The part that makes the hiking work: how the shuttle runs, whether you need a car, how the Angels Landing lottery really works, where to sleep and when to come. Permits and timetables change here every season, so every page says when we last checked it.
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Angels Landing permit 2026 Lotteries, dates, odds, $6 + $3
You cannot just turn up. Two lotteries, $6 plus $3 a head, odds the Park Service puts at about 50% (8% on a holiday Sunday, 100% midweek), and the 2026–27 dates.
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Zion entrance fee 2026 $35, and the $100 non-resident fee
$35 a car for 7 days. Non-US residents 16+ pay $100 each on top — unless anyone in the car holds an annual pass, which covers every passenger. Under-16s are free.
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Zion shuttle 2026 Stops, first and last buses, holiday week
For most of the year the Scenic Drive is closed to private cars. Nine stops, free to ride, no reservation — and the one thing that ruins mornings.
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Zion itinerary 1 to 3 days built around the permit lottery
Enter the Angels Landing day-before lottery by 3 p.m., learn at 4, and plan tomorrow around it. One, two and three days, the last-bus rule, and the rain plan.
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Where to stay near Zion Springdale, Hurricane, Kanab, Lodge
Springdale is walking distance from the entrance and sells out months ahead. Hurricane and Kanab are cheaper and cost you the mornings. The trade, town by town.
Places to stay Checked -
Zion in October and November 2026 The dates that change
Zion Canyon is open, and the tunnel road east reopened 9 Oct. Last buses earlier from 25 Oct, none from 29 Nov, when cars return. Highs 79°F, then 64°F.
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Zion in spring 2027 March to May, the dates that change
No 2027 shuttle date yet; it began 2–11 March in 2023–26. Snowmelt closed the Narrows in 8 of the last 15 springs. Easter is 28 March. Highs 66°F to 86°F.
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Zion in winter 2026–27 December to February, the dates that change
No shuttle 29 Nov to 25 Dec or after 2 Jan, so you drive Zion Canyon; a holiday shuttle runs 26 Dec to 2 Jan. Highs 54–59°F, Narrows water 38–45°F.
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Do you need a car at Zion? The shuttle, the bus, the tunnel
Zion Canyon's road is shuttle-only from about March to November and open to cars in winter, except 26 Dec to 2 Jan. The tunnel road east reopened 9 October.
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Springdale hotels by shuttle stop Walk times to the park
The town's shuttle map puts each Springdale hotel at a numbered stop, 5 to 55 minutes' walk from the Visitor Center. Pools, dogs, and the weeks the bus stops.
Places to stay Checked -
Zion and Bryce on one trip Where to stay on Highway 89
Kanab and Mount Carmel Junction put Bryce and Zion's east side in day-trip range. Zion's tunnel road reopened 9 October after a rockfall closed it.
Places to stay Checked -
Zion Lodge Rooms vs cabins, 12 months ahead, the gate code
The only beds inside Zion, with rooms that open a year out. In shuttle season a code lets guests drive to the Lodge and park there, no further. Rooms vs cabins.
1 trip · from $17.50 Checked -
Zion slot canyons, and why guided trips are outside the park
Guided activities are prohibited in Zion Wilderness and ATVs are not permitted anywhere in the park. That is why slot canyon tours run from East Zion.
1 trip · from $104 Checked -
Biking and e-bikes in Zion Rules, rentals from $29 a day
Bikes skip the shuttle line entirely. E-bikes cannot go on the shuttle's racks, so an e-bike up the canyon is an e-bike back down it too.
4 trips · from $65 Checked -
Zion tunnel 2026 Size limits, closures, East Entrance
Open by day, but closed 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on UDOT's construction nights from 26 October 2026. Size limits, the paving, and the detours.
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Camping in Zion 3 campgrounds, $25-$45 a night, 2 windows
Watchman (184 sites, $35-$45) books six months out; South (124 sites, $35) fourteen days out. Generators are banned at one and allowed at the other.
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Zion without a car The $5 bus from St George, with times
SunTran runs St George to Springdale for $5, Monday to Saturday, first bus 5:40 a.m.; on Sundays a shuttle runs from Virgin. The park shuttle is free.
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Kolob Canyons Zion's other entrance, trails and distances
Exit 40, 40 miles north: a five-mile drive, Timber Creek (1.2 mi), Taylor Creek (5.2 mi) and Kolob Arch (14 mi), and a visitor center that closes for lunch.
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Zion with a dog One trail, no shuttle, boarding nearby
One trail allows dogs. More importantly, dogs cannot ride the shuttle — and for most of the year the shuttle is the only way into Zion Canyon.
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Flash floods at Zion, and what "30 percent rain" means
The Park Service rates Zion's flash flood potential in four tiers. What each means, where to read the day's rating and forecast, and what "30 percent rain" means.
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Zion in a wheelchair Surveyed grades, loaner chair, shuttle
None of Zion's trails are legally ADA accessible. Three are wheelchair-friendly, and the Park Service publishes exact grades, widths and surfaces for them.
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Parking at Zion Space counts, Springdale rates, 9 a.m. fill
The park lots are often full by 9 a.m. The Nature Center overflow holds 38 and joins the Pa'rus Trail. Springdale charges $15 to $25 a day by zone.
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Photo credits
- The chains on Angels Landing: Andrew Heneen, CC BY 4.0
- The Zion National Park entrance sign: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0
- A Zion Canyon shuttle bus: gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pine Creek canyon from Canyon Overlook: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0
- State Route 9 through Springdale: Greg Willis, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Riverside Walk in October: An Errant Knight, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Three Patriarchs: LeavXC, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Angels Landing and the Great White Throne: Óðinn, CC BY-SA 2.5 CA
- Zion Canyon from the Watchman: Fiocarretti, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eagle Crags from Springdale: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Bryce Amphitheater: Jon Zander (Digon3), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zion Lodge: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Narrows: Jason, CC BY 2.0
- Bikes on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive: NPS Photo / Wil Marischen, Public domain
- The view from the Canyon Overlook Trail: Óðinn, CC BY-SA 2.5 CA
- A fire ring at Watchman Campground: Tim Wright, CC0
- Springdale's main street: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Kolob Canyons from Kolob Canyons Road: Huebi, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Pa'rus Trail: Vulturesong, CC0
- Flood damage at the South Entrance: NPS, Public domain
- The Riverside Walk: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The shuttle facility by the visitor center: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0
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