Canyon Trail Rides
The only company running horses inside Zion Canyon, and it does so under a National Park Service concession rather than a commercial use permit. Two rides, four age and weight thresholds, and a season that ends in October.
- One hour ride
- $60, age 7 and over
- Three hour ride
- $125, age 10 and over
- Weight limit
- 220 lb, both rides
- Season
- March to October
Who this outfit actually suits
This is the only operator on the whole site that works inside Zion Canyon on the canyon floor. Everything else either stays on the authorized hiking routes or leaves the park entirely, because commercial guiding is closed across Zion’s wilderness. Horses are different: they run under a concession contract, and the page below explains what that buys you.
The trips themselves are gentle. The one hour ride follows the Virgin River about a mile to the Court of the Patriarchs and is the one families take. The three hour ride climbs the Sandbench Trail with a gradual five hundred foot gain and is a genuinely different outing, not a longer version of the first.
The age step is what catches families. Seven for the short ride, ten for the long one. A nine year old cannot do the Sandbench trip at any price, and parents work that out at the corral more often than anyone would like.
Trips, gear and prices
From the operator’s own published material at the time of writing. Rates change with season and group size, so confirm when you book.
| Ride | Price | Minimum age | Departures | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One hour, Virgin River | $60 | 7 | 9:30am, 11:00am, 2:00pm, 3:30pm | About a mile along the river to the Court of the Patriarchs, with the Three Patriarchs and the Beehives in view. Flat, slow and suited to a first ride. |
| Three hour, Sandbench Trail | $125 | 10 | 9:00am, 1:30pm | A gradual five hundred foot climb out of the canyon floor onto the bench, with a long view down the southern end of the park. |
The 220 pound limit applies to both rides and it is checked
It is a firm working limit on a string of horses, not a guideline. If a rider in your party is close to it, raise it when you book rather than at the corral, because there is no way around it on the day.
What they are permitted to do
Bryce-Zion Trail Rides is an Authorized Concessioner of the National Park Service. That is a different and stronger arrangement than the commercial use authorizations every other operator on this site works under, and it is why horses can use ground that guided hikers cannot.
The clearest illustration is the Sandbench Trail. Commercially guided hiking is authorized on it only from November to February. For the rest of the year it belongs to the horses, which is exactly the window this company operates in. Two different permit systems, one trail, and the calendar decides.
They run the same operation at Bryce Canyon and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and describe themselves as the only ride inside those parks.
Worth asking about
Where you actually meet
Check in at the Emerald Pool trailhead car park, across from Zion Lodge, thirty minutes before your ride. That is shuttle stop 5, so build in the ride up the canyon: the shuttle takes time and the horses do not wait. Shuttle timings.
The cancellation terms
Cancel at least 24 hours ahead to qualify for a refund of the ride itself. Online booking fees are not refunded either way. Worth knowing in monsoon season, when the weather can turn a morning quickly.
Also worth confirming: they run March to October only, so an early March or a November trip may miss the season entirely, and the shoulder weeks are weather dependent.
If this is not the right fit
Under seven, or over the weight limit
There is no horseback option in the park for you. The family page puts every published age and weight limit in one table, so you can find something that does work before you book anything.
Visiting November to February
The season is closed, but the Sandbench Trail opens to guided hikers in exactly those months. Guided hiking covers what a guide may legally use and when.
You want the canyon without the effort
The shuttle plus the paved Riverside Walk gets you deep into the canyon for nothing, on the flat. The hiking page ranks the low effort options honestly.
Common questions about Canyon Trail Rides
How much is horseback riding in Zion National Park?
$60 per person for the one hour Virgin River ride and $125 for the three hour Sandbench Trail ride, from Canyon Trail Rides, the concession operator inside the canyon.
What is the minimum age for horseback riding in Zion?
Seven for the one hour ride and ten for the three hour Sandbench ride. The age step between the two is the most common family disappointment here, because a nine year old cannot do the longer trip at any price.
Is there a weight limit for the Zion horseback rides?
Yes, 220 pounds on both rides. It applies to every rider and it is checked at the corral, so raise it when you book if anyone is close.
Where do the Zion horseback rides start?
At the Emerald Pool trailhead car park across from Zion Lodge, which is shuttle stop 5. Arrive thirty minutes before your departure time.
When does the Zion horseback season run?
March to October. Outside those months there is no horseback riding in the canyon, though the Sandbench Trail opens to guided hikers from November to February.
Can I cancel a Zion horseback ride?
Cancel at least 24 hours in advance to qualify for a refund of the ride cost. Online booking fees are not refundable.
Book direct with Canyon Trail Rides
We do not sell trips and we take no commission. This link goes straight to the operator.
Compare across companies on guided trips, or read how this site works.
The only horses inside the canyon, March to October, age 7 and 10 minimums.
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