One Day in Zion National Park
Let me start off by saying one day is not enough time to do Zion National Park justice. You’d need at least two days, or more if you’re traveling during peak season or doing a lot of major hikes. But can you do Zion in one day and feel like it was time well spent? Absolutely!
Views from the Canyon Overlook trail in Zion National Park
Planning Your Time
With only one day in Zion, you should plan on doing one major hike, or a couple smaller ones. If you have your heart set on Angel’s Landing be sure to get your permit. When we visited, the trail to Angel’s Landing was closed, so now we have an excuse to go back another time! The Narrows is another great full day hike and you can make it as long or short as you want. If you plan to do the Narrows, be sure to wear proper gear and consider going to an outfitter to get waterproof boots, waiters and hiking poles. We didn’t want to rush through the Narrows with our limited amount of time - that, and it was freezing in mid-March when we were there - so we’ll just have to go back!
With such limited time, we wanted to get a taste of Zion so we chose to do a couple smaller hikes. This worked out well for us because we were able to see several different areas of the park and experience Zion both from the valley floor and from high above.
Karin and Jeremy in front of the Zion National Park entrance sign
A Note About Shuttles
When we were there in mid-March 2022, the shuttles were running only on the weekends, but they were going to start running full time the week after we visited. Unless you’re planning to travel in winter, you’ll most likely be riding the shuttles too. You’ll want to check the hours of operation when you’re planning your trip and be sure to leave enough time in you schedule to allow for time waiting for, and riding, the shuttles.
During our trip, the shuttles didn’t start running until 8am. We got to the visitor center parking lot around 7:30am and the lot was practically full. The shuttles weren’t running between the park and the nearby town, so we either had to find a spot to park at Zion, or walk from town into the park. Luckily, we found a spot, grabbed our gear and headed for the shuttle line. Be sure to get to the park very early because you’ll be waiting in a very long line for the shuttles. We ended up getting on a shuttle about 15 minutes after they started running. If you come later in the morning, the line for the shuttles might be shorter - unless you’re traveling during peak season, when the lines are always long.
Driving in Zion National Park
Temple of Sinawava & The Riverside Walk
For our first hike of the day, we chose to ride the shuttle bus all the way to the end of the line (a 45 minute ride, by the way), to the Temple of Sinawava. This is where you would start your hike if you’re planning to do the Narrows. The shuttle drops you off in a parking lot, with restrooms (flush toilets and running water) nearby. Fill up your water bottles here if you haven’t yet, then set off on the Riverside Walk.
The Riverside Walk at the Temple of Sinawava at Zion National Park
The Riverside Walk is a partially paved trail that leads to the Narrows. It’s about a one mile hike (or two miles round trip) and it follows alongside the Virgin River. There is some spectacular scenery along this hike. The trail is paved and mostly level for the first quarter mile of the hike and when the pavement ends, the trail becomes a little more uneven, but nothing too strenuous. The trail ends where the Narrows hike begins, and you’ll see lots of people continuing on with their waterproof boots, waiters (if it’s cold) and walking sticks. If the water’s warm, continue your hike for a while by hiking through the river.
The entrance to the Narrows, where you hike through the Virgin River
Canyon Overlook Trail
Our first hike of the day wasn’t particularly long or tiring, but after factoring in the 45-minute-each-way shuttle ride to and from the visitor’s center (as well as stopping at other shuttle stops to explore the area), our time was getting eaten up very quickly. We had planned to also do either the Grotto trail or the Lower Emerald Pool trail, but time was running out and we still hadn’t done the one trail that was our must-see: the Canyon Overlook trail.
Hiking on slick rock along the Canyon Overlook trail
We drove through the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel, and just on the other side is the trailhead for the Canyon Overlook trail. Finding the trailhead was easy, finding parking was not! There’s a tiny parking lot (fits less than 10 cars) right near the trailhead, but it was full. There’s also another tiny lot a short hike up the road near some restrooms, but that was full too. We ended up driving several miles down the road and doing a u-turn before we found a spot half a mile from the trailhead.
Scenic views along the way on the Canyon Overlook trail
The Canyon Overlook trail starts with a lot of stairs, there’s around 163 feet of elevation gain on this trail, but don’t let that put you off - after the stairs in the beginning, the elevation gain becomes very gradual.
Exploring the cave that is part of the Canyon Overlook trail
This was a really fun trail! It had great scenery, steep cliffs (makes things interesting!), an open cave to walk through, and incredible views at the end! There were a lot of people at the viewpoint at the end of the trail but there’s also a lot of space to spread out. There’s a small portion of the viewpoint that has a guardrail installed, but it doesn’t go very far, so if you venture near the edge at a point where there isn’t a guardrail, be careful! If you’re planning to hike this trail in the warmer months, bring water and sun protection because, aside from the cave, there’s not a whole lot of shade.
Karin hiking the slick rock along the Canyon Overlook trail
The views overlooking Pine Creek Canyon and Lower Zion Canyon from the Canyon Overlook trail are stunning and absolutely worth the hike! If you want major views with only moderate effort (compared to Angel’s Landing, for example), then this is the hike for you!
Karin and Jeremy at the viewpoint for the Canyon Overlook trail at Zion National Park
We don’t know when our next visit to Zion National Park will be, but we know we’ll be back!
What would you do with only one day in Zion?
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