Three days in Zion, and room to leave the canyon
The third day is the one that separates a Zion trip from a Zion queue. It buys you the Kolob section, a guided canyon, or the country east of the tunnel, all of which most visitors never see.
- Day one
- The canyon
- Day two
- The Narrows
- Day three
- Your choice of three
- Kolob from Zion Canyon
- 40 miles, about an hour
Two days you already know, and one you choose
The first two days are the two day plan and we would not change them. The canyon floor and its short trails on day one, The Narrows on day two. What follows is about the third day, which is the interesting decision.
| Day | Where | Booking needed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Zion Canyon on the shuttle | None | Riverside Walk, Emerald Pools, Pa’rus, Canyon Overlook by car in the late afternoon. The full hour by hour plan. |
| Two | The Narrows from the bottom | None | Rent boots the evening before. Check the flow. Turn round at Big Spring at the latest. Day two in detail. |
| Three | Kolob Canyons | None | Quiet, separate entrance, an hour away. Best if you want the park without the crowd. |
| Three | A guided canyon | Book ahead | Rappelling and slot canyons on land outside the park. The one thing here you cannot do alone. |
| Three | The east side and the tunnel | None | Slickrock, no shuttle, and the drive itself is the attraction. Check your vehicle size. |
If you only remember one thing
Do not spend the third day repeating the main canyon. It is the busiest square mile in southern Utah and you will have seen it properly in two days. The third day is for going somewhere else.
Kolob Canyons, the park without the queue
Same park, separate entrance, a fraction of the people.
Kolob Canyons is at exit 40 on Interstate 15, forty miles north of Zion Canyon and seventeen south of Cedar City, which the park describes as about an hour’s drive. There is no shuttle. You drive the five mile Kolob Canyons Road to the viewpoints and trailheads and you park at the trailhead like a normal national park.
Your Zion entrance pass covers it, but you have to stop at the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center to pay if you have not already. Wilderness permits are not issued here, only at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, so sort those before you drive up.
| Trail | Round trip | Elevation | Park’s time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timber Creek Overlook | 1 mi | 100 ft | 1 hr |
| Taylor Creek | 5 mi | 450 ft | 3.5 hr |
| Kolob Arch via La Verkin Creek | 14 mi | 1,037 ft | 8 hr |
Taylor Creek is the right length for a third day. It follows a creek up a box canyon past two homesteader cabins to a large undercut alcove, and you will pass a handful of people rather than a hundred. Timber Creek Overlook is the twenty minute version if you would rather drive, look and go.
Check before you drive
The Kolob Canyons Road can close in winter for snow or ice, and the Kolob Canyons Wilderness Desk is currently closed until further notice. It is an hour each way to find a gate shut.
A guided canyon, which happens outside the park
If you are going to pay for one day of your Zion trip, this is the one. It is also the option with a rule attached that nobody explains at the booking page.
The park’s own climbing and canyoneering regulations state that commercial guiding is not allowed in the Zion Wilderness, which covers the technical canyons and every climb inside the park. So every trip advertised as a Zion canyoneering tour runs on land outside the boundary, generally on state or federal land nearby.
That is not a catch. The rock is the same formation, the canyons are excellent, and the trips are less crowded than anything inside the park precisely because permits are not rationed. What matters is that you know it before you book, so you are not expecting to rappel past Angels Landing.
What a day looks like
A morning of instruction and short rappels on an intro trip, or a full day with several drops and some downclimbing on a longer route. Operators near Springdale run canyons from around $89 for a half day up to $219 for the longer routes.
Who it suits
Anyone reasonably fit who is not badly afraid of heights. No experience is needed on an intro trip, minimum ages start around five on the shortest canyons, and the gear comes with the trip.
Full comparison, difficulty tiers and what each canyon involves is on the canyoneering page. If rappelling is not for you, a guided photography morning or a jeep trip on the BLM land outside the park use the third day the same way.
East of the tunnel, where the rock changes
The Zion–Mt. Carmel Highway climbs the east wall in switchbacks, runs a mile through rock, and comes out somewhere that does not look like the canyon at all. Cross bedded slickrock, hoodoos, pinyon and juniper, and almost nobody walking.
There is no shuttle out here and there are few marked trails. Canyon Overlook is the one everybody does, one mile round trip with 163 feet of climb and about an hour, rated moderate for its drop offs. It looks straight back down into the main canyon and it is the best view in Zion for the effort. The car park holds very few cars.
Beyond that the appeal is the driving and the stopping. Pull off where it is legal, walk out on the slickrock, and understand that there is no water and very little shade.
| Measurement | Limit | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 7 ft 10 in | Over this needs a traffic control permit |
| Height | 11 ft 4 in | Over this needs a traffic control permit |
| Length, single vehicle | 35 ft 9 in | Over this is not permitted on the road at all |
| Length, combined | 50 ft | Trailer alone must not exceed 26 ft |
| Weight | 50,000 lb | Over this is not permitted on the road at all |
| Permit | $15 | Covers two pass throughs within seven days, during escort hours only |
This catches campervans constantly
A rented Class C motorhome is very often over the width or height limit, which is a fifteen dollar problem if you know and a two hour detour if you do not. Escort hours are limited and change by season, so confirm the day’s window with the park before you rely on the tunnel.
Common questions about three days in Zion
Is three days too long for Zion?
No, as long as the third day leaves the main canyon. Kolob Canyons, a guided canyoneering trip outside the park, or the country east of the tunnel all give you something the shuttle corridor cannot.
How far is Kolob Canyons from Zion Canyon?
Forty miles, at exit 40 on Interstate 15, which the park describes as about an hour's drive. There is no shuttle. You drive the five mile Kolob Canyons Road to the viewpoints and trailheads.
Is Kolob Canyons worth visiting?
If you want the park without the crowd, yes. Taylor Creek is 5 miles round trip with 450 feet of climb and about three and a half hours, past two homesteader cabins to a large alcove. Timber Creek Overlook is a one mile version.
Can I go canyoneering inside Zion National Park?
Not with a guide. The park's regulations state that commercial guiding is not allowed in the Zion Wilderness, which covers the technical canyons. Experienced parties can obtain their own permits. Every guided canyoneering trip near Springdale runs outside the park boundary.
Do I need a permit to drive through the Zion tunnel?
Only if your vehicle is over 7 ft 10 in wide or 11 ft 4 in tall, in which case a $15 traffic control permit covers two pass throughs within seven days. Vehicles over 35 ft 9 in long, 50 ft combined or 50,000 lb are not allowed on that road at all.
What is the quietest part of Zion National Park?
Kolob Canyons, reached from its own entrance at I-15 exit 40, and the east side beyond the tunnel. Neither is served by the shuttle, which is most of the reason they stay quiet.
Spend the third day somewhere else
The canyon is finished in two days. The third is for Kolob, a guided canyon, or the slickrock east of the tunnel.
Also useful: canyoneering, when to visit and where to stay.
Day three is the one most people waste. Use it to leave the canyon.
Compare guided trips