Zion National Park – an RV’ers Perspective. RV Life and RV Travel – a comprehensive guide…
This post details an EPIC visit, actually series of visits to Kolob Canyon, Zion Canyon, and “east Zion.” Collectively, all are part of a region known as Zion National Park. I want to share my visit with you, and if you’re an RV’er, provide you with valuable information about travel in this region and where you should NOT take your RV camper.
Tip: Take your time as you work through this post. It is loaded with lots of great images ALONG WITH information of real value to RV’ers and RV travelers.
Tip 2: Although I’m bringing this post live in the final days of March 2025, it is NOT complete! I WILL be adding more videos and panoramas, so, please DO visit it again in a week or so and see what I’ve added. I will also share more campground information as I get it compiled and organized.
Zion National Park is actually two separate regions with entrances to each situated about an hour apart. Both are located in Southern Utah. The nearest large city (about 45 minutes) is St. George.
The Zion Canyon section of Zion National Park itself actually has two entrances – a South entrance near Hurricane, Utah and an East entrance, not far from Bryce Canyon National Park. Yeah, National Parks next to other National Parks, Utah really IS that amazing!
Zion National Park – RV Camper Travel Advisory
“East Zion” as I refer to it from Zion Canyon to Mount Carmel Junction has numerous tight switchbacks AND tunnels you must pass through. Currently there is an 11 ft. 4 in. height restriction and a 7 ft. 10 in. width restriction. This will eliminate many RV’ers from taking their campers this route. We drove it in my truck as my camper is happily situated in Parowan, Utah at Painted Hills RV Resort. In 2026, construction on this 80+ year old road and tunnel project will force even more “oversize” vehicles to seek alternate routes.
The Zion – Mount Carmel Highway is a great way to travel between Zion and Highway 89. Highway 89 is the connector that takes you to Kanab, Utah and Bryce Canyon National Park. Be sure to check with the National Park Service (and Google) to learn of last minute changes in road access within this region.
Kolob Canyon – part of Zion?
Zion National Park has two entirely separate sections: Kolob Canyon and Zion Canyon. Kolob can be accessed via I-15, just a few minutes south of Cedar City. Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyon are NOT connected by roads.
Isaac, my travel bud (you’ll see him in the photos) and I visited both Kolob and Zion Canyons in FEBRUARY 2025. Winter in ANY national park is an exceptional time to visit. You’ll experience the park as it can’t be experienced at any other time of the year.
Incidentally, Isaac is an aviation student at the university in Cedar City. He also teaches skiing (and does a great job at it) with me at Brian Head. He is an exceptional young man and has enjoyed our WINTER National Park visits as much as I have. We both like to “travel on the fly” with minimum planning (if any!) Our next excursion will likely be the The Swell – look for a report soon on this most remote region of Utah.
WINTER in Zion National Park
UNcrowded, quiet, and less restricted. Those are the first words that come to mind when you visit Zion National Park during the Winter. Admittedly, this has been a very tepid (mild and snow free) winter, but even during a normal winter, if you’re prepared with proper clothing and vehicle, etc., it WILL be an enriching experience.
During “peak season” (mid-March through October), Zion Canyon has a mandatory shuttle system to explore the park. Not so during the winter. When we visited Zion Canyon, we were able to drive in to the hikes we chose to do. There was even space to park… AND – uncrowded hiking trails!
Winter does bring certain challenges. Upon arrival, we checked with the Visitor Center and discovered that two hikes within Zion Canyon were not open. One due to a rock slide and the other due to an icy trail making it unsafe. We persevered as there was STILL much to explore and we ended up hiking about 5 miles on our day in Zion Canyon and just over a mile on our day in Kolob.
RV’er Tip for travel in and around Zion
During the late Spring, Summer and early Autumn, Zion gets crowded and busy. IF you take your RV into Springdale (see video above) and enter the park, expect to be negotiating tight roads with lots of 4-wheelers! The Visitor Center, located just inside the park does have RV parking, but it too is limited and negotiating the area can be challenging. If it were me, I’d keep any RV over about 30 ft. out of the park, and perhaps even out of Springdale! Further, in the park itself, expect the campground to have length restrictions. Contact the National Park Service for specifics – or – see my notes about Allstays below to be prepared.
Zion National Park slideshow – a WINTER visit – enjoy…
Assorted photos from across Zion. Take note of how quiet the visitor center area is. Also, snow on the hills in east Zion on Feb 25th, our THIRD visit to Zion in February!
Zion Hikes
Zion has numerous outstanding hikes. Most do not require registering. In season, jump on the shuttle and head off to your preferred stop(s.) Isaac and I chose to do two hikes in Zion Canyon and one in Kolob Canyon…
Emerald Pool Hike
The Emerald Pool hike is considered a moderate hike within Zion Canyon. It involves climbing (non-technical) several hundred (about 500?) feet to three different pools. Many of the views are absolutely SPECTACULAR! I truly hope I’ve captured them in this photo essay. The total round trip is about 3 miles. (Contact me if you’d like full resolution photos, available for a nominal fee.)
Winter added the additional feature of some ice on the trail and in the ponds. Temperatures were in the mid-20’s as we started our climb and likely warmed into the mid-30’s as we gained elevation. Please note, especially in winter, the valley traps cold air creating a low level inversion where it warms as you climb. As ski instructors we’re very familiar with this phenomenon. Just yesterday morning (in mid-March), it was 19F in Parowan as I started my drive up to Brian Head Ski Area. The drive is a short 12 miles, but climbs 4000 ft. When I arrived at the ski area, the temperature had risen to 34F!
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Riverside Walk
The Riverside Walk (again in Zion Canyon) is considered an easy 2 mile (or so) “in and out” hike. There is little elevation gain and much of it parallels well… the river! It ends where *some* hikers continue their hike INTO the river. While the increasingly narrowing canyon is spectacular, neither Isaac nor I were ambitious (or prepared) enough to enter the (literally) freezing water to continue deeper into the canyon!
Incidentally, water levels were quite low (again in Feb. 2025) as this entire region has been experiencing a drought this winter. Many of the local residents are quite concerned about how much water will be available for use this summer and the risk of fires due to the lack of precipitation. It is the same drought that has caused the skiing to be quite poor with highly variable conditions throughout much of the winter.
Riverside Walk Slideshow… Enjoy…
Kolob Canyon
As I noted earlier, Kolob Canyon is an entirely separate canyon from Zion Canyon (see map below) but is still part of Zion National Park. Kolob has a relatively short road leading to an incredibly scenic view and short (1+ mile) hike. There are other (longer) hikes in the canyon that we did not do.
Kolob is much less crowded (throughout the year) than Zion and there is no shuttle system. You could easily spend a full day in the canyon. Isaac and I spent a few hours and returned to Amber Kay’s in Cedar City for a great brunch!
A taste of Kolob Canyon…
RV Camping and RV Travel in and around Zion
What would life be if I didn’t discuss RV camping and RV life in my posts?
Incidentally, If you’re not yet enjoying the RV life and RV lifestyle, or if you have a camper you wish to replace, you may find my Concierge RV Buying (and Selling) Service to be of great value. In essence, its a service where I serve as a consultant, advisor, negotiator and more! Check it out HERE.
Attention RV’ers: Tools designed to help you find the IDEAL RV Campground…
As I share in this post, I am staying at Painted Hills RV Resort in Parowan. It is serving as my (very capable) basecamp while I’m here in Southern Utah. That said, there are MANY RV camping options in this region.
The RV camping options vary from full hookups in private campgrounds to dry camping on State and Federal lands. To find the ideal campground for your wants and needs, allow me to start here –
Allstays – my most powerful RV camping research tool
I use two primary tools to locate places to RV camp. Allstays is a VERY comprehensive geographic database/map system that covers the entire nation (and more.) Allstays allows me to explore a region and see virtually ALL the rv campgrounds and parks that surround Zion National Park. The maps Allstays provides INCLUDE the parks WITHIN Zion (National Park Service RV Campgrounds) as well as the numerous private campgrounds, National Forest Service campgrounds, State Park campgrounds and more. Rates vary according to the season, but range from FREE on some Federal lands and County lands to well over $100 per night in the private RV parks that surround the park. Some of the videos I share in this post depict the proximity of specific parks to the entrances to Zion and Kolob.
Allstays is NOT free (but it is HIGHLY worth the cost! Click the highlighted text HERE to get access to Allstays.) It is best viewed and utilized on a tablet or laptop. I believe there is also an iPhone app. I have an Android and there is no app for it on that system. Because it is an (interactive) mapping interface, I prefer to use it on my laptop. This post shows how I’ve used Allstays in my travels and a bit about the mapping interface and the kind of information you can garner from it.
As noted earlier, Allstays can help you find Federal lands to camp on. Most are primitive and inexpensive – but – they’re not nearly as crowded as the full service campgrounds, especially those near or surrounding the National Park.
Campground Reviews – a free tool that is also quite valuable…
My second resource is RV Life and Campgrounds. It is a free resource that lists lots of campgrounds AND provides actual reviews supplied by those who stayed in each campground. This is my secondary resource that I visit after Allstays. In reading reviews for an individual campground, I look at overall review scores and then read individual reviews. With *some* of the critical reviews, I look for what “triggered” the reviewer and decide whether its an issue for me or not.
Cedar City and Hurricane Utah RV Camping
Living in Parowan all winter, Cedar City has become a great resource for me. Situated about 15 minutes south of Parowan, it is my “shopping hub.” But I’m glad I’m living in Parowan. Parowan is MUCH quieter! Cedar City is BUSY. Most of Cedar City’s RV parks are located along Main Street and far more confined than Painted Hills in Parowan. Expect lots of noise from traffic and a busy entry/exit to and from each RV park.
Hurricane is similar to Cedar City in terms of traffic. Rates at the campgrounds in both towns are moderate to high – especially in the summer months. IF available, monthly or at least weekly stays are more affordable than booking for just a few nights. I suggest the tools I detailed earlier to learn about the campgrounds in each community.
National Park Service information on Zion National Park
Here is the NPS link: https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm
Stay tuned for MUCH MORE on Spectacular Southern Utah
I will be updating this post over the next couple of weeks as I add more videos and panoramas. So, if you’re seeing this in early April, be sure to re-visit at least once more. You may also want to bookmark it to use as a reference should you choose/plan to visit Southern Utah, especially with your RV camper.
Want to learn more about my basecamp and Parowan? Click HERE. Then look on RVAcrossAmerica.net for posts covering Bryce Canyon (with inspiring photos), the Swell, Parowan Petroglyphs and more.
Need tested and true RV Accessories? Check these out…
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