If you want to avoid the crowds and high temperatures, visiting Zion in the winter can be a great choice. Lodging is cheaper and wait times are shorter. But be warned: not everything will be open, and it’ll be extremely important to watch the forecasts.
You may still be able to visit the Zion National Park heavy hitters:
Year round, you must get a permit to hike Angel’s Landing. This is arguably the most famous hike in the park and is not terribly long but very demanding. The first half of the hike is lovely and well-maintained, accessible to even beginning hikers, and does not require a permit. The second half has high exposure and is quite scary, but leads to an unmatched view. This portion of the hike requires a permit, which you apply for on recreation.gov, and which in our experience is monitored by rangers.
The permit lottery is much less competitive in the winter — we had to problem getting the permit on the day we applied. But be ready to scrap your plans, because Angel’s Landing is absolutely not safe in a rain or snow storm, especially if wind or lightning is in the forecast. Plus, you won’t get much out of the spectacular view if there’s low visibility!
If you don’t win the permit lottery or if you judge Angel’s Landing unsafe when you get there, continue up the West Rim Trail for a similar view with a lot less exposure.
The Narrows is a hike when done bottom-up and a canyoneering adventure when done top-down. In the winter, canyoneering is generally not considered safe due to ice and water, but depending on the season, the hike version may be accessible. While you don’t need a permit to do The Narrows hike, you probably do need to rent gear, which may range from waders to a dry suit depending on the air temperature, water level, and your comfort. Especially late in the winter or in the spring, The Narrows will likely close due to high water. In that case, you can still hike about a mile into the canyon, but you cannot continue further into the river.
This short and stunning hike should be open in all but the most stormy of weather. There is some exposure, but the trail is broadly wide enough for there to be minimal risk even in wet/windy conditions. The trailhead is on the eastern side of the park before descending into the valley and ends at a viewpoint that looks out over the canyon. Even if your winter visit is stymied by weather, this hike should be accessible — and is well worth it!
Other things to do in Zion (year round!):
- We are big fans of going off trail, and in a park where so much of the landscape is exposed rock, this has much less of a negative environmental impact than it does in some other parks. To this end, you can pull over just about anywhere on the “high side” of the park on the eastern side and go for a walk. This can be as hard or as easy as you want to make it, and scrambling about on the beautiful slickrock is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
- Reach out to some of the canyoneering operators and see if the weather and conditions support canyoneering. This relies on there being not too much ice or water, and all the canyons that allow this are outside of the park (but nearby).
- Make sure you visit all the viewpoints! Take your time to look out at the views from the side of the highway on your way into/out of the valley. Like so many national parks, truly experiencing the depth of Zion relies on hiking around in the backcountry, but you can get a lot out of just taking in the scenery that’s easy to drive to, as well.