Adventures in Greater Zion With Kids

When I reserved a family-friendly canyoneering excursion in the rocky landscape of Zion National Park, I was certain my brave and boisterous 6-year-old daughter would rise to the occasion. 

But when Lottie learned that she’d have to watch and wait her turn as her mother disappeared from a cliff’s edge via rappel, she was horrified, not happy.

“I don’t want you to go,” she said tearily. “And I don’t want to do it, either.

Already fully geared up — helmets on heads, harnesses on hips and armed with more locking carabiners than made sense to me — my only options were to abandon the activity or gently convince my kid that she could do this. Lucky for me, Zack was also there. An experienced guide with local operator Zion Adventures and more Zeus than man, Zack talked Lottie into rappelling with him. I went down the rope first, in the fits and starts of a nervous novice. Then, like a front-facing joey, Lottie flew down smoothly while attached to Zack. Once her feet hit the ground after that first rappel, not a single additional tear was shed.

Utah — and the Greater Zion region specifically — is full of outdoor adventure opportunities like this one. And as full-time city dwellers, my family and I tend to seek such places out, destinations with clear roadways, wide-open skies and people looking for a similar sense of release.

Here’s how we relished some of southern Utah’s top spots this past spring.

Snow Canyon State Park

The city of St. George has anything a family might need, from malls and movie theaters playing the latest releases to new resorts and easily accessible outdoor spaces. We spent a few nights on St. George’s outskirts at Black Desert Resort and a few hours in neighboring Snow Canyon State Park. Resort guests can ride into the park via e-bike, but we opted for an early morning drive and explored by foot.

Jenny’s Canyon Trail is particularly great for small children. From the teeny parking lot, it’s a short and sandy walk to a slot canyon, where kids can stand in the rocky crevice and scramble on adjacent rocks. Travelers might then drive into the park a few more minutes to a sand dune area, where pails and shovels are welcome (though this is the driest sand ever, so making a castle is impossible), and the trailhead for the beloved Petrified Sand Dunes hike is nearby, too. True to its name, this trail passes through incredible petrified mounds of red sand.

Zion Canyon Hot Springs

From St. George, it’s about 30 minutes to the towns of La Verkin and Hurricane, and then another 30 minutes to the gate of Zion National Park, which is in Springdale. My husband played a round of golf at our midpoint, while the kids and I lingered at Zion Canyon Hot Springs, a sparkling facility that opened last July in La Verkin. The 15-acre property has more than 50 pools spread across an adults-only side and family friendly section, and there’s a cafe in the center. The pools are the major draw, of course; the water comes up through the Hurricane Fault rich in soothing calcium and sodium. The minerals are so concentrated that they’re visible, and both Lottie and my teenage daughter found it entertaining to catch the “floaties,” which then dissolved on their skin.

RELATED: A Guide to Golfing in Greater Zion

Zion White Bison Resort

Relaxed and sun-kissed after a long morning in the hot springs, we drove 10 minutes and checked into Zion White Bison Resort, a glamping destination with everything from luxury teepees to circular “cliff dwellings.” We opted for a covered wagon (anyone who played Oregon Trail in their youth will find it hard to skip this one), and it offered far more comfort and convenience than the wagons of yore. Ours held two queen beds and a full bathroom, while just outside was a hot tub and an outdoor kitchen complete with a dishwasher, refrigerator and bar seating for six. A fire pit was nearby, too.

The kitchen didn’t get a ton of use, but we did return nightly here with take-out, enjoying slices of pizza from local favorite Dixie Pizza Wagon one evening as the sun set, for example. Lottie loves a hot tub, so we wound down amidst the bubbles at night.

Zion National Park by E-Bike

Compared to behemoth parks such as Yellowstone National Park (2.2 million acres) and Yosemite National Park (about 760,000 acres), Zion National Park is relatively small at about 148,000 acres. Its most-trafficked trails (Emerald Pools Trail, Watchman Trail, Angel’s Landing) are easily reached via Zion Canyon Scenic Drive; this route is just over 6 miles one way, and it makes for a wildly good out-and-back e-bike ride.

RELATED: How to Book Zion National Park

In the town of Springdale, I’ve rented bikes from outfitters Zion Guru and Outta Here Ebikes. The latter shop got my family of four set up on our recent trip. We had three e-bikes, one with a child’s seat in the back for Lottie, and off we went. Because Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is open only to park shuttles for much of the year, riding along it is a worry-free experience. We watched for deer and wild turkeys, but mostly we rock watched, pedaling under the commanding presence of red towers of sandstone.

Zion Adventures

I like to be intrepid and independent when I travel, but many experiences are just plain better with a guide. Travelers can hike the Narrows solo, but a guide will warn them where the water gets deeper, point out flora beating the odds and growing in rocky crevices and probably even carry their lunch and extra water.

Zack of Zion Adventures was both our canyoneering guide and my vacation hero. Skilled, swift and confident, he had us rappelling, shimmying through slot canyons and sliding down rock chutes. My family had never done this type of excursion before, and I appreciated Zack’s steadiness, which kept the overthinkers in our clan focused on whatever action came next.