Getting There

Zion National Park is located 46 miles northeast of St. George, 60 miles south of Cedar City, 83 miles southwest of Bryce Canyon National Park, and 120 miles northwest of the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. It's 309 miles south of Salt Lake City and 158 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.

By Car

From St. George, travel north on I-15 10 miles to exit 16, then east on Utah 9 for 30 miles to the Zion Canyon section of the park. From Salt Lake City take I-15 south to exit 27, then Utah 17 south about 10 miles, and Utah 9 east about 20 miles. Though less scenic than the eastern approach to the park, this is the easiest route; it's more direct, avoids possible delays at the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, and delivers you to Springdale, just outside the park's southern entrance, where most of the area's lodging and restaurants are located.

The Kolob Canyons section, in the park's northwest corner, is reached via the short Kolob Canyons Road off I-15, exit 40.

From the east, it's a spectacularly scenic 24-mile drive from Mt. Carmel Junction on Utah 9 (the Zion-Mt. Carmel Hwy.), reached from either north or south via U.S. 89. However, be aware that this route into the park drops over 2,500 feet in elevation, passes through the mile-long Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, and winds down six steep switchbacks. Oversize vehicles are charged $15 for use of the tunnel. From this approach, you'll end up on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and then at the visitor center.

Bryce Canyon National Park is north and east of Mt. Carmel Junction via U.S. 89 north (44 miles) and Utah 12 east (13 miles). Kanab is 17 miles southeast of Mt. Carmel Junction along U.S. 89.

By Plane

There are small airports at St. George (tel. 435/634-5822; www.sgcity.org/airport) and Cedar City (tel. 435/867-9408; www.cedarcityairport.com), both located along I-15. The St. George airport offers service on Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) and United (tel. 800/864-8331; www.united.com), with bookings also available through Skywest Airlines (www.skywest.com). The Cedar City airport is served by US Airways/America West (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com). From either airport, it's easy to rent a car and drive to Zion. Several major car-rental agencies serve each airport.

The closest major airport to Zion is McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada (tel. 702/261-5211; www.mccarran.com), which is about 120 miles southwest of St. George via I-15. Most major airlines fly into McCarran, and most major car-rental agencies have outlets at the airport. The St. George Shuttle (tel. 800/933-8320 or 435/628-8320; www.stgshuttle.com) provides daily service between St. George and the Las Vegas airport for $30 per person (2 hr. each way).