There are a lot of treasures to discover in Utah's first national park. The massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red hold many secrets and each guest's visit is unique as you discover them.
For campers Zion provides three beautiful campsites: the Lava Point Campground, the South Campground and the Watchman Campground. Lava Point is an hour and 20 minutes from the south entrance, but it rest beautifully off the Kolob Terrace Road and has six primitive campsites for those seeking a challenge. South Campground requires at least a two week prior reservation, but is only a half a mile from the south entrance. There are 117 campsites including wheelchair accessible ones. Lastly, the Watchman Campground is located a quarter of a mile from the South Entrance, but has tent and electric campsites year-round. They have a total of 176 reguloar sites, 2 wheelchair accessible sites, and 6 group camping sites.
For Rock Climbers the park holds endless treasures. Rock climbing permits are required for all overnight bivouacs, but not day climbs. The park does have some rules to preserve the beauty of the park. Climbers are not allowed to use power drills to place bolts and climbing off established trails is recommended to prevent erosion of slopes. Climbers are also asked to use red chalk instead of white and are prohibited from pulling vegetation from cracks. The red rocks themselves provide interesting and unique challenges for an almost endless possibility of unique climbs.
Backpackers will find all sorts of trails to their liking in Zion National Park. Overnight backpackers are required to get a permit issued from the visitors center the day before or the day of their trip. There is over 90 miles of trails as well as dozens of backpacking sites. Water should always be a consideration when planning your journey and Zion Canyon has both Potable drinking water as well as natural water sources. Their Potable water can be found at the Visitor Center, the South and Watchman Campground, the Zion Human History Museum, Zion Lodge, The Grotto, and Temple of Sinawava. All water taken from river, creaks, washes or springs should be treated and purified before drinking.
Other activities in the park include bicycling, canyoneering, day hiking, ranger-led activities, river trips, and even star gazing. Whatever your preferred activity you are sure to find unique treasures and memories to last a life time.
