The Gordon House in Silverton is the Pacific Northwest's only publicly accessible Frank Lloyd Wright–designed home — a beautifully restored Usonian masterpiece set within the Oregon Garden.
Utah: Zion National Park
🏜️ Zion National Park
There aren’t many places where we’ve looked at each other and said, “Right, let’s do that again.” Most places, once is perfectly fine. You’ve seen it, ticked it off, moved on. But Zion National Park in Utah is one of those rare exceptions that keeps pulling you back. We’ve been three times now — twice in the summer, when it’s properly hot and busy and magnificent, and once over the Christmas break, which was an entirely different and rather lovely experience. Each visit, we found ourselves tramping around the trails, taking in the scenery, and quietly resolving to come back. And we probably will, because we’re apparently incapable of learning.
The trails range from very easy — a gentle stroll along the canyon floor that even the most reluctant walker could manage — right up to the sort of thing that involves scrambling, chains bolted into cliff faces, and a level of vertigo that I’d rather not think about too carefully. We did the easier ones. The harder ones we declined, politely but firmly. More on that later.
🌡️ What the Weather Does (And It Does Quite a Lot)
Zion has a reputation for weather that can’t quite make up its mind. The elevation changes dramatically across the park, and that means temperatures swing wildly — day-to-night differences of over 30°F (about 17°C) aren’t unusual. In summer, the canyon floor regularly bakes past 100°F (38°C), which is the kind of heat that makes you genuinely reconsider all your life choices, particularly the ones involving hiking boots and a packed lunch.
From mid-July through into September, the park enters monsoon season, which brings a serious and not-to-be-ignored risk of flash floods. The narrow slot canyons that make Zion so spectacular are also very efficient at funnelling enormous volumes of water with almost no warning. Always check the forecast, pay attention to any warnings, and don’t be the person who ignores the signs. Winters, by contrast, are generally mild — particularly in the lower canyon, where December and January temperatures often sit around 13°C (mid-50s Fahrenheit), with little to no snow. Honestly, rather pleasant.
🗺️ A Bit of History — the Promised Land of Utah
Zion is one of Utah’s five iconic National Parks, and it earns its place in that group without any argument. The name itself comes from Isaac Behunin, an early Mormon settler who built a cabin in the canyon in 1863 and called it Zion — meaning the Promised Land, a place of refuge. Given what the landscape looks like, it’s hard to argue with him. The canyon walls are layered in extraordinary bands of red, orange, cream and white sandstone, carved by the Virgin River over millions of years into sheer cliffs, soaring mesas, and those deep, sinuous slot canyons that appear on approximately every postcard ever produced in southern Utah.
Even at its busiest — and it does get busy — you can still find corners of the park where it feels like you’ve got the place largely to yourself. That’s something. The scenery is genuinely spectacular, in the way that makes you stand there slightly gormlessly for a moment before remembering to take a photograph.
Things to Do in Zion National Park
🚗 1. Take a Scenic Drive
The park is open year-round, which is useful because the weather rarely presents a serious obstacle. Spring, early autumn, and all through summer are the prime visiting times — warm, sunny, with the red rock cliffs glowing against a blue sky that seems almost implausibly vivid. But even winter visits have their charms, as we discovered.
Parking in the lower canyon during the busy season is, to put it diplomatically, a challenge. In reality, it’s almost impossible unless you arrive at an hour that most sensible people would describe as the middle of the night. The solution is the park’s free shuttle service, which runs through the canyon and stops at all the key trailheads. It’s efficient, it’s free with park entry, and it means you’re not spending your holiday driving slowly up and down looking for a space like you’re at a Tesco on Christmas Eve.
When the shuttle closes after Thanksgiving, private vehicles are allowed to drive the canyon road themselves — a genuinely special experience with far fewer crowds. The shuttle does restart in late December to handle the holiday rush, then closes again from January until Presidents’ Day weekend in February.
If you don’t manage to drive the lower canyon road itself, Highway 9 from St George out to Mount Carmel Junction — passing through the little town of Springdale right at the park entrance — is well worth the drive. This route takes you through the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel, a 1.1-mile bore through the sandstone that was quite the engineering achievement when construction began in the late 1920s and was completed in 1930. At the time, it was the longest tunnel of its type in the entire United States — not a bad effort for a road through the Utah desert. The highway winds up and out of the valley, past extraordinary switchbacks and viewpoints, to Zion’s east entrance and on towards Mount Carmel Junction, where Highway 89 heads north towards Bryce Canyon National Park — well worth adding to the itinerary if you’re in the area.
🪨 2. Stop at Checkerboard Mesa
Leaving Zion via Highway 9, it’s well worth pulling over to have a proper look at Checkerboard Mesa — and once you’ve clapped eyes on it, you’ll understand immediately why it has that name. The surface of the rock is covered in an extraordinary grid of horizontal and vertical lines, carved over millions of years by the combined efforts of ancient sand dunes, water erosion, and freeze-thaw weathering working away at the Navajo Sandstone. Nature, it turns out, is rather good at geometry.
The mesa sits immediately southwest of the park’s east entrance, rising a fairly impressive 900 feet above the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, with a summit elevation of 6,520 feet. It’s one of those geological curiosities that stops you mid-conversation and makes you just stand there staring at it. Five minutes, no effort whatsoever, and completely free. Our kind of attraction.
🥾 3. Going on a Hike or Two
Zion has hiking trails for pretty much everyone — whether you’re a seasoned trekker with proper boots and a camelback, or someone who considers a brisk walk to the car park a decent workout. There’s genuinely something for all abilities, which is reassuring when your party contains people of wildly differing levels of enthusiasm for physical effort.
One of the more manageable options is the Grotto Trail — a straightforward, easy one-mile path that runs parallel to the canyon road, connecting Zion Lodge to the Grotto shuttle stop. It’s flat, it’s shaded in places, and it’s a decent spot to see some of the park’s wildlife going about its business, largely unbothered by the tourists pointing cameras at it. Deer, squirrels, the occasional wild turkey — Zion has form for that sort of thing. A perfectly good leg-stretch that doesn’t require any particular heroics.
Just across the road from the Grotto picnic area, a footbridge carries you over the Virgin River — the very river that spent the last several million years quietly carving the entire canyon you’ve been gawping at all day. It’s not a dramatic crossing by any stretch; it’s a simple bridge over a surprisingly modest-looking river. But there’s something rather satisfying about standing on it, looking down at the clear, cold water threading its way between the red sandstone boulders below, and thinking that this unassuming little river did all of this. Remarkable, really.
After crossing the bridge, the trail splits into two very different propositions. Bear left and you’re on the Kayenta Trail — scenic, manageable, and entirely compatible with a normal heart rate. Bear right and you’re heading towards Angel’s Landing. These are not, it’s fair to say, equivalent choices.
Angel’s Landing is a 5.4-mile round trip with an elevation gain of 1,500 feet, officially rated as strenuous. The National Park Service introduced a permit system for the trail in 2022, partly to manage the crowds and partly, one suspects, because they were getting tired of the paperwork. The trail itself follows the West Rim Trail before branching off up a series of steep switchbacks — a section memorably known as Walter’s Wiggles, twenty-one tight zigzags carved into the cliff face in the 1920s — before things get genuinely interesting at the summit approach.
That last half-mile, the so-called chains section, is where the trail narrows to a few feet wide with drop-offs of several hundred feet on either side. A series of chain handrails are bolted directly into the rock to help you along. Helpful, certainly. Sufficient to convince me to attempt it? Absolutely not. Since 1987, fourteen people have fallen and died on this trail, earning it a solid reputation as possibly the scariest hike in America. I am entirely comfortable admiring it from below.
I haven’t done it personally — obviously — but below is a YouTube video from someone considerably braver, or possibly less imaginative about consequences, than myself. You’ll notice there are children on the summit. I’ll leave you to form your own view on that.
We’d looked at some of the more ambitious options and decided, with the kind of quiet dignity that comes from being absolutely certain you don’t want to die on holiday, that the Kayenta Trail was more our sort of thing. At roughly 2 miles long with a modest 150-foot elevation gain, it’s a proper walk without being the sort of ordeal that requires a helicopter and a rethink of your life insurance. The path is well-established underfoot, though it gets a bit rocky in places — nothing that decent footwear and mild concentration won’t sort out. The trail connects with the Emerald Pool Trails, which adds a useful bit of flexibility if you fancy extending the walk or simply wandering off in a different direction to see what’s around the next corner. Which, in Zion, is almost always something worth seeing.
The end of the Kayenta Trail connects to the Emerald Pools trails — short, relatively flat walks with minimal elevation gain, which suited us rather well. The paths get a bit rocky in places, so you do need to watch where you’re putting your feet, but the drops off the edges are thankfully modest. Given my entirely rational relationship with heights, that was something of a relief. The Emerald Pools themselves are, if we’re being honest, a touch underwhelming — the name does rather oversell what is essentially a series of shallow rock basins with a trickle of water. Don’t turn up expecting Niagara. That said, the hike itself is genuinely enjoyable, and you eventually find yourself standing at the head of a canyon, hemmed in by sheer sandstone walls rising hundreds of feet on all sides. The views back down Zion’s lower canyon from here are really rather beautiful.
Another easy one is the Riverside Walk, sitting right at the very end of the lower canyon road — the shuttle drops you at the Temple of Sinawava stop, which sounds considerably more dramatic than it actually is, but there you go. From there it’s a 2.2-mile flat walk hugging the Virgin River as the canyon gradually closes in around you. The first 0.4 miles is wheelchair accessible, which is genuinely useful to know.
As you amble along, the sandstone walls inch closer together and the river narrows, and there’s a slow, creeping sense that the canyon is quietly swallowing you whole. It’s rather wonderful, in a slightly unsettling way. This trail also happens to be the access route to the famous Narrows walk — arguably Zion’s most iconic experience — which we’ll get to shortly.
🌊 The Narrows
The Narrows is a 16-mile there-and-back trail that picks up where the River Walk ends, and it has a reasonable claim to being the most demanding hike in the whole park. The Virgin River carved this extraordinary network of slot canyons over millions of years, and the result is genuinely breathtaking — towering sandstone walls pressing in from both sides, with the river running along the canyon floor beneath your feet. The scenery is outstanding, but here’s the thing: you are the river. More than half the trail involves wading, walking, and occasionally swimming through the stream itself. In the drier months it’s mostly wading, which sounds manageable until you’re actually doing it. We went in December and, despite temperatures that were frankly optimistic for paddling, there were still plenty of hardy souls in the water. Proper kit is essential — specialist footwear, dry gear and walking poles — all available from outfitters like Zion Guru in Springdale, just outside the park entrance. We haven’t personally tackled The Narrows — we’re not completely mad — but Zion Guru’s video gives a proper sense of what to expect.
In summary …
- One of the “big five” National Parks in Southern Utah
- Fabulous and varied hiking for the meek and adventurous
- A day trip from Las Vegas
- A must for rock climbers and canyoneering
Planning your visit
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🏞️ Zion National Park
| 📍 Location | 1 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale, UT 84767 | 🕖 Opening Times | Open year-round, 24 hours a day |
| 🌐 Website | nps.gov/zion | 📞 Phone | 435-772-3256 |
| 📧 Visitor Centre Hours | Daily 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM (summer); reduced hours spring, autumn & winter | ℹ️ Notes | Rangers available by phone 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM MT. 24-hour recorded info line available. |
🎟️ Entry Fees (valid for 7 days)
| Private Vehicle | Per Person (on foot/bike) | Non-commercial Group (16+) | America the Beautiful Annual Pass | Under 15s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35 | $20 | $20 per person | $80 | Free |
🚗 Getting There
✈️ By Air
| Airport | Code | Distance | Drive Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. George Regional (closest) | SGU | ~45 miles | ~1 hour |
| Harry Reid International, Las Vegas | LAS | ~170 miles | ~2 hrs 50 mins |
| Salt Lake City International | SLC | ~275 miles | ~4 hours |
Car hire is available at all three airports. St. George Regional is the most convenient option for direct access. Las Vegas offers the widest range of international and domestic flights.
🚌 By Shuttle
| Service | Route | Fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Park Shuttle (Zion Canyon Line) | Visitor Centre → Temple of Sinawava (9 stops) | Free | Runs March–November, every 7–15 mins; canyon road closed to private vehicles when operating |
| Free Town Shuttle (Springdale Line) | Springdale town ↔ Park entrance (9 stops) | Free | Runs March–November; ideal for visitors staying in Springdale |
| SunTran Zion Route | St. George → Springdale (11 stops via Hurricane & La Verkin) | $5 one-way | Mon–Sat, approx. 5:40 AM – 10:30 PM; ~82–90 mins from St. George |
🚘 By Road
| From | Route |
|---|---|
| North / South | I-15 to State Route 9 through Springdale (South Entrance) |
| East | Zion–Mt. Carmel Highway (SR-9) — Note: large vehicles prohibited from June 7, 2026 |
Entry fees and shuttle schedules are set by the National Park Service and may be subject to change; confirm current details at nps.gov/zion before your visit.
Best Time to Visit Utah
🌸 Spring (March – May)
Spring is widely considered one of the finest times to explore Utah’s southern national parks. Temperatures are mild and pleasant, wildflowers begin to bloom across the desert plateaus, and the tourist crowds that descend in summer have yet to arrive in full force. Zion and Bryce Canyon are at their most accessible and inviting, with trails drying out after winter snowmelt and the landscape flushed with fresh colour.
March can still bring cold nights and lingering snow at higher elevations, particularly in Bryce Canyon, which sits above 2,400 metres. By April, conditions across most of the state are ideal for hiking, cycling, and photography. May is the sweet spot — warm days, cool evenings, manageable visitor numbers — though it does mark the beginning of the busier season, so booking accommodation in advance is advisable.
The Virgin River in Zion runs fast and murky with snowmelt through spring, which means the famous Narrows slot canyon hike may be restricted or closed. Always check conditions before setting out.
What to pack: Layering is essential — a lightweight down jacket, a waterproof shell, and moisture-wicking base layers cover the temperature swings. Comfortable hiking boots with ankle support, UV-protective sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, high-SPF suncream, and a reusable water bottle. Trekking poles are useful on muddy or uneven trails. Pack a light fleece for cool evenings and a small day pack for hiking.
☀️ Summer (June – August)
Summer brings the most visitors to Utah, and for good reason — long daylight hours, dry skies, and lively park atmospheres make it a popular choice for families and those seeking maximum outdoor time. However, it also brings intense heat, particularly in the lower desert parks. Arches and Canyonlands regularly exceed 38°C in July and August, making midday hiking genuinely dangerous. The sensible approach is to hike at dawn, retreat to shade or air-conditioned accommodation during peak afternoon heat, and venture out again in the early evening.
Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks, sitting at higher elevations, offer welcome relief from the heat and are excellent summer destinations. Southern Utah’s monsoon season typically begins in mid-July, bringing dramatic afternoon thunderstorms that can cause flash flooding in narrow slot canyons — always check weather forecasts before entering confined trails like The Narrows or Antelope Canyon.
For those willing to escape the crowds, northern Utah’s Uinta Mountains offer superb summer hiking and camping at elevation, with cooler temperatures and fewer visitors than the national parks.
What to pack: Lightweight, breathable clothing in light colours, a sun hat and UV-protective sunglasses, a high-SPF suncream (SPF 50+), a hydration pack or multiple large water bottles, electrolyte tablets, and a headlamp for early starts. A light waterproof layer for afternoon monsoon storms, quick-dry fabrics, and sandals for camp. Insect repellent is useful for forested areas. Book campsites and accommodation months in advance.
🍂 Autumn (September – November)
Autumn rivals spring as the best overall season to visit Utah. The crushing summer heat begins to ease by September, crowds thin considerably after the American Labour Day holiday in early September, and the landscape transforms with spectacular warm tones. Cottonwood trees along canyon floors turn gold, scrub oak flushes red and orange, and the clear blue skies of September and October provide perfect conditions for photography.
October is many experienced visitors’ preferred month — daytime temperatures hover around a comfortable 15–22°C in most parks, the light is rich and golden, and the national parks feel spacious and unhurried once again. Higher elevation areas such as the Wasatch Front and the Uintas begin to see snow from October onwards, marking the start of the ski season build-up. November brings cooler temperatures and the possibility of early snowfall at elevation, which can be beautiful but requires additional preparation.
The Zion Narrows, often inaccessible in spring due to high water levels, is typically at its finest in late summer and early autumn when flows are low and temperatures are manageable.
What to pack: Versatile layering including a mid-weight fleece, a windproof and waterproof outer jacket, and light base layers. Sturdy hiking boots, warm socks, and a woolly hat and gloves for higher elevations. Sunglasses and suncream remain essential even in autumn. A small tripod is worth carrying for golden-hour photography. Neoprene socks and a walking pole if attempting The Narrows, and waterproof trousers for wet canyon hikes.
❄️ Winter (December – February)
Winter in Utah is a tale of two experiences. For skiers and snowboarders, it is nothing short of exceptional. The Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City — home to resorts including Park City, Alta, Snowbird, Deer Valley, and Solitude — regularly receives some of the deepest, lightest powder snow in the world. Utah’s ski season typically runs from November through April, with peak conditions in January and February.
The national parks take on an entirely different and deeply beautiful character in winter. Bryce Canyon’s pink and orange hoodoos dusted with snow are among the most photographed sights in the American West. Crowds are minimal, accommodation prices drop significantly, and the silence of the desert in winter is profound. However, many trails become icy and require microspikes or snowshoes, and some park roads close seasonally.
Temperatures at night in the southern parks can drop to -10°C or below, and roads to higher viewpoints may be closed. Despite these challenges, winter offers a genuinely magical and uncrowded way to experience Utah for those prepared for cold conditions.
What to pack: For skiing: thermal base layers, ski-specific mid-layers, a waterproof and insulated ski jacket and trousers, ski socks, goggles, a helmet, and neck gaiter. For national park visits: a heavy insulated jacket, waterproof trousers, thermal underlayers, sturdy waterproof boots, warm hat, gloves and scarf, microspikes or snowshoes, hand warmers, and a thermos. Suncream is still necessary as UV reflection off snow is intense.
🏆 The Overall Best Time to Visit
If you are planning your first — or only — trip to Utah and want the ideal balance of weather, trail access, scenery, and manageable crowds, late September to mid-October stands out as the single finest window. The summer heat has passed, the monsoon storms have largely subsided, and the autumn colours add warmth and drama to landscapes that are already extraordinary. Most trails are fully open, temperatures are comfortable from morning to evening, and the parks feel genuinely peaceful compared to the height of summer. Spring — particularly April and early May — runs a very close second, offering similar conditions alongside the freshness of wildflowers and snowmelt-fed waterfalls. Whichever season draws you, Utah rewards the prepared traveller with scenery that is, quite simply, unlike anywhere else on earth.
Other places close by worth visiting
1. Arches National Park
Arches National Park sits in the high desert of eastern Utah, USA, and is home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches — more than anywhere else on earth. The landscape is stark and dry, shaped by millions of years of erosion, freezing and thawing, and the slow movement of salt beneath the ground. The rock glows red and orange in the sun, and the arches themselves range from small openings you might barely notice to massive spans like Delicate Arch, which stands 20 metres tall and has become something of a symbol for the state of Utah. The park sits at around 1,200 to 1,700 metres above sea level, which means summers are hot but not unbearable, and winters bring occasional snow that settles briefly on the warm-coloured stone. Walking trails vary from short, easy paths to longer routes over uneven slickrock. It is a popular destination, particularly in spring and autumn, and visitor numbers have grown significantly in recent years, so the park now requires timed entry permits during busy periods. It is a straightforward but genuinely striking place — the sort of landscape that is hard to picture until you are standing in it.
2. Capitol Reef
Tucked away in the south-central part of Utah, Capitol Reef is one of America’s lesser-visited national parks, though it has plenty to offer anyone who makes the trip. At its heart is the Waterpocket Fold, a nearly 160-kilometre wrinkle in the earth’s crust where layers of colourful sandstone have been pushed up and eroded over millions of years into cliffs, canyons, and domes. The park gets its name from the white sandstone domes that early travellers thought looked like the Capitol building in Washington, while “reef” was a term used for rocky ridges that made travel difficult. There’s a stretch of the park along Highway 24 that’s free to drive through, and a scenic road leads into the Fruita area, where you’ll find a small historic orchard planted by Mormon settlers in the late 1800s — visitors can actually pick fruit from the trees when they’re in season. The hiking ranges from short, easy walks to demanding backcountry routes, and the remoteness of the place means the night skies are genuinely dark and full of stars. It’s a quieter, more unhurried experience than some of Utah’s better-known parks, which for many people is precisely the appeal.
3. Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park sits in the high plateaus of southern Utah, USA, and is known for its striking landscape of red, orange, and white rock formations called hoodoos — tall, thin spires of rock that have been shaped over millions of years by the slow work of frost, rain, and wind. Despite its name, Bryce Canyon is not actually a canyon but a series of natural bowls carved into the edge of a plateau. The park sits at elevations of between roughly 2,400 and 2,700 metres, which means it can be surprisingly cold, even in summer, and snowfall is common in winter. Visitors can walk along the rim or descend into the amphitheatres on a network of trails that wind through the hoodoos at close range. The area is also recognised for its exceptionally dark skies, making it one of the better places in the United States for stargazing. It covers around 145 square kilometres and receives roughly two million visitors each year.
4. Zion National Park
covers around 230 square miles of canyon country. The park’s most striking feature is Zion Canyon, a narrow gorge carved over millions of years by the Virgin River, with sandstone walls that rise up to 800 metres in places. The rock shifts between deep reds, oranges, and creams depending on the light and time of day. Visitors come to walk the park’s varied trails, from flat riverside paths to steeper routes that follow chains bolted into the rock face. The most well-known of these, Angels Landing, ends at a narrow ridge above the canyon floor and requires a permit to access. Wildlife is common throughout — deer, wild turkeys, and California condors are regularly spotted. The park receives well over four million visitors a year, making it one of the busiest in the United States, so early mornings tend to be quieter. Entry is straightforward, and a shuttle bus runs through the main canyon during the busier months.
Where to stay?
1. Zion Lodge (in the Park)
Zion Lodge sits at the heart of Zion National Park, making it one of the most enviably located hotels in the American West. Surrounded by the park’s iconic red-and-white sandstone cliffs, it offers guests immediate access to trails like Angels Landing and the Narrows without ever needing to fight for a parking spot. The lodge itself blends rustic charm with modern comfort — think wood-beamed ceilings, stone fireplaces, and a wide porch perfect for watching the canyon walls shift color at golden hour. Whether you’re booking a cozy motel room, a classic cabin, or a suite, waking up inside the park is an experience that no gateway-town hotel can replicate. It’s not just a place to sleep — it’s part of the adventure itself.
2. Zion Campgrounds (in the Park)
Zion National Park is one of Utah’s crown jewels, and camping there puts you right in the heart of some of the American Southwest’s most breathtaking scenery. Towering sandstone cliffs in shades of red, orange, and ivory rise thousands of feet above the Virgin River, creating a landscape that feels almost otherworldly. The park’s main campgrounds — Watchman and South — sit near the canyon floor, giving campers easy access to iconic trails like Angels Landing and The Narrows. Watchman even offers reservable sites with views of the glowing canyon walls. Whether you’re waking up to birdsong beneath cottonwood trees or stargazing in the remarkably dark desert sky, camping in Zion is an experience that stays with you long after you’ve packed up your tent.
3. Zion Villa True North
Tucked away on a sweeping 10-acre estate and situated about 2.8 miles from Zion National Park, Zion Villa True North is the kind of place that makes you feel like you’ve discovered Southern Utah’s best-kept secret. Perfect for family reunions, weddings, and gatherings of friends, the estate sleeps up to 12 guests across five bedrooms, with queen beds, bunks, and room for everyone. Guests can gather on the patios to soak in breathtaking views, wander a peaceful sculpture path, or walk the meditative labyrinth — all with the red rock grandeur of Zion as the backdrop. A Jacuzzi bath, terrace, and surroundings ideal for hiking and outdoor activities round out an experience that effortlessly balances adventure and retreat. This is more than a rental — it’s a destination in itself
4. Springhill Suites
If you’re planning a trip to Zion National Park and want a comfortable, well-located base camp, SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Springdale, Utah deserves a serious look. Situated just one mile from Zion’s South Entrance, it’s the only Marriott property in Springdale, putting you perfectly positioned for early morning hikes before the crowds arrive. Guests rave about the free daily breakfast buffet, a genuine perk after long days on the trail. Back at the hotel, an outdoor seasonal pool and hot tub offer sweeping canyon views, along with a splash pad, and indoor and outdoor fireplaces — ideal for winding down under Utah’s famously starry skies. The hotel is also pet-friendly, so the whole family can make the trip. With spacious suites, free Wi-Fi, and an EV charging station on-site, it strikes a solid balance between adventure-ready and genuinely relaxing.
5. Harvest House Bed and Breakfast
Nestled in the heart of Springdale, Utah, Harvest House Bed & Breakfast offers a peaceful retreat for visitors to Zion National Park, ideally situated just half a mile from the park entrance — making it a dream base for outdoor adventurers. Guests can unwind in the lush gardens surrounding a tranquil Koi pond, soak in the year-round hot tub, and take in sweeping views of Watchman Mountain. Each adults-only room features a private en suite bathroom, balcony, air conditioning, and garden or mountain views, while a hearty breakfast is served daily from March through October. The property is walking distance to several fabulous restaurants, and the attentive hosts are known for going the extra mile — including offering personalized hiking recommendations to match every guest’s ability and fitness level.
6. Red Mountain Resort (St George UT)
Tucked into the striking red rock landscape of Ivins, just outside St. George, Utah, Red Mountain Resort is one of the Southwest’s most breathtaking wellness retreats. With the dramatic vermillion cliffs of Snow Canyon State Park as its backdrop, the resort blends adventure and restoration in equal measure. Guests can hike ancient lava fields at sunrise, unwind with a hot stone massage, and fuel up on thoughtfully crafted spa cuisine — all in the same afternoon. Whether you’re a solo traveller craving a digital detox or a couple seeking a scenic escape, Red Mountain offers something rare: the feeling that the landscape itself is part of the healing.
7. Inn On The Cliff (St George, UT)
Perched dramatically above the red-rock landscape of southern Utah, Inn on the Cliff is a luxury boutique hotel situated on a cliff overlooking the charming town of St. George. Rooms are designed with a warm, contemporary style and are known for being simply luxurious, each crafted to enhance the cliff-side view of the surrounding scenery. Every room comes with a private balcony, a 50-inch flat-screen TV, a small refrigerator, and coffee-making facilities, and guests can unwind in the seasonal outdoor pool or hot tub. A complimentary continental breakfast is delivered right to your room, and the on-site Cliffside Restaurant offers a dining experience unlike anywhere else in the region. The hotel has even been featured on Trivago’s “Once In A Lifetime: Spectacular North American Bucket List Hotels You Need To See” list — and once you take in that panoramic view, it’s easy to understand why
8. My Place
If you’re searching for a home base to explore the red rock wonders of southern Utah, My Place Hotel in St. George sits amid sweeping red rock cliffs and is perfectly positioned for hikers, weekend travelers, and anyone keen to soak up the charm of the region. The hotel offers a full kitchen in every room, an on-site laundromat, and a MyStore stocked with everyday essentials — making it especially well-suited for extended stays or families who prefer the flexibility of cooking their own meals. Pet-friendly rooms, complimentary coffee, free Wi-Fi, and a 24-hour front desk round out the comforts, while an outdoor pool and hot tub give you a place to unwind after a day on the trails. Nearby attractions include Pioneer Park, the Red Hills Desert Garden, and the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, meaning adventure is always just a short drive away. Whether you’re passing through or settling in for a week, My Place genuinely lives up to its motto: Make My Place Your Place.
More to Explore
