UNDER CONSTRUCTION– a full report on Zion National Park and Kolob Canyons – photos and video coming soon
Zion National Park is actually two separate parks with entrances to each situated about an hour apart. Both are located in Southern Utah. The Zion Canyon section of Zion National Park 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!
Kolob Canyon is an entirely separate section of Zion National Park. Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyon are NOT connected by roads. Kolob Canyon’s entrance is just south of Cedar City. Isaac, my travel bud 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.
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 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.
Kolob Canyon
Kolob Canyon as I noted earlier 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!
RV Camping and RV Life 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.
Tools designed to help you find the IDEAL RV Campground…
As I shared 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 –
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!) 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.
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.
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
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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