The 4 Best Airports To Use When Visiting Zion National Park

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Photo of the main canyon in Zion from half way up an elevated hiking trail early in the morning

Not sure which airport to use when you visit Zion? Well, St George is the closest regional airport to the park but it’s only served by a few cities in the US, so most people use Las Vegas airport instead. With that said, you should also consider Salt Lake City or Phoenix if you plan to combine Zion with other popular destinations in the American southwest.

In this guide we explain what makes each of the 4 closest regional and international airports to Zion a good option, based on our experiences.

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Our Experience

Photo of Mark and Kristen Morgan from Where Are Those Morgans at the summit of Angels Landing on a sunny day in Utah
Here we are at the summit of Angels Landing

We’ve spent months driving around Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming and California across separate road trips in 2019 and 2021. So we know the region well from a logistics standpoint. As for Zion, we’ve spent 6 full days exploring, hiking and taking photos in the park from dawn to dusk. It’s definitely one of our favorite US national parks!

If we decided to visit Zion (and only Zion) tomorrow, we’d fly into Las Vegas. Why? Because it’s served by non-stop flights from most US airports, low-cost airlines fly into Vegas and it’s less than 3 hours drive from Springdale (near Zion’s main canyon). But if we were also visiting the likes of Yellowstone, Sedona or the Grand Canyon on the same trip, we might use different airports. Read more about us.

 

1. St George Regional Airport (SGU), Utah

Screenshot of a Google Maps route from St George airport to Zion main visitor center
Route map from St George airport to the park

St George Regional Airport is the closest regional airport to Zion National Park, so it’s the most convenient option available. However, it’s only served by a handful of non-stop flight routes domestically in the US and it has no direct international routes.

If you’re visiting Zion from abroad and you want to get as close to the park as possible, you can fly to Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Phoenix or Salt Lake City and take a connecting flight to St George. But it could end up costing a fair whack and the flight times might not work out. So you’re likely better off using Las Vegas.

Domestically, you’re probably better off flying into Las Vegas with convenient flight times or with a low-cost airline. That is unless you live in Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Phoenix or Salt Lake City because you can hop on a direct flight into St George. Even then, the only city that stands to benefit massively is Dallas/Fort Worth because it’s so much further away from Zion.

St George Airport To Zion

St George airport to Zion’s main canyon is a 47-mile drive, which takes around 1 hour. You’d approach from the southwest, passing through Hurricane and La Verkin on the way to Springdale.

Airlines Flying Into St George Airport

  • American Airlines
  • United Airlines
  • Delta

Origin Airports

  • Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (fewer than 10 flights/month)
  • Phoenix, AZ (around 30 flights/month)
  • Denver, CO (over 50 flights/month)
  • Salt Lake City, UT (over 100 flights/month)

2. Las Vegas International Airport (LAS), Nevada

Screenshot of a Google Maps route from Las Vegas airport to Zion
Route map from Las Vegas airport to the park

Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is the closest major airport to Zion. And there are so many perks to using this airport over the other nearby options including:

  • Low cost airlines serve Las Vegas airport from around the US
  • More international airports fly direct into Harry Reid
  • It’s a popular destination so it has more flight times per day
  • There’s a bunch of fun things to do in Las Vegas with more time
  • Death Valley isn’t far away in the opposite direction to Zion
  • You can visit Valley of Fire State Park on the way to Zion

If you’re only planning to visit Zion and maybe Bryce Canyon in the same weekend (here’s our 3 day Zion and Bryce Canyon itinerary), you should book return tickets through Las Vegas airport from your origin.

The only reason you’d do otherwise is if you can find much cheaper flights or much better flight times going through Salt Lake City. This would add a lot more driving time to your trip, so the flights would have to be way cheaper. Phoenix is too far for visiting Zion only.

Las Vegas Airport To Zion

Las Vegas airport to Zion’s main canyon is a 170-mile drive, which takes around 2 hours and 50 minutes. Again, you’d approach from the southwest but this time you’d drive I-15 through St George, Hurricane and La Verkin until reaching Springdale.

Airlines Flying Into Las Vegas Airport

Allegiant Air, Air Canada, WestJet, JetBlue, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United, Delta, British Airways, Air France, EL AL, Korean Air and Qatar Airways.

Origin Airports

  • US – All major airports and many minor airports
  • Canada – Most major airports
  • Mexico – Four airports
  • Panama – Panama City
  • Germany – Frankfurt and Munich
  • United Kingdom – London
  • Netherlands – Amsterdam

Need help planning your trip to Zion?

Our popular Zion travel guidebook helps you with planning every aspect of your visit, including the unmissable hikes, where to eat and stay, itinerary ideas and map!

View Zion Guidebook
Where Are Those Morgans Zion travel guidebook

3. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), Utah

Screenshot of a Google Maps route from Salt Lake City airport to Zion
Route map from Salt Lake City airport to the park

Salt Lake City International Airport is the second closest major airport near Zion, so it’s the next logical place to consider if prices or flight times don’t work for Las Vegas. It also has a few non-stop routes from international cities that Las Vegas doesn’t, like Paris.

If you’re only planning to visit Zion (and maybe Bryce Canyon), SLC is a good backup airport but you should prioritize Las Vegas first because it’s 1 hour 45 minutes drive closer to the park. You’ll get similar hire car prices at both airports, so that shouldn’t be a factor.

Now, the other reason you might fly into or out from SLC is if you want to visit other popular places in the region including:

Salt Lake City works perfectly as a kind of hub in-between Utah’s parks and Wyoming’s parks. You can pick up a rental car, drive a figure-8 double loop through both areas, then drop your rental car off at the same location. (Picking up and dropping off a rental car at the same place is cheaper than using different pick up and drop off locations.)

Salt Lake City Airport To Zion

Salt Lake City airport to Zion’s main canyon is a 313-mile drive, which takes around 4 hours and 35 minutes. You’d drive south on I-15 before passing through La Verkin on the way to Springdale.

Airlines Flying Into Salt Lake City Airport

Delta, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, SkyWest Airlines, KLM and Aeromexico.

Origin Airports

  • US – All major airports and many minor airports
  • Canada – Calgary
  • Mexico – Five airports
  • Netherlands – Amsterdam
  • France – Paris

4. Phoenix International Airport (PHX), Arizona

Screenshot of a Google Maps route from Phoenix airport to Zion
Route map from Phoenix airport to the park

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the only other major airport we’d consider using for our Zion itinerary and our origin airport was in North America (with the exception of London there’s no international routes). Now, you might think we’ve lost our minds for even suggesting Phoenix because it’s so far away. But don’t worry, we haven’t!

Are you planning to visit any of the following places on the same trip as Zion:

If you’re only doing Zion (and maybe Bryce), don’t bother looking at Phoenix. It’s more than double the distance compared to Las Vegas. But Phoenix is closer to the Grand Canyon than Las Vegas. And the route also passes through Sedona, which is one of our favorite places in America for hiking and photography.

So if you plan to combine the Grand Canyon or Sedona with Zion (plus any other spots), Phoenix might work as a great option on the way in or out. You could then use Las Vegas or SLC for the other leg to keep things more efficient. A hire car might cost more to pick up and drop off at different locations, but at least you wouldn’t be driving back on yourself.

Phoenix Airport To Zion

Phoenix airport to Zion’s main canyon is a 396-mile drive, which takes around 6 hours and 45 minutes. You’d drive north on I-17 and US-89 before entering Zion from the east.

Airlines Flying Into Phoenix Airport

Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, WestJet, Frontier Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Mesa Airlines, United, Delta, British Airways and Qatar Airways.

Origin Airports

  • US – All major airports and many minor airports
  • Canada – Most major airports
  • Mexico – Most major airports
  • United Kingdom – London

Using Different Airports

Photo of a hiker in waterproof gear standing on a rocky path next to a river inside a slot canyon in Utah
Here’s Kristen hiking The Narrows in waterproof gear

If you’re only visiting Zion, this won’t apply to you. But if you want to create a wider road trip route, it’s important to know that you can use different airports at the start and end for a more efficient visit to the region.

Here’s a great US southwest road trip itinerary example to show how this could benefit you:

  • Fly into Las Vegas and rent a car
  • Visit Zion
  • Go to Bryce Canyon
  • Visit Kanab
  • Drive to the Grand Canyon
  • Go to Sedona
  • Drop the car off and fly out of Phoenix

After Sedona, you wouldn’t have to drive all the way back to Las Vegas. Instead you could just drop down into Phoenix, where there’s also a ton of great things to do by the way.

But there are also downsides to this approach:

  • Return flights are often cheaper than two singles
  • This is especially true for international visitors
  • Rental cars cost more for different pick up and drop off locations

Tip: Compare prices for rental cars roundtrip from one airport like Las Vegas against picking up at Salt Lake City and dropping off at Las Vegas for example. We book with whoever has the best deal between Rental Cars or Discover Cars.

The Morgan Conclusion

Photo of Mark and Kristen Morgan from Where Are Those Morgans standing together inside a sandstone cave in Utah
Here we are on the hike to Canyon Overlook

Choosing the best airport to use near Zion is actually pretty straightforward. Las Vegas is the closest major international airport and it will work perfectly for the majority of people taking a short trip to the park. St George might be closer but it has fewer routes and no low-cost airlines.

If you want to visit the Grand Canyon on the same trip, take a look at Phoenix for the way in or out. Similarly if you plan to visit Yellowstone on the same trip, you might want to look at Salt Lake City or even Bozeman as another alternative. The take home message is to plan the airports you use around your overall itinerary.

Information about Where Are Those Morgans travel guidebook with a link to see the product

We hope our guide to Zion’s closest airports helps with planning your visit to Utah!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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2 thoughts on “The 4 Best Airports To Use When Visiting Zion National Park”

  1. Excellent information & advice. I think you changed my mind about flying from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City then traveling south to visit some of the parks then heading north to Yellowstone. Flying Philadelphia to Las Vegas, then over to Zion and going north from there, seems to make more sense.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Thanks, Dave. Yes fly into Las Vegas, then go over to Zion and north from there to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. That’s a more efficient way to do it without having to go back on yourself. Consider driving through Valley of Fire to hike Fire Wave Trail on your way over to Zion. Enjoy the trip.

      Reply

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