you don't mind if they get ruined and your wet bag can come in handy here too. Pro tip: the state of Utah requires you to take a test prior, so do that before you arrive to save some time.
"Sledding" at Coral Pink Sand Dunes Park. If you've never been to a sand dune, this is worth the drive to check out. It's pretty surreal to see rolling hills of golden sand. Although the actual sledding was fun, it can be a bit tiresome to track up/down in the and and the board + park rental starts adding up. We did see a lot of UTVs there that could make for a better experience.
