Zion National Park Ideas with Kids - Family Travel Tips & Activities Guide
- Jill N
- Apr 29
- 5 min read
How to get there
The closest airport to Zion is in Las Vegas. We flew in the night before we had reserved the condo in Zion and stayed at a Holiday Inn near the airport. The next day, we woke up EXTRA early (time change and young kids...), and spent the morning at Valley of Fire State Park. From the airport to Valley of fire, is about 55 miles. This turned out approximate 2 hour and 45 minute drive to Zion to about 3 hours and 20 minutes total. More details on Valley of Fire below.
Where we stayed
This condo is in a great location. It is only 1.5 miles from the entrance and there are several restaurants and stores within walking distance. The condo we stayed in had two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a full kitchen, washer and dryer. The condo also had a pool, however it was under construction from a recent flood when we were there.
The condo also had a really great book on area attractions and recommended activities/hikes.
Where we ate
The first thing I do before arriving at our rental home/hotel is check Instacart to see if grocery delivery service is available. This saves so much time and energy for me. There was a grocery store that did deliver to our rental condo, so we ordered groceries on the first night we were there. This cuts down on the amount of times we eat out. We ate breakfast at the condo before leaving for the day and packed lunches to take with us.
We did eat a few meals in town at the following places:
This was a cute restaurant within walking distance of our condo. It was a beautiful night, so we ate in the area outside. I definitely recommend doing this if you have kids. Our kids played in the green space with other kids while waiting for their food.
Great pizza and family friendly atmosphere. This was within walking distance from our condo.
How we got around town
Bikes. I highly recommend renting electric bikes to get around at Zion. We went during Spring Break, which was a busier time at Zion. During that time of year (Shuttle Season) Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to passenger vehicles and only open to the park shuttle and bikes/e-bikes. This is the rode that a majority of the main hiking trails is on.
Renting bikes means you do not have to wait for the shuttle and do not have to wait in the car entrance line to the park. There is a separate bike entrance, but you still need a park pass to get into the park.
We rented bikes from two different places during our stay.
Zion Adventures- we chose this location because they had bike trailers for kids that you could attach to the e-bike. We thought this would be the best option since there were 2 adults, but 3 kids (if you have older kids that can not drive their own e-bike, check with the bike rental to see if they allow 2 kids to ride with an adult. We found out that some places do, so that is also a good option).
The e-bike that allows a pull behind child trailer was not as powerful of an e-bike. It was more of a pedal assist type bike; however we were able to pull our kids a few miles, do a long hike and make it back without our legs being too tired.
Outta Here Bike Rental- we used this bike rental the next day. This place allowed us to have two children ride on the same bike as an adult. We had family visiting us from Nevada so we had enough adults for a 1:1 ratio that day, but ask when making reservations if you need a 2:1 child to adult ratio.
Things we did (with kids ages 7-9)
Valley of Fire State Park:
***Please Note: this park has seasonal trail closings starting in May, due to extreme heat. Check the website for notices***
We stopped at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada on our way to Utah. This added about 45 minutes of total drive time to our trip.
Fire Wave Trail (I recommend using the All Trails app)
This parking lot is the entrance to a few trails. We had intentions of only doing the Fire Wave portion, but turned the wrong once we got into the parking lot which resulted in a longer hike than planned. I am going to blame this on the heat and lack of sleep, as the time change had the kids up extra early.
This trail had a lot of cool wave formations (varying shades of red and orange colored rocks)
Crimson Canyon Hike & UTV Adventure- East Zion Adventures
This was such a fun activity! The guide was great and allowed the kids time to climb rocks and hike around. This is on the other side of Zion, so it gave us a chance to explore that area.
Zion National Park Hiking
We went to this trail after our Crimson Canyon Hike and UTV tour. The Many Pools Trail is on the other side of The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, so you have to drive to this trailhead
Getting to this trail took some research, as it is not well marked. All Trails has a great description on how to find this trail. I recommend reading the reviews and tips on how to find the trailhead prior to arriving. Click on the link above.
This trail was great for kids. You could go as far as you would like and the kids could take their shoes off, which is a big perk for our kids.
Scout Outlook via West Rim Trail ( including Walter's Wiggles switchbacks)
This was probably my favorite hike of all time!!
According to my All Trails activity, this hike was 5.1 miles. It took our family of 5 (including 3 children) 2 hours and 52 minutes to complete.
While Angel's Landing is a permit based hike, you are able to hike to Scout's Outlook, which is the furthest you can go before a permit is required. We did not try to get a permit, due to the ages of our kids.
***Tips for Hiking this trail with young children***
Wear layers. We hiked this trail in April, so in the morning it was still cool. We needed pants and long sleeves. However; as the morning progressed, we switched to shorts and t-shirts.
Pack snacks, snacks, and more snacks. This is a tough, but rewarding hike. We would set little goals for our kids such as; hike 3 switchbacks and we will stop for a snack. Or; once we get to the top we will have lunch and juice boxes.
This goes without saying, but the mom in me needs to say it anyways: This hike has steep drop-offs, especially on the switchback area. On the way down, my kids really had a hard time remembering to walk slowly (since it was steep)
The Zion Narrows Riverside Walk
We rode e-bikes to the trailhead. This was an ~17 mile bike ride roundtrip from the bike rental location to the trailhead. While the trail wasn't particularly exciting, the ride to the trail was beautiful and a great way to spend a few hours. We had family visiting us from Nevada that day, so this was a great trail for a large group.
The Narrows were closed while we were at Zion. Closings are dependent on the flow rate of the river and flash flood warnings. Always check the National Park website for current conditions
Packing Tips
Depending on the time of year you are visiting, the weather may drastically change throughout the day. We went in April, so in the morning it was cold. We packed gloves, winter hats, and fleece jackets; all of which were used in the morning. We wore layers, because shorts and t-shirts were needed in the afternoon.