Visiting Zion National Park in Summer: Packing List, Activities, and Tips
Visiting Zion National Park in the summer means sunny days and splashing in the Virgin River.
But, the summer heat, busy crowds, and rainstorms also require a special focus in planning your time in the park.
Below, you’ll learn everything you need to know about summertime vacations in Zion National Park.
From navigating crowds to what to pack, this guide will have you covered to have an amazing time exploring Zion in the hottest months in the year.
The sun lighting up Zion Canyon on a June morning
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Summer Weather in Zion National Park
Summer in southern Utah is HOT, so if you’re planning to visit after early May, know that the heat will be a consideration as you plan your vacation there.
It’s simply not safe to hike outside when the temperatures are over 90—and the park routinely sees those temperatures and higher for 3 months out of the year.
The climate here is that of a desert with long, hot summers and little rain.
Add to this fact that most of the trails have little, if any, coverage, and you’ve got a recipe for sunburn, dehydration, or heat stroke.
While the park doesn’t get a lot of rain during the summer (averaging less than 3 inches each month of the season), this is also when you are at the most risk for flash flooding. What little rain the park does get will come down heavy and fast during summer thunderstorms, and those storms can spring up out of seemingly nowhere.
This is bad news if you’re planning to go canyoneering or hiking in one of the many beautiful slot canyons in and around the park, as those flash floods can create dangerous situations as the rains pour into the narrow spaces.
But what if the summer is the only time you have to visit this incredible national park? After all, many families are funneled into traveling between late May and early August because of school and extracurricular schedules that dominate the rest of the year.
It is still possible to visit Zion during the warmer months and have a wonderful, safe time. It will require you to make adjustments to a typical vacation day—no sleeping in here!
>> Learn more about visiting Zion and the rest of the Utah Mighty 5 with kids in my family friendly road trip itinerary here. <<
Preparing for the Summer Crowds at Zion
Despite the heat, summer is when the crowds show up in Zion National Park. (If I’m being honest, they begin showing up in late March and then don’t leave until September, so the crowds are in full swing by June.)
While you don’t need a reservation to get in this park like you do over at Arches National Park or in Glacier National Park, you do need to know that the number of people visiting Zion in the summer FAR outpaces the available parking.
That means that one of the major considerations for visiting Zion during this season is dealing with other visitors.
Here’s how to avoid the crowds the best you can:
1) Use the pedestrian entrance.
Instead of fighting the main vehicle entrance in Springdale, you can use the nearby pedestrian entrance in Zion Village.
If you walk or ride a bike into the park, you’ll still have to pay your entrance fee, but you’ll zip through the process much more quickly than at the vehicle entrance.
Plus, the vehicle entrance will often close to cars during the summer months when the parking capacity is reached. Avoid that entire situation—and the associated parking woes—by walking or riding.
If you stay at the nearby Zion Canyon Campground, it’s an easy 1/4 mile walk or ride to the pedestrian entrance, so you don’t have to touch your car the entire time you’re visiting the park. The Zion Canyon Campground has cabins, tent sites, and RV sites with full hook-ups.
>> Check out my full review of Zion Canyon Campground and RV Park here. <<
2) Be patient with the free shuttle system.
Parkgoers waiting to board a bus near the visitors center
Whether you choose to drive, bike, or walk into the park, you can then use the shuttle system to get around if you’d like.
While the park continues to perfect this system, the fact remains that the buses can’t run fast enough during peak times of the summer to get to visitors quickly. Expect wait times of up to an hour in the mornings as people flood into the park for early morning hikes.
Shuttles are very busy in the morning as people leave the visitors center. The return trip buses stay packed until around 4 PM as people leave the back of the park and head towards the visitors center again.
Also, keep in mind that some of the older buses still in rotation don’t have air conditioning. That, combined with the fact that visitors have been out hiking and exploring in the depths of the summer means you’re likely to have a stinky ride.
The newer buses do have A/C, which helps a bit, but packing 60 tired, sweaty hikers on a bus at 3 PM is never going to smell great.
NOTE: The shuttles only run in the Zion Canyon area of the park. You’ll need to bring a vehicle to get around East Zion or Kolob Canyon, but both of those areas are far less crowded than Zion Canyon.
3) Rent a bike if at all possible.
If I can avoid a crowd, I’ll go out of my way to do so.
We discovered the ultimate Zion crowd hack with e-bike rentals, which allow you to skip the shuttle—and any parking—all together.
You will need to factor in the cost of the e-bike, but I found it to be well worth the price. In Springdale, you can find a variety of bike rentals for your family’s specific needs. There are e-bikes with baby carriers, benches for older kids, and even pet carriers!
>> For more information on biking in Zion National Park, check out my huge guide here. <<
4) Go on any trail other than Angel’s Landing or The Narrows.
Despite the park covering nearly 150,000 acres, people tend to gravitate towards the two most popular trails here, even in the summer: Angel’s Landing and The Narrows.
If you try out the Kayenta Trail, the Emerald Pools Trail, or one of the many, many other trails in the park, you have a better chance of escaping the crowds in peak times.
That being said, there are ways to get away from people even on The Narrows! Most hikers barely go past the first mile, so if you can push through to the 2-4 mile marker in the Narrows, the crowds drop dramatically.
Plus, that hike feels incredible in the summer heat, thanks to the cool waters of the Virgin River, and your kids will likely love it. Check out my complete guide to hiking the Narrows with kids here.
My son pauses for a moment on the Narrows hike
From easy hikes to Junior Ranger programs, here’s a complete guide to visiting Zion National Park with kids!
What to Pack for a Summer Vacation in Zion National Park
Come prepared for your time in the park! In addition to lightweight shorts and t-shirts, it’s important to pack several other things to help you navigate the hot weather.
My daughter wearing her neck chiller while e-biking with my dad through Zion Canyon
Neck chiller
My daughter had one of these bandana-style neck chillers while we were in Arches National Park, and it was such a hit that my son ended up buying one as soon as we got to Springdale.
These simple pieces of equipment are so helpful, and they really do keep you cool in the soaring temperatures!
To use, you simply soak the fabric in a bowl of water. We then put the soaked neck chiller in the refrigerator overnight. (Don’t use the freezer or the little orbs inside might burst.)
In the mornings, we had refreshing pieces of cloth that I could tie around the kids’ necks to keep them cool while we adventured.
The chillers do last a long time even out in the heat. You can resoak them each night to have them cool by the next morning.
Water bottle
While there are a few water refill stations in the park, there are only two places in Zion Canyon to purchase water (Zion Lodge and the visitors center).
Bring your own water bottle, or buy a reusable one at the visitors center. From there, you can refill it at the visitors center, Zion Lodge, the Grotto, or Temple of Sinawava.
If you are riding a bike and have room for a small cooler, it’s not a bad idea to bring some extra chilled bottles of water. These are incredibly refreshing after a hike!
I also would fill up my Hydro Flask water bottle in the mornings with ice, which stayed cold all day even as I refilled the water.
You can get dehydrated very, very easily while visiting Zion in the summer, so keep sipping that water throughout the day, and bring more than you think you’ll need.
My son in his long sleeved sun shirt during our Narrows hike
Sun shirt
To help keep you from getting burnt, a lightweight long sleeved sun shirt is a great addition to your Zion vacation wardrobe.
Many provide 50 SPF or more, so you don’t need to reapply sunscreen to your arms and chest as often.
If you get one with a hood, that’s extra protection for your neck and ears, too.
On very hot hikes, we will even sprinkle the fabric with water which helps keep us cool.
Any lightweight sun shirt will work, but we’ve used these hooded Willet sun shirts for years, and they don’t fade or stretch out.
There are options for adults and sizes for kids.
Hiking sandals
Avoid gross, sweaty feet on the trail by ditching the hiking boots for a summer trip to Zion and opt for hiking sandals instead.
Hiking sandals have a thick, tough sole that protects your feet from rocks and uneven trail, but are much lighter and cooler to wear.
Tevas, Chacos, and Keens are among the most popular hiking sandal brands, but I love the Keen Newport H2s. These include a protective toe and quick drying neoprene on the interior so I can easily go from splashing in streams to back on the trail. I’ve had mine for years, and they are still going strong.
If you are too attached to your hiking boots to leave them behind, I highly recommend pairing them with wool socks, which are excellent at wicking moisture and are insanely comfortable.
I am obsessed with the Darn Tough hiking micro crew, which have padded bottoms for extra comfort, and took 3 pairs on my 8-week road trip from South Carolina to Colorado, Utah (including Zion!), Idaho, and Montana.
Salty snacks
Did you know that any salty snack—even pretzels and chips!—can help you fight against dehydration?
When you’re sweating a lot and chugging water, it is easier for your electrolytes to get out of balance.
By adding in a salty snack or electrolyte packet, you are helping restore the safe levels of electrolytes to your system.
Pack little bags of pretzels, chips, peanuts, or other salty snacks. If you’re not a fan of salty snacks, you can sub in electrolyte powder into your water.
How to Plan Your Day for Visiting in Summer
When you’re working on an itinerary for a May, June, July, or August visit to Zion, your entire day will need to revolve around the sun and the heat.
I highly recommend starting your day as early as possible to maximize the cooler (and safer) hiking times in the early morning. The sun will be up before 7 AM, so you’re running a race to get onto the trail before those rays start baking down.
On our recent trip to Zion National Park in mid-June, we set our alarms for 5:00 or 5:30 AM, and were in the park each day before 7 AM.
Yes, that feels super early for what amounted to our summer vacation, but we wanted to maximize our time in the park despite the heat that we knew was coming each day.
If you’re planning to do Angel’s Landing, the West Rim Trail, or Watchman Trail, you’re going to want to start in the dark and literally as early as you can get up. These are very exposed trails that are going to be dangerously hot between 11 AM-4 PM in the summer.
Plan your hiking on your trail of choice, and be done around 11 AM. Then, take a break for lunch either with a picnic at the Grotto area, at one of the restaurants in Zion Lodge, or at a restaurant in Springdale.
In the afternoon, you can head to one of the many things to do in Zion besides hiking, which take place either in the shade or inside. If you’re biking in the early afternoon, know that you will be baking on the trip back to the visitors center—it often felt as if we were breathing in air that was coming directly out of a furnace.
Usually, riding a bike will generate some sort of refreshing breeze, but the heat at Zion is legendary. Keep drinking a ton of water, reapply sunscreen, and wear a hat!
As the sun begins to set, you can try another hike, but bring a headlamp in case you finish after dark. You can also go star gazing inside the park, which is a wonderful way to end your summer day.
Hikes that are good for early morning vs. midday
Heading back to the Kayenta trailhead around 8:45 AM before the sun really starts baking on the trail
Hit the Kayenta Trail in the early morning. As the sun rises, the sunlight will hit the slowly creep down into Zion Canyon.
The left side of the canyon, on which the Kayenta Trail is situated, gets that direct sunlight and heat starting around 10 AM. If you do the hike from 7-9 AM in the summer, you’ll hike in the shadow created by the canyon walls as the sun rises behind it.
Likewise, the Pa’Rus Trail is best in the early morning from 7-10 AM, when there’s still light coming from the rising sun, but it hasn’t spilled over into the canyon directly.
Because the Pa’Rus Trail runs along the middle of the canyon, you don’t have any shade once that sun has risen. The sun begins baking on the asphalt trail around 11 AM, and it will feel like an inferno by 2 PM.
The Narrows, on the other hand, is good for midday as the water is cold, and the narrow canyon doesn’t have significant direct sunlight.
Because of the water temperature and the fact that you’re not in direct sunlight, you can safely do this hike even in the middle of the afternoon in the summertime. Wear appropriate shoes and don’t forget to keep sipping your water.
What to do midday and early afternoon when it is hot
If it’s too hot to hike, there are still several things to do in Zion mid-day!
The Nature Center is our go-to for air conditioning, kids’ programming, and nature lessons. There’s also a book corner and dress up box for kids.
The hottest part of the day is also a good time to drive Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway so you can see another, equally beautiful part of the park from Zion Canyon. You’ll get to go through the 1.1 mile long tunnel carved through the mountain between the two sections of the park.
This is also how you get to nearby Mt. Carmel Junction and Kanab, which have local restaurants and shopping. Just outside of Mt. Carmel Junction is the Belly of the Dragon hike, which is completely covered and excellent for a hot day.
The Museum of Human History is in Zion Canyon, and it has exhibits on the many groups of people who’ve contributed to this area’s development over the years. Linger in the air conditioning, or head outside on the back porch to join a ranger program in the covered seating area.
If you want a natural way to cool off, you can go splash in the Virgin River at one of the many access points along the Pa’Rus Trail. These points are well marked between the visitors center and the turn off to the Nature Trail.
This is also an excellent time to visit nearby Springdale, the small town that’s next to Zion National Park. Lunch at Oscar’s Cafe or Meme’s Cafe are excellent choices, and there are a variety of cute shops to explore (with air conditioning!).
Staying Safe While Visiting Zion in the Summer
As you’re visiting Zion this summer, here are a few things to keep in mind as well as major indicators that you need to take action.
Flash flooding
While flash flooding can occur in Zion at any point in the year, the late summer sees the highest likelihood that a flash flood will occur. Between late July and early September, this area often gets short but intense afternoon rain storms that can quickly flood out narrow slot canyons.
Before you head out on a canyoneering trip or hike in any of the Zion slot canyons, stop by the visitors center to check the forecast for that day. You’ll find information at the ranger desk inside the visitors center and an overview of the forecast on boards near the entrance doors.
If there’s any significant chance of rain, hold off on your slot canyon experience. This includes the Narrows hike.
If you are in a slot canyon and you see ANY rain (even a drizzle), immediately leave. A small amount of rain in the slot canyon can mean that there is a storm further up the slot canyon, which will drive rainwater all along the narrow space.
Since you’re in the bottom of that narrow canyon, you’re not going to have many places to go when that wall of water hits you, and that situation can quickly become deadly.
The park has seen flash flooding deaths in recent years, with the worst being a canyoneering group of 7 died in Keyhole Canyon in 2015.
Get to higher ground if you see flash flooding while you’re in a slot canyon—even climbing a few feet up the walls of the canyon can help you survive.
Dehydration
With the dry, arid, and hot summer weather, dehydration is a very real possibility.
If you feel thirsty, you’re already heading towards dehydration. Stay ahead of that feeling and sip water consistently rather than all at once.
Keeping your electrolytes in check is also important through salty snacks or electrolyte add-ins to your water.
Don’t hike on exposed trails between 11 AM and 4 PM as this is when the sun’s rays are at their strongest. If you must go out, wear a sun shirt and hat, use sunscreen, and bring plenty of water.
If you cannot wet your mouth and/or if your eyes feel very dry, you are likely suffering from at least mild dehydration. Headaches are another common sign that you haven’t had enough water.
Heat exhaustion or heat stroke
Both of these can be very scary and life threatening, and you will want to do everything in your power to avoid these while vacationing here. When I was a lifeguard, this was one of the conditions that we kept an eye out for as people often don’t realize how bad they feel until it’s too late.
Both are caused by your body’s inability to cool itself off properly, which is triggered by physical activity in high temperatures.
Of the two, heat exhaustion is the milder version, but its still serious. If you’re feeling dizzy, overly tired, or start having issues with your muscles working as they should, you need to find a cool place to rest immediately.
Heat stroke goes one step further and occurs when your body’s temperature soars to 104 degrees or more. You get so hot with this condition that your body won’t sweat, and the person suffering can pass out, act very confused, or throw up.
Again, get to a cool place and call 911. It seems counterintuitive, but if you’re with someone suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, don’t let them gulp water as that can cause even more issues. Instead, put the water on them, which is far more effective at cooling them down until help can arrive.
These 2 conditions are why you shouldn’t go hiking in most areas in Zion in the middle of the day. The heat combined with the complete lack of shade can quickly zap the energy of someone even in peak shape.
Final Thoughts on Zion Summer Visits
My kids, my dad and I at the (very hot) east entrance to Zion mid-day in the summer
While there are serious considerations for visiting Zion National Park between May and September, you can still have a fulfilling, incredible visit.
Early mornings and evenings are going to be your best times for getting onto the park’s hiking trails, while midday should be spent doing one of the many other (and safer) activities recommended above.
Even with those considerations, there’s truly nothing like watching the sun come up over Zion Canyon in June or enjoying a late summer evening watching the stars come out near the Virgin River.
