Parking at Zion, and what each option costs
There is one free lot and it is full before most people have finished breakfast. Everything else is paid, the rates are published, and the cheapest option is not the one most visitors pick.
- Visitor center lot
- Free, fills by 7:45am
- Springdale, all day
- $12 to $20 by zone
- Winter discount
- 50% off, Dec 1 to Mar 1
- Paid hours
- 6:00am to 5:00pm daily
The visitor center lot is free, and that is the whole problem
Parking at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center costs nothing beyond your park admission. It is also the only lot inside the park at the canyon end, which means every visitor wants it.
The Utah Department of Transportation says the lot “often fills very early during peak season and holidays, sometimes by 7:45 a.m.”
That is fifteen minutes before the first canyon shuttle has completed a single round trip. From then until mid afternoon, cars circle. The park does not hold spaces back and there is no waiting system, so the honest advice is that if you are not there before eight in peak season you should assume the lot is gone and go straight to a plan B.
Accessibility is the exception worth knowing: UDOT lists over a dozen accessible spaces at the visitor center, including two ramp access spaces immediately outside the building.
The free lot most people forget
There is a free oversize vehicle lot at the South Entrance. It is small, it fills early, and it is aimed at vehicles that will not fit a standard bay. If you are driving something long, try it first, and have the Lion Boulevard options below ready for when it is full.
Three zones, and the cheap one is barely cheaper by the hour
Springdale runs paid public parking along the boulevard, split into three zones by distance from the entrance. Payment is required 6:00am to 5:00pm daily, by QR code at the space or at a nearby pay station.
| Zone | First hour | Second hour | All day | Multi day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A, premium | $1 | $1 | $20 | $20 a day, 3 day maximum |
| B, standard | $1 | $1 | $15 | $15 a day, 3 day maximum |
| C, economy | $1 | $1 | $12 | $12 a day, 3 day maximum |
| C, oversized | $2 | $2 | $24 | $24 a day, 3 day maximum |
| Bit and Spur off street lot | $5 | $5 | $15 | Per hour rate, not tiered |
Winter is half price
The town publishes a seasonal discount of 50 percent off, in effect December 1 to March 1. That takes a Zone A day to $10 and a Zone C day to $6, in the same months the canyon shuttle stops and the scenic drive opens to cars. Why winter changes the arithmetic.
Free with an accessible placard
UDOT states that holders of a valid accessible parking placard or plate park free in the town’s public spaces. Bring the placard rather than relying on the plate alone.
The first two hours are the trap
Every zone charges the same $1 for the first hour and $1 for the second, then jumps to a day rate. So a quick stop is cheap in the premium zone and a full day is not. If you are parking for a hike, pay the day rate up front in the cheapest zone you can walk from, because the free town shuttle closes the distance for nothing. Zone A only earns its extra $8 if you refuse to wait for a bus.
Private lots, where the prices are not published
Alongside the town’s zones, several businesses sell day parking. These are the ones UDOT names. We are not publishing rates for them because they do not publish rates, and a guessed number is worse than none.
| Lot | Worth knowing |
|---|---|
| Hotel de Novo | Day use paid parking. Far end of town at shuttle stop 9. Contact the hotel for the rate |
| Bit and Spur | Day use available, and you must move the car before dinner service. Town rate schedule lists it at $5 an hour or $15 all day |
| Switchback Grill | Limited day use spaces on both sides of the driveway |
| Zion Park! Economy Lot, Lion Boulevard | Takes oversized vehicles, RVs, buses and motorcycles |
| Zion West Parking | Walking distance to shuttle stop 2 |
| Park Zion | Walking distance to the pedestrian park entrance |
The Bit and Spur condition is the one that catches people out. It is a restaurant lot, the restaurant needs it in the evening, and a full day hike that runs long can put you back at the car after they want it cleared. If your day has any chance of ending late, park somewhere with no closing time attached.
Four options if you are driving something long
Inside the park
The free oversize lot at the South Entrance, which fills early. There is no overflow plan once it is gone.
In town
Zone C on Lion Boulevard takes vehicles over 24 feet at $2 an hour or $24 all day. The private Zion Park! Economy Lot on the same road takes RVs and buses.
Fifteen miles out
The Zion Corridor Park and Ride at Virgin, which is the option for anything genuinely large or for a day when everything closer has filled.
Before any of that, the tunnel
If you are driving through to the east side, the Zion Mount Carmel Tunnel has hard limits and a $15 permit for anything over 7 feet 10 inches wide or 11 feet 4 inches tall. The full dimensions and the permit.
The general rule for a long vehicle in Zion is that the park is not built for you and the town partly is. Lion Boulevard is where the oversized capacity sits, both public and private, and it is a short walk or a free town shuttle ride from the entrance.
Stop trying to win the visitor center lot
Three ways to run the day, in order of how much stress they cost.
Best: do not drive at all
Stay in Springdale, walk or take the free town shuttle, never touch a parking space. This is the entire argument for paying Springdale room rates. Judging position.
Good: pay the town day rate
Park once in Zone B or C, pay $12 to $15, and use the free buses for the rest of the day. Predictable, and cheaper than most people expect after they have spent an hour circling.
Worst: arrive at nine and hope
The free lot is gone, the near zones are filling, and the day starts with a decision made under pressure. This is how most first visits go.
The number that puts it in proportion
Entry is $35 for a vehicle and everyone in it, for seven days. A Zone C day is $12. So a full day of parking costs about a third of a week’s admission, and in winter it costs $6. Parking is rarely the expensive part of a Zion day, it is just the annoying part, and paying to skip the annoyance is usually right. What entry actually costs.
Common questions about parking at Zion
How much is parking at Zion National Park?
The visitor center lot is free with your park admission. Springdale town parking is $1 for the first hour and $1 for the second in every zone, then $20 all day in Zone A, $15 in Zone B and $12 in Zone C, with payment required from 6:00am to 5:00pm daily.
What time does the Zion visitor center parking lot fill up?
The Utah Department of Transportation says it often fills very early during peak season and holidays, sometimes by 7:45am. That is before the first canyon shuttle has done a full round trip.
Is parking cheaper in Springdale in winter?
Yes. The town publishes a 50 percent seasonal discount in effect December 1 to March 1, which takes a Zone A day to $10 and a Zone C day to $6.
Where can I park an RV near Zion?
Four options: the free oversize lot at the South Entrance which fills early, Zone C on Lion Boulevard at $2 an hour or $24 all day for vehicles over 24 feet, the private Zion Park! Economy Lot on Lion Boulevard, and the Zion Corridor Park and Ride at Virgin about 15 miles west.
Can I pay for Springdale parking by card?
Payment is taken by QR code at individual spaces or at nearby pay stations. Bring a phone with a signal, or use a pay station rather than relying on the code at the bay.
Is Springdale parking free with a disabled placard?
UDOT states that holders of a valid accessible parking placard or plate park free in the town's public spaces. The visitor center also has over a dozen accessible spaces, two of them ramp access immediately outside the building.
Should I park in town or try for the park lot?
In peak season, park in town and take the free shuttle. A Zone C day costs $12, the town bus is free, and it removes the single most stressful hour of a Zion day.
Now decide whether you need the car at all
A five dollar bus reaches Springdale from St George, and the free shuttles do the rest.
Also useful: the town shuttle stops, the canyon shuttle and entrance fees.
Free lot fills by 7:45am. Town day rate is $12 to $20.
Zion without a car