Zion National Park Day Trip from Las Vegas
On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, my husband and I decided to escape the city and take a day trip to Zion National Park! It took about 3 hours via rental car but it was so worth it. The drive was lovely, filled with desert scenery that later turned to mountains. We only had one day so it was hard to know how to make the most of it. There is so much to see and do in Zion National Park. Below I have outlined how we spent our time participating in easy to moderate-level hikes that made for a perfect day trip from Las Vegas to Zion!
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Getting to Zion
Zion National Park is located roughly 160 miles from Las Vegas or roughly 3 hours. My recommendation is to either rent a car or book yourself a Zion day trip tour (see options at the end of this post). We rented a car and it was a really great experience! The drive was interesting and it was easy driving because it was mostly desert landscape. One we got closer to Zion and the mountains it gets a bit more challenging.
Pro Tip- Don’t forget about the time change between Las Vegas (Pacific Standard Time) and Zion National Park (Mountain Time)
Once you get near Zion you will have the option to park in the city of Springdale and walk or within the park itself. I would recommend parking at the Zion National Park Visitors Center if you can find a space. Getting to the park early will help! It is $30 per car to enter the park.
Visitors Center and Zion National Park Shuttle
Once at the Visitors Center you can catch the shuttle that will take you throughout the park. During peak months, this is your ONLY option to get to the park’s main points- they do not allow personal vehicles. So you MUST book a shuttle ticket in advance. Tickets can be purchased here for $1 per person. They open up the ticket sales about a month in advance with a few saved for the day prior purchases which take place at 9 am Mountain Time. We did not know about the advanced shuttle tickets but we were able to get two tickets the day before we were supposed to go- we got lucky! Make sure to NOT do this and book a month out to secure your shuttle ticket.
Views from Zion Lodge 
Sara at Zion Lodge 
Views at Zion Lodge stop #5
Day Trip Tips and Items to Pack
- Pack lots and lots of water! I suggest 30oz per water per person per every couple of miles. There are free places to fill your water bottles at the main shuttle stops within Zion National Park. My favorite water bottle is my S’well! Get yours here.
- Pack snacks! Zion only has food options at the Zion Lodge stop and then within the town of Springdale. You don’t want to find yourself hungry on a hike!
- Start early in the day. This is a good idea for many reasons including getting the best parking spots and not hiking in the heat of the day.
- Make sure to wear the proper footwear. Merrell makes a great hiking shoe or you can rent gear locally to hike the Narrows.
- Never hike alone! Hiking is a great couples and family activity. Especially with many of the trails within Zion National Park being family-friendly.
- Use an easy to carry backpack! You don’t want to bring too much with you hiking or too little so you need the perfect backpack. The Kavu Sling Bag is versatile and is great for hiking and general travel. Plus, it has a near-perfect rating on Amazon! Get a discount by clicking this link below: KAVU Rope Bag Cotton Shoulder Backpack ONLY $23.10 (Reg $50)
- Make sure to bring a map! Zion National Park supplies these at the welcome center. There is limited cell phone service within the park to make sure to pick up a physical map.
- Wear a hat. Utah can be extremely hot and many of the hikes have limited shade.
Lower Emerald Pools Trail
After parking, we hoped on the shuttle and road the little bus to the Stop #5, Zion Lodge where we grabbed some lunch before starting our first hike.
Our first hike on our day trip to Zion was to the Emerald Pools via the Lower Emerald Pools trail. This is one of the most popular hikes within Zion National Park! The Lower Emerald Pools trail is an easy to moderate level hike and most of the path is paved. The incline is only slight, at 70 ft throughout the journey. There are some drop-offs along the path so make sure to pay close attention. This hike leads visitors to the glistening waterfall that flows between the upper and lower Emerald Pools. Along the way, we saw plenty of wildlife, the Virgin River, and amazing views of Lady Mountain, the Great White Thorne, and the Red Arch Mountain. The views were amazing the entire way!
This hike also connects to the Kayenta Trail or up to the Middle and Upper Emerald Pools.
Lower Emerald Pools Trail Map
Distance: 2 miles round trip
Length of time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Zion Shuttle Stop: Zion Lodge, stop #5
Sara walking to Emerald Pools 
Lower Emerald Pools 
Lower Emerald Pool Waterfall 
View looking at Lower Emerald Pools 
Crossing bridge to Lower Emerald Pools trail 
View of Lower Emerald Pools 
River on the walk to the Emerald Pools
Kayenta Trail
After visiting the Emerald Pools we set off on our next hike, the Kayenta Trail. This trail connects back down to the shuttle pick-up area but at the next stop down the line, stop #6 The Grotto. The Kayenta Trail is also used by many hikers as a more challenging way to reach the Emerald Pools. This hike is about a 2 miles round-trip and takes roughly 2 hours. This trail is considered moderate difficulty and reaches about 200 ft in elevation from its base.
We started at the Emerald Pools which made it easier because most of the trail was now downhill. The trail is not paved and much of it is uneven ground. There are also several steep drop-off areas. The views down the canyon, however, made the entire hike so worth it! And just like that, we were halfway done with our Zion National Park from las vegas day trip
Pro-Tip: Make sure to STOP walking to take your photos. I found myself walking and snapping photos along the Lower Emerald Pools trail but this can NOT be done on the Kayenta Trail. There are too many locations to lose your footing so be careful!
Kayenta Trail Map
Distance: 2 miles round trip
Length of Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Zion Shuttle Stop: The Grotto, stop #6
Sara hiking the Kayenta Trail 
Brad on Kayenta Trail 
Looking at Zion 
View of Zion National Park 
View along the Kayenta Trail
Riverside Walk Trail
Next on our Zion National Park day trip, we took the shuttle up the canyon to the last stop, #9 Temple of Sinawava formerly known as “Gateway to the Narrows”. This hike is a really lovely walk along the Virgin River as it flows through the canyon. It is an easy hike, all of which is paved and wheelchair accessible. The trail is also mostly level (no elevation), with lots of shade. Hikers can access the river at certain points along the way and take in the beauty that is Zion National Park. We also saw lots of wildlife along the way including a Buck, a fawn and its mama as well as a Bighorn Sheep.
The trail ends where the “Narrows” hike begins. Those who want to walk on to see the Narrows which is where the Virgin River cuts into the canyon rock will need to have the proper equipment to do so because much of this hike is in the river itself. To learn more about this hike check out this post from the National Park Service.
Riverside Walk Trail Map
Distance: 2.2 miles round trip
Length of Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Zion Shuttle Stop: Temple of Sinawava, stop #9
Sara along the Virgin River 
View on Riverside Walk Trail 
Hiking the Riverside Walk Trail 
Wild Deer at Zion 
Sara at the start of the Narrows trail 
View along Riverside Walk trail
Canyon Overlook Trail
After we hiked back from the start of The Narrows, we rode the shuttle back down to the Visitor’s Center which took about 30 minutes. From there we got back to our rental car and started the drive to the last hike of our day trip to Zion, Canyon Overlook Trail. This hike is one of the only ones you must drive to separately and not take the shuttle. The drive took about 25 minutes because of all the switchbacks and the Mount Carmel Tunnel (see map below).
There is parking just to the right after you exit the tunnel to the right. Parking is very limited here! If you can’t get a spot here then there is some other parking down the road about 1/4 mile on the left. You may have to wait to get a spot as this hike is very popular especially at sunset time.
Getting to the Canyon Overlook Map
Getting to the Overlook
After we parked we crossed the road to make our way to the Overlook trail. This hike is said to be easy to moderately hard but I found it to be the “scariest” hike we did all day. Much of the hike was uphill and on uneven ground. At one point we even had to cross a short bridge that you could see right through to the 100-foot drop to the Pine Creek Slot Canyon below. There were also several spots where we had to hug tight to the canyon wall to stay away from the edge. But even though it was a little nerve-racking it was really fun and challenging! And the view was so worth it!
Canyon Overlook Trail Map
Distance: 1 mile
Length of Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Trailhead: Highway 9, just east of the Mount Carmel Tunnel
Rocky trail 
View looking down the canyon 
Hiking up to the Canyon Overlook 
Bridge along the trail 
Look down at the drop from the bridge 
View along the Canyon Overlook trail
The View at Canyon Overlook Trail
Once we finally got to the top of the overlook, the view was simply stunning! This is one of the few trails that lead visitors to a view of the Upper East Canyon within Zion National Park. At the overlook, there is a plaque that points out all the major landmarks for you. Some of the most interesting ones include the Route 9 switchbacks, Bridge Mountain (highest on the left side of the canyon), the East Temple, and the Pine Creek Stream way far below. At this point, you are actually standing on top of the Great Arch which you can see on your drive to the trail. The Canyon Overlook Trail was the best way to the end of our day trip to Zion National Park from Las Vegas!
Canyon Overlook view 
View down into the Lower Canyon 
Brad enjoying the view 
Taking in the view along the way 
Sara taking in the view
Other Hiking Ideas
Looking for something more adventurous? Try hiking the Angles Landing with FairyBurger!
Want to visit Zion National Park for a bit longer? Check out Brown Eyed Flower Childs 3-Day Itinerary!
Pin for Later!
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Book a Zion Tour
Zion National Park Day Tour from Las Vegas
Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks Small Groups Tour from Las Vegas
3-Day National Parks Tour from Las Vegas: Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon
Day Trip to Zion National Park from Las Vegas
Shop your Zion look
Check out the rest of our Vegas trip- here!
About the Author
Hi my name is Sara and I am the creator of WanderMoore! 🙂 I started WanderMoore in early 2020 after leaving a full-time job in the Communications/Marketing field to stay home and raise my kiddos, Mila and Liam. I wanted something fun to work on in my free time and WanderMoore has become one of my biggest passions! Thank you for reading my post! I can't wait to share more of my travel adventures with you 🙂
I hope to make it that area soon. What a beautiful park to hike with amazing views! It looks like you had a great time!
Next time I visit Vegas I would love to also tie in a trip to Zion. I’ve heard wonderful things about it and from your photos it looks incredible!
It’s so amazing! Thanks for checking out my post 🙂
This is great. We were scheduled to fly into Vegas in April. We were going to rent a car and visit all of the big parks in Utah and Arizona. Of course that was all cancelled. Looking to reschedule for 2021. Saving this info!
Hopefully, you will be able to go again soon! This was a great day trip to add on to our Vegas fun 🙂
I love Zions! It is such a beautiful National Park!
Yes it’s so amazing!
This looks great. We have not been to Zion, but it is on our list for sure. Your photos are beautiful.
Thank you! Definitely add it to your list 🙂
This looks really beautiful to explore! What about snakes or other poisonous critters?
Wow this is great. I love trips like this. Such an amazing view and lovely pictures.
Thank you! Make sure to add it to your list- the pictures don’t do it justice 🙂
Thank you! It was such a pretty place to visit
It was amazing! We didn’t see anything like that but we stayed on the main trails/shorter trails.
One of my favorite things about Vegas – the day trips! And would love to take this one for a day of hiking! Some beautiful trails and views!
Yes there are so many things to do near Vegas! So many pretty places to see.
Zion National Park is on my bucket list, I never realized it was so close to Las Vegas. Those Emerald Pools look amazing. Seems like the perfect combination of a trip. A little hiking / day trip and Las Vegas in one trip Perfect for a couple like my partner and I where loves everything Vegas, and I prefer nature and hiking. The best of both worlds.
Totally agree! A little city and natural beauty added in 🙂
Such an awesome hike!
The entire day in Zion was amazing!
Wow! Such a beautiful place. Thanks for all of the great information. Definitely adding this to my list of places I’d love to visit.
I loved this post – so informative and the pictures and beautiful! I’m bookmarking this post because I desperately want to plan a road trip out west soon 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I am glad you are adding it to your travel list 🙂
We sadly missed Zion when we did the Grand Canyon and Vegas. Going to have to go back!
Definitely head there next time- it’s so worth the trip!
Zion is such an incredible park. I visit Vegas frequently but need to make the drive out to Zion again!
Yes head up there next time- it’s so worth it!
Didn’t realize it could be done so easily from Vegas. That’s really good to know as next time I head out that way I will add this on as a trip. I’ve always wanted to visit Zion
Yes it was only about 3 hours and the drive was really pretty. Definitely do it next time!
I’ve been wanting to go to Zion. I’m in Denver, so definitely accessible from here too! Great post!
Oh you should definitely make it down there soon! Thanks!
My brother hiked the narrows a long time ago. Ever since seeing his pics and hearing about it, its something I’ve wanted to do!
Me too! We didn’t have time to do it on this trip so we will just have to go back 🙂
Thanks for the great info! Zion national park looks aboslutely stunning. You have some amazing tips in here thanks for the insiders guide!
It’s amazing in person! Thanks for checking out my post 🙂
Zion is a great idea from Vegas! Taken day trips before to the Grand Canyon and will need to do this next time. Love hiking and seeing national parks, thanks for the tips
It really wasn’t too far of a drive and it was totally worth it!
Zion National Park looks absolutely stunning to visit – adding this to my bucket list!
Awesome! You will love it! 🙂
What a gorgeous park! I’ve heard so much about. I’d love to visit too.
Yes it’s so amazing!
We love hiking at Zion National! So many wonderful sites.
So amazing!
This is one of our favorite parks.
Mine too!! Thanks for reading 🙂
Wow this is incredible and those pictures! You just want to jump on a plane and go visit!
Do it@ Its amazing in person!