Zion National Park in December

[winger]

Unsure if there's a better place to post this since I'm not seeking timeshare help on this.

Has anyone visited Zion in late December before? What's it like? The hiking, weather and amount of people you encountered

 

[CO skier]

A Google search for "Zion park December" should give you everything you need to know. Like this

Zion National Park in December [Weather, What to Wear, Tips]

For both the outdoor enthusiast and traveler looking to experience awe-inspiring locales, Zion National Park is a bucket list destination. You should know how to manage the unique challenges that this…

www.anytraveltips.com

.

 

[DaveNV]

The link above gives great info. Expect some snow - a little or a lot, depending on weather, and where you are in the Park. Everything else is about as you'd find the rest of the year there. Crowds will be way down, but not gone entirely. Zion is close enough to populated areas that the crowds are never really gone, and Winter season brings a different type of tourism to the area. Some shops and restaurants in Springdale, (the town right outside the West Entrance to the Park), may have reduced hours, or may even be closed for the season. Check ahead before making plans. Be sure to check the NPS site for the Park to find out about what is and isn't open inside the Park. They'll also have road conditions and any special notices for visitors. Zion is an amazing place, but it can bring its own set of challenges and dangers. You need to be prepared, if you're going to get off the main roads into the back country.

If you'll be in Las Vegas for New Year's (according to your signature), you'll only be about three hours from Zion. Bring winter coats and such, and dress in layers. You may find it's pleasant, but don't expect it to be overly warm and sunny. Snow and ice may be a factor. Winds up this way can be pretty cold. If you just want to do a day trip drive-through of the Park and back to LV, staying close to the main roads, chances are good you'll be fine. Just be ready for snow in higher elevations.

Wave when you drive through Mesquite on the way. I'll be sure to wave back.

Have fun!

Dave

 

[PamMo]

We stayed in a very nice 3BR timeshare (Canyon Village at Coral Ridge - https://www.canyonvillasatcoralridge.com/) in St George last Christmas/New Year, and had a fantastic time exploring the area without the crowds! The weather was perfect for hiking, other than one day of rain and blizzard conditions on the mountain road above Cedar City. Otherwise, we had gorgeous weather for hiking in Snow Canyon State Park (https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/snow-canyon/discover/) and Zion (https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm). Not really a big deal, but just be aware that if you go between Dec 23 and Jan 1, you can't drive your car on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, you have to park at the Visitor Center and use the park's free shuttle. I highly recommend a winter visit!

 

[PamMo]

Hiking in Snow Canyon State Park in December.

 

[winger]

Awesome guys, great info and pics! We already have a TS booked in Vegas, so was thinking of only staying one night in St George. Back to the planning board!

 

[PamMo]

@winger, if you don't have the time to go to St George, but you're itching to do some hiking among beautiful rocks, I recommend getting out of Las Vegas for a few hours in Valley of Fire State Park. It's only about 45 minutes out of Las Vegas, but a world away! There are some very cool trails with weird rock formations and petroglyphs that are over 2,000 years old! http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire

 

[sue1947]

@winger, if you don't have the time to go to St George, but you're itching to do some hiking among beautiful rocks, I recommend getting out of Las Vegas for a few hours in Valley of Fire State Park. It's only about 45 minutes out of Las Vegas, but a world away! There are some very cool trails with weird rock formations and petroglyphs that are over 2,000 years old! http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire

Valley of Fire is great plus Red Rock Canyon just outside of Las Vegas.
The SW corner of Utah is its own micro-climate; the banana belt. I did a Thanksgiving trip with weather decent enough that we could still do the long drive down to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Snowed like crazy as we left town. Another trip was mid-Oct with multiple stops through S Utah's canyon country. We started in St George and got over to Moab when the storm warnings came up. We scurried back to St George where we were able to hike in Zion again while the rest of the state was snow covered; trucks were chaining up 15 miles north of St George on the freeway but we were above freezing.
For just 1 night, I'd do Valley of Fire and plan another trip where you can stay at least a couple of nights.
Thanksgiving dinner at the lodge in Zion was wonderful. If they do Christmas dinner, I'd definitely make reservations.

 

[winger]

@winger, if you don't have the time to go to St George, but you're itching to do some hiking among beautiful rocks, I recommend getting out of Las Vegas for a few hours in Valley of Fire State Park. It's only about 45 minutes out of Las Vegas, but a world away! There are some very cool trails with weird rock formations and petroglyphs that are over 2,000 years old! http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire

We are staying in Vegas for 7 nights so have plans to go to Valley of Fire

We are now thinking about two nights in Springdale (right outside Zion's entrance) right before our Vegas stay as opposed to original thoughts to make a trek up to St. George during the week we are staying in Vegas (stay one night at St. George) and make it a two day for Zion.

The one reservation I have is the weather in the Zion area and getting to/from there around Christmas. I saw (above) mention of snow and to me this means possible need for chains or even with chains, possibility of getting stuck.

 

[winger]

Valley of Fire is great plus Red Rock Canyon just outside of Las Vegas.
The SW corner of Utah is its own micro-climate; the banana belt. I did a Thanksgiving trip with weather decent enough that we could still do the long drive down to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Snowed like crazy as we left town. Another trip was mid-Oct with multiple stops through S Utah's canyon country. We started in St George and got over to Moab when the storm warnings came up. We scurried back to St George where we were able to hike in Zion again while the rest of the state was snow covered; trucks were chaining up 15 miles north of St George on the freeway but we were above freezing.
For just 1 night, I'd do Valley of Fire and plan another trip where you can stay at least a couple of nights.
Thanksgiving dinner at the lodge in Zion was wonderful. If they do Christmas dinner, I'd definitely make reservations.

Red Rock Cyn - have not heard of this. Will look into it.

 

[DaveNV]

We are staying in Vegas for 7 nights so have plans to go to Valley of Fire

We are now thinking about two nights in Springdale (right outside Zion's entrance) right before our Vegas stay as opposed to original thoughts to make a trek up to St. George during the week we are staying in Vegas (stay one night at St. George) and make it a two day for Zion.

The one reservation I have is the weather in the Zion area and getting to/from there around Christmas. I saw (above) mention of snow and to me this means possible need for chains or even with chains, possibility of getting stuck.

I doubt you'd need chains unless things get crazy bad. And if they did that, you probably wouldn't want to be out in it anyway. I wouldn't be terribly concerned.

Dave

 

[winger]

We stayed in a very nice 3BR timeshare (Canyon Village at Coral Ridge - https://www.canyonvillasatcoralridge.com/) in St George last Christmas/New Year, and had a fantastic time exploring the area without the crowds! The weather was perfect for hiking, other than one day of rain and blizzard conditions on the mountain road above Cedar City. Otherwise, we had gorgeous weather for hiking in Snow Canyon State Park (https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/snow-canyon/discover/) and Zion (https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm). Not really a big deal, but just be aware that if you go between Dec 23 and Jan 1, you can't drive your car on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, you have to park at the Visitor Center and use the park's free shuttle. I highly recommend a winter visit!

View attachment 68272

What a grand view. This is what I imagined. Which location did you take this from?
TY for the tip on free shuttle

 

[PamMo]

What a grand view. This is what I imagined. Which location did you take this from?

@winger, it's great that you're planning to spend a few days in Springdale. If you like hiking and gorgeous views, you definitely won't regret it! I didn't mean to concern you about snow in my earlier post. DH and I love exploring back country roads, and he's super confident that his Jeep can conquer any condition. We were not on a major highway, and instead of turning around when we hit freezing fog, he plowed onwards and upwards into the snowstorm. Once we came down in elevation, the weather was great! We swung back around to enter Zion from the east side and enjoyed a short hike up the Canyon Overlook Trail to where the photo was taken.

The Zion photo in my earlier post is from the very popular Canyon Overlook Trail - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/canyon-overlook-trail The trail head is just east of the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel. The view is actually much better in real life!

If you're spending a couple of nights in Springdale, you should definitely see Bryce Canyon, too!

 

[winger]

I did not even think about this, what are the chances we'll need 4WD/AWD in Zion during in Dec?

@winger, it's great that you're planning to spend a few days in Springdale. ...

If you're spending a couple of nights in Springdale, you should definitely see Bryce Canyon, too! ...

Oh no, we crossed Bryce off the list early because of the higher elevation means likely heavier snow. Plus it could be a bit too much driving for this trip. We'll see tho, never know what our mood will be then, and Father Weather may be very nice to us?

 

[DaveNV]

I did not even think about this, what are the chances we'll need 4WD/AWD in Zion during in Dec?


Oh no, we crossed Bryce off the list early because of the higher elevation means likely heavier snow. Plus it could be a bit too much driving for this trip. We'll see tho, never know what our mood will be then, and Father Weather may be very nice to us?

The best way to see Bryce is at sunrise. And that, of course, means being there very early. So you'd either have to stay over the night before, or leave Las Vegas in the middle of the night. Better to plan a full-on Bryce and Zion trip at another time. Easy to tie it in with a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, too, which is right along the same road (more or less) but is closed in Winter.

I doubt you'd need a 4WD vehicle in Zion in December unless you really plan to take to the back roads - and there aren't really any inside the Park. There are two roads through Zion. The main Highway 9, that runs from the West Entrance to the East Entrance and beyond, and the road that runs along Zion Canyon to Zion Park Lodge. If you'll be there Christmas Week, as was posted above, the Zion Canyon Road is closed to vehicle traffic, and you'd have to ride the Park Shuttle. So the only road you'd be driving on is the main highway, which is busy enough the be clear 99% of the time. The only thing that might be an issue is ice on the corner switchbacks as the road climbs up toward the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. But even that is doubtful - if the Park is open to traffic, the roads will be tended.

See this image from Google Maps:

If I was going to Zion for my first visit, I'd rather go at a different time of year, when the trails and lookouts will for sure be open. Spring and Fall are great there - Summer gets a bit hot, and very, very crowded. In Winter, you're dealing with a lot of variables you can't control. Places and things you might want to see and do otherwise may not be accessible. So other than a few photo ops with snow on the ground and on the hilltops, there isn't a huge reason to go so far out of the way to see Zion right then.

For the time you'll have in Las Vegas that week, why not check out places that are much closer to get to, are a lot less crowded, and that are just as scenic: For example, Valley of Fire State Park is amazing, and will be much more easily reached. http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire There is a back road from Las Vegas that runs right past the Park that has great scenery along the way. The Valley of Fire Scenic Byway is a great road to take. https://travelnevada.com/tours-cruises/valley-of-fire-scenic-byway/

Dave

 

[winger]

The best way to see Bryce is at sunrise. And that, of course, means being there very early. So you'd either have to stay over the night before, or leave Las Vegas in the middle of the night. Better to plan a full-on Bryce and Zion trip at another time. Easy to tie it in with a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, too, which is right along the same road (more or less) but is closed in Winter.

I doubt you'd need a 4WD vehicle in Zion in December unless you really plan to take to the back roads - and there aren't really any inside the Park. There are two roads through Zion. The main Highway 9, that runs from the West Entrance to the East Entrance and beyond, and the road that runs along Zion Canyon to Zion Park Lodge. If you'll be there Christmas Week, as was posted above, the Zion Canyon Road is closed to vehicle traffic, and you'd have to ride the Park Shuttle. So the only road you'd be driving on is the main highway, which is busy enough the be clear 99% of the time. The only thing that might be an issue is ice on the corner switchbacks as the road climbs up toward the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. But even that is doubtful - if the Park is open to traffic, the roads will be tended.

See this image from Google Maps:

...

If I was going to Zion for my first visit, I'd rather go at a different time of year, when the trails and lookouts will for sure be open. Spring and Fall are great there - Summer gets a bit hot, and very, very crowded. In Winter, you're dealing with a lot of variables you can't control. Places and things you might want to see and do otherwise may not be accessible. So other than a few photo ops with snow on the ground and on the hilltops, there isn't a huge reason to go so far out of the way to see Zion right then.

For the time you'll have in Las Vegas that week, why not check out places that are much closer to get to, are a lot less crowded, and that are just as scenic: For example, Valley of Fire State Park is amazing, and will be much more easily reached. http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire There is a back road from Las Vegas that runs right past the Park that has great scenery along the way. The Valley of Fire Scenic Byway is a great road to take. https://travelnevada.com/tours-cruises/valley-of-fire-scenic-byway/

Dave

Hi Dave.

Yes Spring and Fall are best for most national parks, like these Utah ones.

We are considering this Zion Dec visit (first time to Zion) mainly for two reasons
- we missed it a few years ago when we did the two other Utah Big 5's over on the east side (the compromise here is Zion (vs Bryce) b/c it is lower elevation & closer to Vegas). Next opportunity to visit either one of these in warmer weather could literally be years away because everyone (except for me) are tied to the school schedule, and soon, the young ones will be tied to 'real' work schedules (and you know how hard it will be then to get time off from work and other commitments)
- the kids (young adults now) don't like Vegas all that much, but throwing in a Zion visit was the carrot that prompted them to join us for this family, Christmas road trip (versus not joining us two at all) !

 

[DaveNV]

Hi Dave.

Yes Spring and Fall are best for most national parks, like these Utah ones.

We are considering this Zion Dec visit (first time to Zion) mainly for two reasons
- we missed it a few years ago when we did the two other Utah Big 5's over on the east side (the compromise here is Zion (vs Bryce) b/c it is lower elevation & closer to Vegas). Next opportunity to visit either one of these in warmer weather could literally be years away because everyone (except for me) are tied to the school schedule, and soon, the young ones will be tied to 'real' work schedules (and you know how hard it will be then to get time off from work and other commitments)
- the kids (young adults now) don't like Vegas all that much, but throwing in a Zion visit was the carrot that prompted them to join us for this family, Christmas road trip (versus not joining us two at all) !

Ok, that all makes great sense. Just as long as you're aware that parts of the Park you've read about may not be accessible in the middle of Winter. It's amazing scenery at any time of year, just less of it can be reached during the Winter season. For example, there won't be any hiking The Narrows. Don't forget to bring your winter clothes - you won't need them in Las Vegas, but you probably would in Zion that week.

Hope I've given you some ideas to think about. Have fun! As I said above, be sure to wave as you drive through Mesquite on the way from LV to Zion. I'll be the one waving back.

Dave

 

[winger]

Update : we just booked the two Springdale nights, then head to Vegas for the week. Now, planning needs to start soon.

 

[DaveNV]

Update : we just booked the two Springdale nights, then head to Vegas for the week. Now, planning needs to start soon.

Ok, that may be a great idea. Where will you be staying? Are you driving your own car, or renting one? If renting, maybe go for that 4WD. Couldn't hurt. Which direction are you coming to Springdale from?

Dave

 

[PamMo]

@winger, sounds like a wonderful holiday with your family - enjoy! We've always loved Christmas in Sedona, but after our trip to St George last year, from now on we're going to add some extra time in Utah!

 

[winger]

We are all set to go in a couple of weeks - but just came across some reading about trails being slick in winter (ice/snow). We only plan on doing the easy peasy hikes, such as Zion Canyon Overlook Trail. Are traction devices (like cleats/spikes/coils ) needed or highly recommended ? Unsure if I can post here, but something like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Spikes/s?k=Shoe+Spikes



Thanks!!!

 

[DaveNV]

As I've been saying, watch the weather to get a good idea of what's what. Slippery trails may happen, but if enough people are ahead of you, it may not be an issue. This is the Weather.com forecast for the next 14 days in Springdale, right outside the west entrance to Zion. Highs and Low temperatures, weather conditions, and percent chances of precipitation:

Dave

 

[klpca]

We are all set to go in a couple of weeks - but just came across some reading about trails being slick in winter (ice/snow). We only plan on doing the easy peasy hikes, such as Zion Canyon Overlook Trail. Are traction devices (like cleats/spikes/coils ) needed or highly recommended ? Unsure if I can post here, but something like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Spikes/s?k=Shoe+Spikes



Thanks!!!

yaktrax are cheap and easy to carry. We use them all the time in the winter. I won't go anywhere icy without them. I don't want to slip on ice and ruin my trip. I slip them right over my hiking boots. We use these: https://www.amazon.com/Yaktrax-Trac...ocphy=9032737&hvtargid=pla-337005193377&psc=1

 

[winger]

As I've been saying, watch the weather to get a good idea of what's what. Slippery trails may happen, but if enough people are ahead of you, it may not be an issue. This is the Weather.com forecast for the next 14 days in Springdale, right outside the west entrance to Zion. Highs and Low temperatures, weather conditions, and percent chances of precipitation:

View attachment 69936

Dave

TY - we are arriving Sun 12/25 so will keep an eye out on the weather before then. But, may just order some spike/cleats thingys just in case. Assume these will last a lifetime since we normally try to avoid snow/icy, but with our travel bugs, we likely will encounter the white stuff, again.

 

[winger]

Ok, that may be a great idea. Where will you be staying? Are you driving your own car, or renting one? If renting, maybe go for that 4WD. Couldn't hurt. Which direction are you coming to Springdale from?

Dave

We are staying in town (Springdale), coming in from Vegas in around noon? We are renting a full size sedan for the drive from Calif.