4 Tips to Help You Prepare for Zion National Park

Coming to Zion soon? Make sure to read the information below before finalizing your itinerary. The large influx of visitors over the last few years has certainly increased the excitement level in and around the park, but by no means has it diminished the overall quality of the experience. The hard working folks here who have influence on the tourist experience are always striving to make every visitor’s stay a wonderful one. We want to provide all of you Zion-goers with the most recent and relevant words of advice so that you can optimize the time you spend here. This article includes a list of Zion National Park tips to help your trip planning, the last of which is an exciting announcement regarding the recent release of a revolutionary new tool that will make your vacation to Zion as convenient and care-free as ever.

Early reservations

Make your hotel and excursion reservations as early as possible, especially if there’s a particular lodge that you prefer to stay at by way of tradition or recommendation. The adventure companies in Springdale and surrounding areas tend to fill up quickly, especially for dates during the summer months. The sooner you call and make reservations, the better your chances are of customizing your trip as close to your vision as possible.

Venture outside the spotlight

There are so many locations outside Zion’s main canyon that are flat-out fantastic but don’t get as much attention because landmarks like Angels Landing and The Narrows tend to grab the spotlight. Don’t ignore the main canyon completely, but certainly venture outside it to see some spectacular sights while avoiding crowds. One of our favorites outside the main canyon? Lower Subway Hike.

Explore the city of Springdale

The picturesque town of Springdale provides Zion visitors much more than just a place to sleep between itinerary days. A destination location all by itself, plan for at least one “down” day that allows you and your party to truly savor what Springdale has to offer its visitors. You won’t regret it.

Familiarize yourself with the BOT

One month ago, the people over at VisitUtah.com, in conjunction with the Utah Office of Tourism and with the support of the city of Springdale and other Utah tourism groups, released a new digital tool that has been in the works for some time. It’s called the UOT BOT, and it quite literally serves as a tourist expert…in your pocket. Users simply launch Facebook Messenger (mobile or desktop), search for and select “Visit Utah,” and click “Get Started.” From there you have a vast array of park knowledge at your fingertips separated into user-friendly categories, including answers to all the common questions tourists ask.

The BOT’s automated messaging response system instantly pushes information to you in the form of a Facebook private message at your request, saving you enormous amounts of time before and during your trip. All information is updated daily to reflect the current conditions inside Zion National Park. Instantly know the status of parking, shuttles (including maps), and campsites as well as traveler advisories from Zion’s Twitter feed. Even use the BOT to help you plan your Zion vacation beforehand by exploring lodging and campsite options, hike and activity recommendations with full specs and pricing (when applicable), permit and regulatory information and more. Never has so much information about Zion been this simple and easy to obtain. Let the BOT answer all of your Zion-related questions from the comfort of your hotel room, from the passenger seat of your car, or while walking the sidewalks of Springdale. This is an indispensable travel companion for anyone coming to Zion National Park.

This post was written in collaboration with ZionNationalPark.com. Use these Zion National Park tips to make your travels less stressful and more enjoyable, plus make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and avoid missing future posts.