Where To Stay Around Zion National Park: 6 Excellent Areas For A First Visit

We didn’t do a great job with lodging the first time we visited Zion in October 2019. We were a month into our first American southwest road trip, and we were booking hotels last minute to keep our plans fluid. But that was a mistake for Zion. We quickly realized that hotels in Springdale were either fully booked or very expensive. So we spent our first night in La Verkin instead, which was much cheaper but also 30 minutes from the main canyon’s visitor center parking lot. Luckily, we snagged a campground cancelation for our second night which gave us a prime-time location, but it was a freezing cold night.

Then in late November 2021, after leaving Valley of Fire, we spent 4 more nights in and around Zion. And this time we did a much better job with our accommodations. First we booked a chain hotel in Hurricane just for a cheap place but solid to crash before waking up early to get into the park. Next, we spent 2 nights in Springdale to experience being in the thick of it, and finally we stayed at Zion Lodge for a night so we could have instant access to hiking Angels Landing for sunrise the next morning. So the only place we haven’t stayed near Zion is Virgin, which is where the upscale and romantic “spend a night under the stars” glamping options are located.

Throughout our different trips to Zion we spent long days hiking the park’s iconic and hidden gem trails, but also figuring out what makes each area nearby a good or bad place to stay. We’re going to be honest and say we didn’t rate Zion Lodge. But Springdale, although expensive and overcrowded, was fantastic and we’d happily pay extra to stay there again next time. La Verkin and Hurricane are excellent budget options, and they also have a few vacation rental options for families or bigger groups. Virgin would be great for a special occasion or splurge, and finally there’s the east side of Zion that also has a few interesting options we’d consider.

In this guide we cut right to the chase and show you the 6 areas we’d consider staying in Zion National Park based on what we learned during our two trips, with pros and cons for each area, and a helpful map at the end. Let’s dive in!

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Our Favorite Hotels

If you’re in a hurry or don’t want to read this full guide, here are our top hotel recommendations for first time visitors to Zion based on a perfect blend of location, quality, value for money, previous guest reviews and our own experiences. We’d happily book these hotels ourselves next time:

🏨 Cable Mountain Lodge: We really like the look of this mid-range Springdale hotel. It’s just a few steps from the canyon shuttle, the reviews are superb, and it has proper amenities. If the pricing is right, we think it’s hard to beat for ultimate convenience.

🏨 Desert Pearl Inn: We think this hotel is a top contender in Springdale because it has mid-range pricing, excellent reviews, great amenities, and a superb location in the middle of town near most restaurants and even a village shuttle stop. It’s a solid package.

🏨 Cliffrose by Hilton: For a bit more luxury in Springdale, we like Hilton’s Cliffrose with its riverside setting, spa, and excellent location half way between the canyon shuttle and restaurants in town. And the best part is the prices aren’t much higher than the mid-range hotels in town.

🏨 Under Canvas: Virgin has a range of excellent outdoorsy glamping-style lodging, but Under Canvas is the premium big-name experience we’d pick. It’s way up in Kolob Terrace and it’s not cheap, but the red rock desert setting is bucket list worthy.

🏨 La Quinta: We stayed at the budget La Quinta in La Verkin and it was honestly excellent for what we paid. If we needed to do a night before or after our Zion itinerary on the cheap, we’d happily stay at the La Quinta again rather than paying top dollar for another night in Springdale.

Our favorite hotels around Zion are all excellent options with sky-high guest ratings, but we hope you love to research and learn about a place before you visit like we do. Keep reading to see what makes each of Zion’s surrounding areas a good or bad area to stay for your trip. Within each area we’ll show you the top rated cheap, mid-range and luxury hotels.

Here’s a summary of what we’re going to show you:

Area	Price	Vibe	Why?
Zion Lodge	$$$ – $$$$	Historic / peaceful	Ultimate shortcut
Springdale	$$$ – $$$$	Vibrant / walkable	The perfect base
Virgin	$$$ – $$$$	Isolated / desert-chic	Unique glamping
La Verkin	$ – $$	Quiet / no frills	Value, rentals
Hurricane	$$ – $$$	Commercial / suburban	Chain hotels, amenities
East Zion	$$-$$$	Remote / nature immersive	Bryce Canyon combo

Zion Lodge (Instant Park Access)

Okay let’s start with the only official accommodation option available within the national park boundaries, Zion Lodge. We decided to book the lodge in 2021 because it was located half way up the main canyon road near Emerald Pools and more importantly for us Angels Landing. Staying at the lodge gave us a pass for the car that allowed us to enter the canyon road through a barrier. That meant we could park at the lodge and not have to worry about parking at the visitor center or waiting for the first shuttle bus for our sunrise summit of Angels Landing.

We spent a night in a cabin (not in the actual lodge itself), but it wasn’t a standalone detached cabin – it had another connected cabin, so we had neighbors. The connecting door had massive gaps and we could hear everything. We paid $231 for the night, and we thought the room was very basic. Then at breakfast after we’d hiked Angels Landing, we had to pay extra for coffee which we found very disappointing. But to be fair, the breakfast was okay, our views over Zion’s red rocks were outstanding, and it was super convenient for the early hike.

The on-site restaurant where we ate breakfast was called Red Rock Grill. It also served lunch and dinner (we didn’t do either), but it only had a 3.7 rating on Google and it was the only option at the lodge. The nearest alternative for meals was back in Springdale. So factoring in the significant lack of quality food options, the high nightly rates compared to nearby towns, and the fact it was completely dead in the evening, we really didn’t enjoy our stay at Zion Lodge and we checked out feeling like it wasn’t worth it.

All that said, we do understand the draw. It’s the only place to stay within Zion’s main canyon, it’s unbeatable for accessing hiking trails, and not having to worry about parking for the shuttle bus in Springdale is huge. If we ever booked it again, we’d stay in the lodge rather than in a connected cabin. But we’d only consider it if we visited in peak season when the likes of Springdale would be swarming with tourists and the lodge would feel like a genuine escape – in early December the park wasn’t busy enough for the lodge to feel like a retreat.

One thing is for sure, if we were to book Zion Lodge again, we’d compare prices between going direct and booking through Expedia to see which was cheaper. As an OTA, Expedia might even have availability when going direct is sold out in peak months.

Springdale (Best Overall Balance)

Now let’s talk about Springdale, our favorite place to stay near Zion. We’ve booked hotels in towns around most of the popular US national parks, and honestly there’s only been a slack handful that have had a fantastic town on the doorstep as convenient and cool as Springdale. It’s got a wide range of hotels from chain to boutique, a genuinely excellent collection of eateries like Camp Outpost and Oscar’s Cafe, a fun outdoorsy vibe, and a perfect location for accessing Zion’s main canyon.

But it goes deeper than just the obvious. By staying in Springdale, we also had grocery stores to buy food for packed lunches in the park, waterproof gear rental places like Zion Outfitter that we used to day hike The Narrows, and easy access to the park shuttle bus. Even from Springdale hotels furthest from the visitor center, we’d see people filling up the village shuttle which runs through town to the visitor center. So in essence, staying in Springdale eliminates the stress of parking at the visitor center parking lot in the morning.

In 2021, we spent one night at each of Best Western Plus and Zion Park Motel. They were both located very centrally within the town near the main cluster of restaurants and cafes, they both had excellent ratings, and they were both affordable. And you know what? They both worked out great for us. We really liked having very short walks to restaurants and other amenities.

For us, the main downside to staying in Springdale is the very obvious higher cost. Springdale’s hotels are far more expensive than La Verkin and Hurricane because its location, amenities and vibe are far superior.

Another issue we learned when Mark was doing a travel planning call with a family visiting Zion and Bryce – they didn’t want to book two expensive hotel rooms in Springdale (one for the parents and one for the kids) because the nightly rates were astronomical, and after multiplying that by two rooms across several nights – you’re looking at a few thousand dollars. And vacation rentals in Springdale sell out very quickly, so we’d book well in advance if that was our solution.

💰 Cheap: If we wanted to stay in Springdale on a tight budget, we’d start by comparing prices at Best Western Plus and Zion Park Motel (the two cheaper places we stayed at, relatively speaking for Springdale), and then we’d look at places like Driftwood Lodge or Bumbleberry Inn to see if we could find any lower rates.

💰💰 Mid-range: With a mid-range budget we like the look of Red Rock Inn, Hampton Inn, SpringHill by Marriott, and especially Desert Pearl Inn which has excellent reviews. But Cable Mountain Lodge is very close to the visitor center and it looks fantastic so we’d strongly consider it next time. Flanigan’s Resort also looks a bit more upscale so it would be our top end of mid-range pick.

💰💰💰 Luxury: On the upper end of budget, we’d love to stay in a two bedroom apartment at Watchman Villas which looks excellent. The Bungalows are upscale individual units that look modern, quiet and sleek. Or for a brand name hotel we’d look at Cliffrose by Hilton.

🏠 Vacation rentals: Finally, if we were visiting Zion with our kids, extended family or other couples, we’d probably try to book a multi-room vacation rental in Springdale like La Fave Luxury Rentals, Townhome 2, or Rose Cottage. That way we could all stay in the same place.

Our verdict: Honestly, if it was our first time visiting Zion again, we’d rather stay a cheap low quality hotel in Springdale than a luxury 5-star hotel anywhere else because the main canyon is so easy to access and there’s tons of restaurants on the doorstep. That said, it can be so much cheaper to stay in La Verkin or Hurricane, Virgin has far better “desert retreat” style lodgings, and families might need to look at other vacation rental options if Springdale’s are fully booked up.

Virgin (Luxury Glamping)

After Springdale, Virgin is comfortably the next closest place to Zion’s main canyon parking lot and shuttle service, but the lodging options are mostly expensive glamping-style accommodations, and there are very few places to eat out – Balcony One and Cactus Room are the only real options. We haven’t stayed in Virgin yet, but for us, it’s less of a hub to stay for 3+ nights, and more of a “one night romantic splurge under the stars”.

When researching for our own trips and then writing our Zion guides, we’ve spent a lot of time looking at lodging near the park. It’s not just the higher cost of staying in Virgin that puts us off (some of the luxury glamping options are even more expensive than Springdale), but on a first visit to Zion we’d prioritize easy access to the famous trails. And even though Virgin is only a 20-minute drive from the visitor center parking lot in Springdale, there would still the unshakeable anxiety about getting parked each morning.

So if we were going to pay those bigger sums of money for a Zion hotel, we’d choose Springdale’s location and first-rate amenities over Virgin’s desert retreat. But that’s just our personal take. We have friends who we know for a fact would take the unique secluded glamping lodgings in a heartbeat.

💰 Cheap: There’s really only one cheaper lodging option in Virgin, and that’s the Fairfield Inn by Marriott. It’s got a decent rating and would work well for families, but for this style of hotel we’d pay the extra money to stay in Springdale.

💰💰 Mid-range: On a middle budget, we’d look at Zion Wildflower, the newer White Bison, and the boutiquey The Riv. They’re all kind of “covered wagon” stays with excellent ratings. It would be fun to do something like this, and there are solid options for families with younger kids to have a queen bed with bunk beds in the same unit.

💰💰💰 Luxury: With money to spend in Virgin, we’d consider booking AutoCamp on the lower end of luxury with a more social vibe, Under Canvas bang in the middle of luxury for a premium glamping stay with a well-known brand, or Open Sky on the upper end of luxury for the ultimate glamping experience near Zion National Park. Open Sky looks very exclusive, a special occasion type of place.

🏠 Vacation rentals: Finally, if we wanted a private place to stay with friends or family, we’d take a closer look at this affordable casita, this guest house, this 3-bedroom house, or this massive 5-bedroom home that would be perfect if we visited Zion with multiple couples.

Our verdict: We’re not disputing that Virgin’s luxurious glamping spots would be a cool experience, but we’re not sure they’re the most practical places to stay from a cost vs location vs amenities standpoint for a first visit to Zion. Virgin is closer for hiking The Subway (one of our favorites), but that’s not enough for us to book there. The lack of dining options would mean we’d either have to buy groceries and stay somewhere with a kitchen, or eat in Springdale or Hurricane.

La Verkin (Budget Pick)

Moving further away from Zion’s main canyon visitor center parking lot and shuttle service, La Verkin is the next built up area after Springdale and Virgin with decent hotel options for the park. We stayed at the La Quinta in La Verkin in 2019 and it was actually a really great stay – cheap, modern, clean and quiet.

But we had a 30-minute commute to the main canyon shuttle, so we set an agonizingly early alarm because we didn’t want to risk missing out on a parking spot. And that meant we missed the free hotel breakfast. Later that night back in La Verkin, we ate dinner at one of the town’s three restaurants called Stage Coach Grille, which was fine but not amazing.

So why even consider staying in La Verkin? Well, it’s the “closest cheapest” place to Zion, if that makes sense. La Verkin’s typical chain hotels are far more affordable than they are in Springdale. And the vacation rentals pack a meatier punch for less of a hit on the bank balance. That 30 minute drive in and out of Springdale is the big difference maker for cost and convenience.

One other thing to note – La Verkin is only 20 minutes drive Zion’s much quieter Kolob Canyons region which we really enjoyed for peaceful hiking. And it’s also 30 minutes closer to Las Vegas. So we’d actually consider booking a hotel in La Verkin on the first or last night of our Zion itinerary, in combination with staying in Springdale. For example, we’d check out of our Springdale hotel on morning three, spend our last day in Kolob Canyon, then stay in La Verkin. That’s less driving after Kolob Canyon and less driving to Vegas the next morning.

💰 Cheap: We think Ramada by Wyndham in La Verkin might just be the cheapest place to stay near Zion. Nightly rates are super low, but the accommodations are very basic and it has poor guest ratings so we would avoid it if possible.

💰💰 Mid-range: If we were to stay at a hotel in La Verkin again, we’d skip the cheaper option and book either one of three classic chain hotels – La Quinta, Best Western Plus or Holiday Inn. The La Quinta we stayed at was really good but the Holiday Inn is brand new and looks like a great option, and Best Western Plus would be our backup. Mid-range here is likely cheaper than Springdale’s cheapest hotel.

💰💰💰 Luxury: With a bit more money available, we’d book the highly rated Silo Suites. It looks like a lot of luxury for half the price of similar offerings in Virgin. Another great option with a higher budget in La Verkin would be The Dwellings which has excellent views.

🏠 Vacation rentals: For us, vacation rentals are where La Verkin really shines. There’s a good range of affordable places to choose between, but we’d start by looking at this 3-bedroom home, this 3-bedroom home with hot tub, this 4-bedroom home, and this 5-bedroom home with private pool and hot tub. The last one looks awesome.

Our verdict: We think La Verkin’s vacation rentals are excellent value for bigger groups or families who want more room for less money. So we’d seriously consider booking one if we visited Zion with extended family or other couples. Otherwise, we’d only want to use La Verkin as a first or last night stay. The only reason we’d use La Verkin as a hub for a 3+ day trip is if we absolutely had to keep costs down.

Hurricane (Closest “Big” Town)

Near Zion, Hurricane is by far the biggest and most “normal” city – and what we mean by that is it’s not just a resort hub town for the park. It has a Walmart, Walgreens, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell. There’s also loads of budget chain hotels, cafes, diners, and affordable restaurants. To us, it felt like a regular small town that just happened to be close to Zion. Whereas nearby La Verkin still felt like a tiny Zion commuter town.

From La Verkin, it’s only 5 minutes drive to the east or 10 minutes drive to the west side of Hurricane. So it doesn’t add on too much time getting to or from Zion. If deciding between the two, we’d compare Hurricane’s superior amenities and conveniences versus La Verkin’s more authentic desert escape vibe. But they’re so close that staying in La Verkin and still making use of Hurricane’s amenities is a perfectly viable option.

In late 2021, we spent a night at west Hurricane’s Sleep Inn after a long day visiting Valley of Fire State Park, and it was honestly great for the price we paid. Booking a cheap night in-between Las Vegas and Zion was an easy way to save a decent amount of money before spending the next few nights in Springdale where it was far more expensive.

There’s not a huge amount of difference between the quality and price of hotels in Hurricane – they’re all basically low to mid range, highly rated, and similarly priced. So we’d check each one out for our travel dates and book whichever had the cheapest rates at the time. Or we’d take a serious look at the affordable vacation rentals on offer if we visited in a bigger group.

💰 Cheap: If we wanted to stay in the convenient Hurricane area on a tight budget but avoid the lowest rated hotels, we’d book Hurricane Hideaway or My Place Hotel. They both have excellent guest ratings and super low rates.

💰💰 Mid-range: Hurricane’s mid-range hotels category is strong. We stayed at Sleep Inn & Suites and it worked perfectly, but we’d check prices at Wingate Hurricane and Comfort Inn & Suites to see which had cheaper prices.

💰💰💰 Luxury: Honestly, we don’t think there are any luxury hotels in Hurricane proper. Sand Hollow Resort could be considered but it’s primarily a golf resort and it’s a long way from town. Similarly, Gooseberry Lodges is well rated at the top end of mid-range to lower-luxury, but again it’s a long way from Hurricane.

🏠 Vacation rentals: We like the look of Hurricane’s big bang for your buck vacation rentals like this 3-bedroom resort retreat, this 4-bedroom house with private pool, and this 4-bedroom home with amazing elevated views. They all look excellent for bigger groups.

Our verdict: We think Hurricane works perfectly for a first or last night to save money versus paying more to stay in Springdale before or after entering the main canyon. It also has the cheapest traditional hotels which would help if we were prioritizing saving money, and it has some of the most affordable vacation rentals in the region, so it would be a top contender if we were visiting with friends or extended family. But if it was just the two of us and we had an intense hiking itinerary, we’d try to stay closer to Zion.

East Zion (Wildcard)

For something totally different next time, we’d actually consider staying on Zion’s much higher east rim – basically anywhere after exiting the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel near Canyon Overlook Trail all the way through east entrance and up past Mt Carmel Junction to Orderville. These areas would give us a completely different vibe, we’d be choosing escapism on purpose.

If we visited Zion in a bigger group, we’d focus on the cluster of awesome-looking vacation rentals close to the trail leading to Observation Point. They’re super isolated, but they’d be a true escape for our group. There’s also two very popular lodging options called Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort and Zion Mountain Ranch that are privately owned but are close to the park’s eastern boundary, and then there’s a few unique outdoorsy lodging options we’d consider around Orderville that would be great as a base for driving up to Bryce Canyon or down to Kanab.

Now, the differences between staying in east Zion versus staying anywhere else near the park are night and day. Springdale is 3,900 feet above sea level, whereas Ponderosa Ranch Resort is situated at 6,500 feet, and Orderville is at 5,250 feet. That means it’s much cooler in summer, but much colder the rest of the year. The east side of Zion is also significantly quieter – the lodging options are secluded with very few amenities or eateries anywhere nearby.

But the downsides are real. There’s basically nowhere to eat out except at some of the hotels and the odd one or two places in Mt. Carmel. That would mean either having a kitchen and doing a grocery shop, driving to one of very few restaurants, or eating in Springdale before leaving the park. Plus, the tunnel traffic would really annoy us if we had to deal with it every morning and evening.

💰 Cheap: If we needed the cheapest possible place to crash near Zion’s east entrance, we’d book 89 & Nine Motel in Mt. Carmel Junction. But if we could squeeze a tiny bit more out of the budget, we’d much rather stay at Thunderbird Lodge which is basically next door and has excellent ratings.

💰💰 Mid-range: With a mid-range budget, we’d start by looking at the popular Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. It’s close to East Rim Trail for Observation Point, it’s totally secluded, and it looks fun for families – but it’s still a 45-minute drive to the main visitor center at best. Arrowhead Country Cabins and East Zion Resort in Orderville both have excellent ratings and would be our upgraded picks over the two cheap options.

💰💰💰 Luxury: If we had a bit more money available and wanted the peaceful east side of Zion, we’d take a look at Zion Mountain Ranch which is a bit rustic but has beautiful surroundings and an on-site farm to table restaurant. Our top pick if we visited in a big group would be Juniper Ridge Luxury Lodge which is more expensive but sleeps up to 15 and looks excellent.

🏠 Vacation rentals: Not far from Zion’s east entrance and Ponderosa Ranch Resort, there’s a collection of vacation rentals that we think look ideal for groups of friends or families. We’d start by looking at this 3-bedroom cabin retreat, this 4-bedroom cabin, this 5-bedroom cabin, and this luxury 5-bedroom retreat. They all have near-perfect guest ratings.

Our verdict: For us, the east side of Zion works best for one of two things – either a cheap place to stay in-between Zion and Bryce Canyon, or a secluded retreat-style multi-day trip. If we visited in a bigger group, those vacation rentals do look excellent, and the east side would give our group a real “lost world” feel. We’d just make sure to go through the tunnel early morning and leave much later to avoid congestion.

Zion Hotels Map

Map key:

• Black – Zion Lodge
• Green – Cheap hotels
• Red – Mid range hotels
• Blue – Luxury hotels
• Orange – Vacation rentals

How to use this map: Click the map above to activate, then tap any hotel icon to see more information. See a list of all hotels and areas by clicking the arrow icon in the top left, or see a full version of the map by clicking the “view larger map” icon in the top right.

How to save this map: Click the small star next to the map title – this will add the map to your Google account. Open your Google Maps app, tap “saved”, then tap “maps” and open this map.

Where To Avoid Staying

When researching for our first trip to Zion we kept seeing places referring to themselves as being “near Zion”, but in reality these places were actually a long commute from the main canyon (Angels Landing, The Narrows, etc). Here are the places we’d avoid booking if it was our first time in Zion again:

Cedar City: Technically, Cedar City is very close to Zion National Park, but it’s only close to the much quieter Kolob Canyons region. Zion’s main canyon visitor center parking is 58 miles from Cedar City, which would take 1 hour to drive with no traffic. That could easily end up being 1 hour 30 minutes each way in peak season. We’d stay in Cedar City on a last night after finishing our Zion itinerary, before visiting Cedar Breaks National Monument, but not for a multi-day Zion trip.

St. George & Washington: With lots of amenities, hotels, and vacation rentals, we can understand why St. George or Washington (which is slightly closer to the park) would look appealing. But it’s still a 50-minute drive from Washington or a 1-hour drive from St. George to Zion’s main canyon visitor center parking at best, and even longer with congestion. That’s still too far for us to consider using as a multi-day base. Imagine hiking 8 miles through The Narrows and then having a 1-hour drive back to the hotel? No thanks.

Kanab: We found so many fun things to do around Kanab, the hotels were super cheap, and there were a few excellent places to eat. So why not use it as a base for Zion? Well, as much as we genuinely enjoyed staying in Kanab, it’s a 1-hour drive to Zion’s main canyon visitor center parking with no traffic, and that doesn’t include waiting time at the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. We’d stay in Kanab next time for sure, but only before or after our Zion trip.

Our Top Tips

Booking in advance: Zion is the third most visited national park in the US, so we would 100% book our Springdale hotel well in advance if we planned to visit in peak months (March-May and September-October). Virgin, La Verkin and Hurricane tend to have more last minute availability, but even then we still think it’s wise to book early because there’d be better options available.

Zion Lodge: We probably wouldn’t stay at the lodge again, but if we did, we’d book it as far as a year in advance (for summer weekends the following year it can sell out that quickly).

Canyon shuttle: The big thing we always consider when booking hotels near Zion is how we’re going to access the main canyon. Staying in Springdale has the massive benefit of being within walking or village shuttle distance of the visitor center and canyon shuttle. But staying anywhere else means dealing with stressful visitor center parking early in the morning or even paying to park in Springdale.

East vs south entrance: Springdale, Virgin, La Verkin, Hurricane and Las Vegas are all on the south entrance side of Zion. The same goes for visiting Zion’s quieter Kolob Canyons and Kolob Terrace regions. Whereas the east entrance leads to Bryce Canyon, Kanab, Page, Grand Canyon and the other Utah parks.

Tunnel restrictions: We never saw anyone run into issues with this across our two trips, but vehicles over 7 feet 10 inches wide or 11 feet 4 inches tall have to be escorted through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. It’s probably rare for SUV’s even with rooftop boxes, but campervans and RV’s could struggle. The tunnel lines are bad at the best of times, but having to wait for an escorted vehicle would be brutal.

Winter: A lot of Zion’s accommodations and amenities are seasonal. When we visited Zion in the winter, many of Springdale’s restaurants closed for the season on November 30th, so we struggled for food on December 1st. Luxury glamping options like Under Canvas close down entirely for December, January and February. And most outdoor pools close, so we’d check what we were paying for.

Camping: If hotels were sold out or too expensive, we’d consider camping at the visitor center again. We got lucky with a last minute cancellation at Watchman Campground in October 2019, and for such a cheap rate with the unbeatable location, we thought it was a great option. The only issue was how cold it got at night. But that wouldn’t be a problem in summer. The bigger problem then is both Watchman and South campground being fully booked. If we wanted to camp, we’d book the second the sites became available.

And finally, we travel the world and book hotels for a living, so take a look at our guide on the easy steps we take find cheap hotels every time and grab yourself a cheaper stay in Zion.

Next Steps

We hope our guide on where to stay in Zion helps with planning your trip.

If you’d like more personalized help, we offer expert travel planning video calls where we answer any questions you have, show you where to stay, and plan out the perfect itinerary. See our packages and reviews.

Still researching for your trip?

• Here’s our Zion travel guide for first timers
• These are the top Zion hikes
• This is how to spend one day in Zion
• Here’s our 3 day Zion and Bryce Canyon itinerary
• This is what to do in Kanab
• These are the places on our Utah bucket list
• Here are our favorite US national parks

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, read our first-timers Utah travel guide for more helpful tips and advice.

Happy travels,

Mark and Kristen

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