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*Note: You DO NOT need a ticket, permit, or reservation to ride the Zion shuttle. It is a free service provided by Zion National Park during the park's shuttle season (March - November).
With a record number of people visiting Zion National Park, the Zion Canyon shuttle minimizes traffic and parking congestion as well as restores the national park’s tranquility during the peak season.
The shuttle provides visitors access to Zion’s upper canyon via the Scenic Drive. The Zion upper canyon is where you can hike the world-famous Angels Landing and The Narrows as well as access the Emerald Pools.
If you want to make the most out of your trip to Zion National Park, make sure you know how the Zion shuttle service works!
In this in-depth guide, I’ll teach you everything you need to know to about the Zion Canyon shuttle system, including:
From March through November, the Zion Canyon shuttle takes visitors up the Scenic Drive into the upper Zion Canyon. Here, you'll find some of the top attractions in Zion National Park, including Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, Angels Landing, Zion Lodge, and The Narrows.
The Zion Canyon shuttle starts at the Visitor Center and takes about 40 minutes to ride to the last stop, the Temple of Sinawava, where The Narrows is located. The Zion shuttle route is 8.1-miles (one-way) with nine stops that you can get on and off to explore throughout the day.
You do not need a permit or reservation to ride the shuttle in Zion National Park. All you have to do is show up at the Visitor Center and board the shuttle on a first-come-first-serve basis.
*When the Zion Canyon shuttle is in operation, you CANNOT drive your car in Zion National Park along the Scenic Drive. You can either ride the shuttle or bike up the Scenic Drive.
The shuttle stops at 9 locations along the Scenic Drive for visitors to explore the best of Zion National Park. Below is a list of the Zion shuttle stops and a brief description of each.
*Note: Due to COVID-19 restrictions and rockfall, several stops are closed.
The Visitor Center, located next to the Zion National Park entrance, is where the Zion shuttle starts. Not only do you board the shuttle here, but you can also fill up on water, use the restroom, and browse the souvenir shop.
The Visitor Center is also where you'll find the trailheads for Pa’rus Trail and Watchman Trail, both Zion hikes that you can do without needing the shuttle to get to.
Interested in learning about the rich human history of civilizations that inhabited the Zion area? Hop off here to enjoy the cultural exhibits and videos.
This is where Route 9 and the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive intersect. During shuttle season, you cannot drive your private vehicle past the Canyon Junction up the Scenic Drive.
The Canyon Junction stop is also where you can easily access the Virgin River and the end of the Pa’rus Trail. Hike down this trail along the river to get back to the Visitor Center.
Walk along the 150-foot paved trail to get to the scenic viewpoint for the three Patriarch Peaks.
A major shuttle stop, the Zion Lodge is where tons of visitors hop on and off the shuttle. Expect crowds since many visitors come to the Zion Lodge to stay overnight in Zion, eat, and souvenir shop. You’ll also find people resting and relaxing on the lawn throughout the day.
Get off here if you plan to hike to the Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pools along the Emerald Pools Trail or to hike the Sand Bench Trail.
The Grotto is another popular shuttle stop since this is where many hikers go to find one of Zion’s top hikes, the famous Angels Landing.
Hikers can also access the Kayenta Trail, which is another way of getting to the Emerald Pools.
To get back to Zion Lodge, you can hike along The Grotto Trail. This is a great way to avoid waiting in shuttle lines if they are too long.
This Grotto shuttle stop has restrooms and water stations.
Weeping Rock is where you’ll find water springs and unique ferns and flowers clinging to the rocks. For a moment, you’ll forget you’re even in the desert!
If you’re looking for Zion hikes that are less crowded, hike to the Hidden Canyon or to Observation Point, both of which you can access at the Weeping Rock shuttle stop.
*Note: Weeping Rock is currently closed (indefinitely) due to rockfall.
A great observation point to stop and enjoy views of hikers on Angels Landing and the Great White Throne.
The Temple of Sinawava is the last stop for the Zion Canyon shuttle and the ultimate place where you can access the river. This is where you can hike IN the Virgin River itself along The Narrows, the famous Zion hike known all around the world!
And if you don’t want to hike The Narrows, you can hike the Riverside Walk, an easy, paved trail that follows the Virgin River along the canyon.
The first shuttle leaves the Visitor Center at 6:00 am daily, with shuttles running every 6-10 minutes.
The very last shuttle for the day out of Zion Canyon leaves the Temple of Sinawava at 7:15 pm from mid-March to mid-May and 8:15 pm from mid-May to mid-September. But do not wait until that very last shuttle to leave the canyon...the last thing you want after a long day of adventuring is missing the shuttle back out of the canyon due to a full shuttle!
Now that the Zion shuttle ticketing system has been discontinued, lines for the Zion Canyon shuttle are guaranteed to be long, especially during the peak summer months.
Friends that have recently visited Zion National Park (June 2021) told me that even though they showed up at the Visitor Center at 6:30 am to ride the shuttle to hike Angels Landing, the wait time was 4 HOURS! The craziest part was that this was during the middle of the week...
I’m sure the last thing you want to do is spend your valuable time in Zion National Park standing in line to ride the shuttle. Here are my tips and hacks for avoiding long Zion shuttle lines:
The Zion Canyon shuttle takes visitors from the Zion Visitor Center up the Scenic Drive into upper Zion Canyon from March - November.
To make the most out of your trip to Zion National Park, it’s important to understand how the shuttle service works, especially if hiking Angels Landing and The Narrows is on your Zion bucket list of things to do.
If lines to ride the Zion shuttle are insanely long, skip them. Don’t waste your time! Not only are there other options for you to get into the upper Zion Canyon, but there are also a ton of other things to do and Zion hikes that don’t need the shuttle to get to!
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