Exploring Zion with Kids
Description:
Traveling with kids can be exciting but challenging. Offer them this experience at Zion, and make life easier on yourself, as well as introduce them to our nation's national parks. Zion has an excellent Junior Ranger program—take advantage of it! They will learn a great deal about the Park in an easy, fun way, and it will keep them occupied during your visit. There are several great hikes you can take with with kids, from infants in a baby-pack to teenagers. There are two campgrounds in Zion proper, and campgrounds outside the Park in Springdale as well as numerous hotels and motels to choose from. Some of my favorites are noted below in “unscheduled activities”—check out their websites to decide which places would work best for you. And definitely plan an action-packed outing with the Zion Adventure Company. Then load up the family and head to Zion for a family-friendly adventure you and the kids won't forget.
Author: Julie Trevelyan
Day 1 - Zion National Park, Springdale
Begin with breakfast at the Pioneer Lodge Restaurant in Springdale. Then hop on the Zion shuttle and check out the Junior Ranger Explorer and Discovery Program (usu. Memorial Day through early September) at the fun, hands-on Zion Nature Center. Pick up the activity booklet for a buck and zoom through the Park to complete activities. Ranger-led Discovery hikes are a bonus, not to mention a great way to keep the kids occupied and informed by knowledgeable, kid-friendly rangers. The program is for 6-12 year olds, but the under-six crowd can earn a decal by completing an activity sheet. Tip: make sure your young Rangers are dressed appropriately for the day, from shoes to hat! To get an easy first impression of Zion's grandeur that won't tax anyone's abilities, stroll along the pretty riverside Pa' Rus Trail with kids of any age, and even your leashed dog. Keep an eye out for wild turkeys, one of Zion's 290 bird species. Enjoy dinner around your South Campground campsite grill and count stars if it's a moonless night.
2
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
Location:
view in google mapsZion Ponderosa
PO Box 5547
Zion National Park, UT 84767
Phone:
(800) 293-54442
Canyon Ranch Motel
Location:
view in google maps668 Zion Park Blvd
PO Box 175
Springdale, UT 84767
Phone:
435-772-33572
Terrace Brook Lodge
Location:
view in google maps990 Zion Park Blvd.
PO Box 217
Springdale, UT 84767
Phone:
(435) 772-39322
Pa'rus Trail
Location:
view in google mapsZion National Park
Zion National Park, UT 84767
2
Zion Canyon Theatre
Location:
view in google maps145 Zion Park Blvd
Springdale, UT 84767
Phone:
(435) 772-24003
Zion Shuttle
Location:
view in google mapsZion National Park
Zion National Park, UT 84767
Phone:
(435) 772-32564
South Campground
Location:
Zion National Park, UT 84779Phone:
(435) 772-3256Day 2 - Zion National Park
Hop on the Zion shuttle to the Weeping Rock stop. A short paved hike, which is stroller friendly, is rewarded with a cool, beautiful place to get “rained” on by the waterfall spray and check off more Junior Ranger items. As you then shuttle over to the Temple of Sinawava stop, look up at the towering cliff walls to the north and try to catch a glimpse of rock climbers high above. Take the Riverside Walk all the way to the Zion Narrows, where the kids can imagine hiking down the river trail when they're older. (Or try it now if everyone's ready--but you really, really need to make sure everyone in your group can safely handle a hike IN the river.) Head back to the Zion Lodge for lunch at the Castle Dome Cafe. If everyone's still energetic in the evening, 1-mile Canyon Overlook makes a wonderful sunset hike, or even an easy full moon hike.
1
Weeping Rock
Location:
view in google mapsZion National Park
Zion National Park, UT 84767
Phone:
(435) 772-32564
Zion Lodge's Castle Dome Café
Location:
view in google maps1640 W Redstone Center Dr
Zion National Park
Zion National Park, UT 84098
Phone:
(435) 772-77605
Canyon Overlook Trail
Location:
view in google mapsZion National Park
Zion National Park, UT 84767
Phone:
(435) 772-3256Day 3 - Springdale, Zion National Park
Head to the Zion Adventure Company in Springdale for a day of family rock climbing! Experienced guides make this an exciting, safe activity for everyone, ages 5 and up. Commercial outfitters aren't allowed to operate within Zion's boundaries, so you'll be outside the Park. Have a well-deserved lunch afterward at Oscar's Deli, a local Springdale favorite. Shuttle to either the Grotto or Zion Lodge stop for a leisurely hike to the Lower Emerald Pool, a Zion must-see. (But keep the kids close, as there are steep drop-offs.) Fit in a visit to the Zion Museum before wrapping up the day with dinner at Zion Lodge's Red Rock Grill, and take in spectacular sunset light on the cliff views surrounding you.
1
Zion Adventures
Location:
view in google maps36 Lion Blvd.
At the corner of Lion and Zion Park Blvd. (SR9)
Springdale, UT 84767
Phone:
435-772-10012
Lower Emerald Pools
Location:
view in google mapsZion National Park
Zion National Park, UT 84767
Phone:
(435) 772-32563
Red Rock Grill
Location:
view in google maps1640 W Redstone Center Dr
Zion Lodge
Zion National Park, UT 84098
Phone:
(435) 772-7760