Biking through Zion National Park is the best way for you and your family to experience this incredible area of Utah.

By bringing in or renting a bike, you can skip the shuttle lines, explore more of the park in less time, and have the flexibility to see the park on your own terms.

Whether you choose a traditional bike or an e-bike, I strongly believe that biking through Zion is the key to the perfect vacation here.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about biking in Zion National Park, from where you can ride, how to keep your bike safe in the park, if an e-bike rental is worth the price, and the best places locally to rent.

This post contains affiliates. If you purchase through the links below, I will receive a commission at no charge to you.

Can you bike in Zion National Park?

Yes, you can bike in Zion National Park, and, in the main Zion Canyon area, it is even encouraged!

At peak visitation times, the park can often feel overwhelmed by visitors, and the strain is nowhere more apparent than at the 9 shuttle stops along the park’s scenic road.

Making the crowd management even more difficult is the fact that cars are not allowed on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive past the intersection with the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway anytime the shuttles are running.

So, if you’re planning to visit the Grotto, hike Angel’s Landing or the Narrows, see the Emerald Pools, or any of the other incredible places in Zion Canyon, you have 3 options:

• Walk,

• Take the shuttles, or

• Bike.

Of these three, biking is, hands-down, the most flexible and easy, and it is the one that I recommend the most.

My kids, my dad, and I rented e-bikes while visiting Zion National Park this past summer, and our time exploring the park on those bikes was one of the highlights of our Utah Might 5 road trip with kids.

If you decide to use bicycles to get around Zion, keep in mind that you’re allowed to use the Pa’rus Trail and the Scenic Drive.

You can’t take a bike on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, but it’s so steep and winding that I doubt the average visitor would even want to attempt that even if it was allowed.

There’s clearly posted signage around the park to help you determine what areas are bike-friendly and where you should avoid.

Give them an adventure they’ll never forget! Plan the perfect family trip with my complete guide to Zion National Park with kids.

Free Zion Shuttles v. Biking in Zion

While it might be tempting to go the easy, cheap route and use the free Zion shuttles, I’m here to strongly encourage you to rethink that. This might be one time that I’d advocate for the more expensive option and go with a bike rental.

Zion Shuttles Overview

Unless you’re going in the dead of winter—the park’s low season—you will be waiting for buses, sometimes for more than an hour.

The shuttles generally run from March until around November, and for a few weeks around Christmas, though specific scheduling will be posted by the NPS about 3 months ahead.

The shuttles begin their run at the visitors center, which is stop #1.

There are an additional 8 stops throughout the park, 6 of which are on the scenic drive. The bus line terminates at stop #9, the Temple of Sinawava, which is where you can access the Riverwalk Trail and the Narrows. [If you’re planning on hiking the Narrows with kids, click through to get all of my tips for a great time.]

As I noted above, when those shuttles are running, no cars are allowed on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. If you bring a bike, that means you’ll have the road nearly to yourself!

Also, some of the buses used for the scenic drive drop-offs are still the older styles, and they do not have air conditioning. The park is actively transitioning the entire fleet to electric buses with air conditioning, but, for now, you can still draw the short stick and get onto a hot bus in July with 50 other sweaty hikers. Yay.

Zion Bicycles Overview

Bringing a bicycle into the park means that you get to skip much of the stress that park goers complain about, and get right into the incredible beauty of the national park.

The park has done much to encourage both foot and bike traffic in the park as an alternative to the shuttles year round and to the car and shuttle access during the winter.

As part of their biking initiative, the park has dedicated several areas as multi-use paths, so that bicyclists and hikers can more easily access much of the Zion Canyon areas of the park.

There’s also a dedicated entrance in Zion Village for pedestrians and bicyclists, meaning you can skip the long lines at the vehicle entrance booth and the struggle for parking spaces all together. Look for the cute bridge to the right of Zion Outfitter in Zion Village.

You’ll see a walk-up ranger booth on the far side of the bridge; walk your bike across to pay for your entrance fee and get a map.

Once you’re in the park, there are several paved multi-use paths and a 7 mile long bike path on both directions of the scenic drive.

The town of Springdale, which Zion National Park is located, is also bike-friendly with dedicated bike lanes on both side of the main road through town, bike racks, and several bike rental outfitters. (But more on that below!)

Biking in Zion Tips and Tricks

The best places to bike in Zion are the Pa’rus Trail and the Scenic Drive.

Both of these areas are well marked with wide riding areas and smooth surfaces. If you’re biking with kids on their own bikes, the Pa’rus Trail is particularly good, as you don’t have to worry about any traffic.

Plus, there are several areas on the Pa’Rus Trail where you can pull over and sit down if you get tired. This is a 2 mile long trail that’s easily accessed from the visitors center, and there are entrances to both the Human History Museum and the Nature Center.

If you’re up for the ultimate Zion National Park biking, you’ll absolutely want to cruise the entirety of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. While there’s a dedicated bike lane on the shoulder of the road, you will still have the occasional shuttle pass by (or cars, if you’re traveling in the rare times that the shuttle isn’t running).

We didn’t have any problem with the shuttles, as the drivers are good about going slow and watching for both hikers and bikers. Plus, the scenic drive is 2 lanes wide, so you can imagine how open it feels with just a single shuttle bus and a bike on it at one time.

The scenic drive is paved and we didn’t see a single pothole the entire time we were cruising the park over multiple days.

When you see a shuttle bus passing you, pull over to the side of the road.

While Zion National Park staff wants you to have fun exploring the park, they’re also highly concerned about the safety of their visitors, too.

In order to keep bikers as safe as possible on the scenic road, there’s a park requirement that bikers come to a complete stop on the shoulder of the road whenever a shuttle bus is approaching them from behind.

Bus drivers will give you plenty of room as you’re paused on the side of the road.

If you forget, or don’t see them approaching, they’ll give you a little reminder tap on their horn.

It’s important to have a small, rear view mirror attached to your bike for this reason.

The bikes you can rent in Springdale have these included as part of your rental, but it’s something to put on the packing list if you’re bringing your own bicycle.

You do not have to stop and pull over if a bus is approaching you in the opposite lane.

Wear your helmets.

While the biking towards the front of the park and on the Pa’rus Trail is fairly easy going, it’s always a good idea to wear a helmet. To get to the start of the Pa’rus Trail, you’ll need to cross the busy street next to the visitors center, which includes both small RVs and the shuttles in high volume.

Be safe and make sure that everyone has a properly fitted helmet.

As you work your way towards the back of the park, there are some significant inclines and declines where a fall could result is some nasty injuries. You want as much protection as possible if you find yourself in trouble as you’ve picked up speed on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive’s many downhill slopes.

Again, if you’re renting a bike, you should be provided one with the cost of your rental.

Bring a lock.

When you head into the park on your bike, you’re likely staying for longer than an hour or two.

You’re also likely to be heading out onto a trail, and will be leaving your bike behind for a bit.

Be prepared with a lock to secure your helmet and bike to one of the many bike stands around the park.

You’ll find large metal inverted U-shaped bike racks at all of the shuttle stops for a convenient place to park your bike while you’re hiking.

If you’re traveling with others, I’d recommend a longer bike lock, which will allow you to bind 2 or more bikes together on the racks.

Look for one with a number lock rather than a key, so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with one more thing in your backpack.

It’s also one less thing to lose on the trail!

I didn’t ever feel that our bikes were at risk of being stolen (after all, who comes to a national park to steal a bike?!), but I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to ensuring my expensive e-bike is there when I get back.

Bungee cords are lifesavers.

Bungee cords are already invaluable to me—and they made my list of travel trailer must haves!—and here’s one more place they shine.

While biking through Zion, we used a variety of bungee cords: a couple to secure our backpacks in the front baskets, a few more to strap down our cooler backpack with sandwiches and drinks, and others to help hold down towels to keep the seats cool while we were hiking or eating lunch.

Buy the bungee cords in a variety of sizes and use them everywhere!

Keep a towel or old shirt around to cover the seats.

We didn’t need any sort of seat cover while we were actively riding, but the bike seats were dark, heavy leather which got very hot when we left them in the sun.

This issue especially bothered my kids, who were riding on the bench-style back seat of the two adult bikes. That wide bench soaked up all of the sun while we were hiking and was uncomfortably hot when the kids got back on the bike.

I managed the situation by folding one of our lightweight Turkish towels, securing it with those aforementioned bungee cords, and draping it over the seats when we were away.

Which is better for Zion National Park: a traditional bike or e-bikes?

If you’re set on biking through Zion National Park, the next consideration is what kind of bike you’ll be using. Let’s break down some of the pros and cons of a traditional pedal bike versus an e-bike.

The pedal bikes are less expensive.

On average, you can do a full day adult pedal bike rental in Springdale for about $50 per bike. A kid’s pedal bike rental will run you around $40 for a full day.

Compare that to a standard e-bike, which rents out for around $80-100 per day, depending on which outfitter you go through. There aren’t kid-sized e-bikes, as e-bikes are much heavier and faster than a standard bike, and little kids won’t be able to balance and steer them easily.

Instead, you’ll have to rent an adult e-bike with child accessories, which runs between $110-120 a day.

All of these rentals come with helmets, a bike lock, and directions to the national park.

You can get further into the park more easily with an e-bike.

If you only want to see the visitors center and the first couple of miles of Zion Canyon, a regular bike is going to be fine for that. The Pa’rus Trail at the front of Zion Canyon is flat, but zig zags back and forth frequently over bridges spanning the Virgin River.

In any case, even young riders will be able to tackle the Pa’rus Trail on their own pedal bikes as it’s very easy to navigate as far as bike routes go.

However, if you’re heading further into the canyon, I’d recommend doing the upgrade and getting the e-bikes. Most kids aren’t going to want to bike the 14 miles round trip from the visitors center to the Temple of Sinawava at the very back of this part of the park. (Many adults wouldn’t want to do that on a standard street bike, either!)

The e-bikes smooth over that pain point by making the entire scenic drive easy to get to and in a relatively quick time period.

Also in the mix is the fact that Zion Canyon Scenic Drive climbs slowly but steadily between stops 3 and 8, and then heads slightly downhill between 8 and 9.

This is enough of an incline that the standard bike rider is going to be in the lowest gear possible, huffing and puffing the entire way up. It’s going to be tiring, and that’s probably not what you want before you set out on a trek to the Narrows, Angel’s Landing, or one of the many other incredible hikes in the park.

The e-bike batteries will likely outlast you on your ride.

The e-bike batteries easily allow visitors to ride through Springdale, back and forth through Zion Canyon, and back to the shop with plenty of battery left over.

One of the days we rented our bikes for a full 8-hours, we rode from the outfitters, did the Scenic Canyon Drive twice, pedaled around Springdale for some snacks, and returned the bike—and still hadn’t burned through half of the available battery.

Older kids can ride their own e-bikes, but younger kids will need to buddy ride with an adult.

If you’ve never ridden an e-bike, know that it’s much heavier than a standard bike. The battery and associated components add significant weight to what you’re used to when biking, and many average around 50 pounds.

Because of this, the e-bike rider needs to be able to maneuver around with this weight, holding it up when getting on and off, balancing it around tight corners, and quickly moving it to the side of the road when the shuttles pass.

The cut-off for most bike rental outfitters for an e-bike rider is around 12, but that varies. The outfitter we went through, Greater Zion E-bikes was willing to let my tall 11-year-old have her own e-bike, but she decided against it when test driving it in the parking lot. She would’ve been fine if the entire riding process was on perfectly smooth roads with no chance of sudden breaking. However, she wasn’t confident in her ability to hold up the bike or make quick stops.

After having rented the e-bikes for multiple days and seeing all of the places I had to ride them, hop on and off, and maneuver around, I’m glad we listened to her. She would’ve struggled mightily on her own.

We encountered multiple kids around her age on the e-bikes in the park, and they always seemed wobbly and slightly uncoordinated.

I had 2 boys in their very young teens nearly take me out on a curve on the Pa’rus Trail when they couldn’t stop their heavy e-bikes in time for the sharp turn.

All in all, if your 10-12 year old is on cusp of getting their own e-bike, hold off if possible and have them ride on the bench seat behind an adult. They’ll be safer, you’ll be less stressed, and everyone will enjoy their time more.

For little kids, you can get e-bikes with bench seating big enough for 2 kids. When I was in Zion, I was with my dad; both of us rented one of the Rad Wagons here, which were big enough for my kids. If I’d been traveling by myself, I could’ve put both my 7 and 11 year olds on one bike, but it would’ve been tough to push us up the hill near the visitors center.

Instead, my dad carried my 11 year old on his Rad Wagon, and I took my 7 year old. We had a blast, and the bench seating had enough room to bring small, soft sided coolers, too.

I loved the Caboose-style bench seating we selected on the Rad Wagons, which were enclosed with metal loop that my kids could hold onto, and from which we could bungee cord our cooler and towels. There were also running boards and a plastic protective cover on the back wheels where they could rest their feet.

You can also select to have a regular baby seat on the back of your e-bike, or a plain passenger seat without the rail and running boards (there are small pegs and a saddle-style handle instead).

The Pa’rus Trail has a couple of spots that are tricky—if you’re riding an e-bike.

Overall, the Pa’rus Trail is flat and easy to ride on.

However, there are a couple of areas that you’ll want to anticipate if you’re riding an e-bike.

1) When heading back to the visitors center, there’s a tricky section at the end of the Pa’rus Trail.

You’ll come out of a turn, need to stop at the stop sign, AND decelerate quickly after getting your heavy bike up a stout little incline.

Having that stop sign right there at the road and at the top of a small hill is tough, since you’re likely going to stop your bike below the hill’s crest and walk it up.

Pushing a 50-60 pound bike (plus a kid on the back, in my case) is no small feat, and it’s even more complicated when you’re trying to keep said bike from rolling into traffic.

2) The bridges on the Pa’rus Trail come with some tight turns.

If you’re on a regular pedal bikes, these turns won’t seem too bad, but they come up quickly when you’re cruising along on an e-bike.

The Pa’rus Trail zig zags across the Virgin River multiple times in the middle section of this multi-use trail, adding some interest to the experience.

However, several of the bridges have tight turns on one or both ends, requiring you to quickly decelerate in a turn. Just be aware of these sections if you’re on an e-bike, and be prepared to slow down accordingly.

3) Near the intersection of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive at the end of the Pa’rus Trail, there’s a bridge with a sharp turn and quick incline.

Right before you come to the end of the Pa’rus Trail on the end furthest from the visitors center, you’ll encounter a short section when you’re hit a decline, go under a bridge while making a sharp turn and then immediately go up an incline towards the #3 shuttle stop and Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.

If you have an e-bike, this area is manageable—just watch out for the curve—thanks to the bike’s power in getting you up the final incline.

On a regular pedal bike, this sequence is going to be a bit more difficult. Less experienced bikers and younger kids may need to walk their bike in this area.

Zion National Park Bike Rentals Information

Unless you’re local to Springdale or you’ve got the ability to bring your bikes along on vacation with you, you’re likely looking to rent bicycles for your vacation to Zion.

Zion National Park does NOT offer bike rentals within the park, so you’ll need to coordinate with a local outfitter or join a bike-based tour group to get a bike.

Which Springdale Outfitter is best for Bike Rentals?

We used Greater Zion E-bikes for our e-bike rentals, and they come highly recommended. (I’m not an affiliate, nor is that an affiliate link. I’m just a happy customer!)

They have a couple of smaller outposts around Springdale, including one attached to the Desert Pearl Inn about a 1/4 mile from the park’s entrance, and another attached to Deep Creek Coffee Company across from the Bumbleberry Inn.

The main store with the widest number of bike styles is in the Feel Love Coffee building next to the Hampton Inn and Suites. Here, you’ll be able to pick out different accessories for your bike, buy cold drinks, and get a t-shirt in addition to renting the bikes and trying out different models.

They had competitive rates, and the style of e-bike I wanted for my kids and I, the Rad Wagon, which came with that large back seating bench I mentioned above.

All of the e-bike rentals here come with helmets, a bike lock, rear view mirror, battery gauge/data panel, and attached front basket.

They also offer a discount on a second rental if you provide a review for them; doing so allowed us a 25% discount on our second day of bike rentals.

E-biking Tours in Zion National Park

Alternatively, you can go on an e-biking tour through Zion National Park, which eliminates some of the guesswork as your tour includes a bike rental.

If you’re traveling with kids 12 and older, Outta Here E-bikes runs regular tours through the park, leading guests on a guided ride with stops to discuss the geology, native plants, and history.

Looking for more adventurous ideas? Zion National Park is just one of the many incredible stops on my ultimate Utah and Arizona road trip itinerary!