Springdale: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
For most of the year private cars are not allowed on the scenic drive into Zion Canyon, and the free park shuttle does the work, stopping at nine points up the canyon. The canyon itself was cut by the Virgin River, a muddy stream that still carves it deeper in every flash flood. This route follows the shuttle stops from the bottom to the end of the road, where the canyon closes into the Narrows. A full day; carry three litres of water each in summer, when the canyon floor can pass 38 degrees.
A short history of Springdale
Springdale is a small town at the mouth of the canyon of the Virgin River. Before white settlement the area was home to the Ancestral Puebloans and, after them, the Paiute people. Mormon settlers arrived here in the 1860s and grew fruit on the riverbanks. In 1909 the canyon above the town was declared a national monument named Mukuntuweap, and in 1919 it became Zion National Park. Since then the town has lived from visitors, and today several million people pass through it every year on their way to the park.
The ten best sights in Springdale
1Zion Human History MuseumThe first shuttle stop; the short film is a good start on the first afternoon
2Zion LodgeThe only hotel inside the canyon; the lawn under the cottonwood is the place to rest
3Grafton ghost townA dirt road from Rockville; the schoolhouse and cemetery are open to wander
4Pipe Spring National MonumentOn the way to Page through Arizona; note it keeps Arizona time, not Utah's
5Little Hollywood Museum, KanabFree walk-through of old western film sets on the road east
6Angels LandingThe last chained section needs a permit from the online lottery — apply months ahead
7The NarrowsYou walk in the river: rent canyon boots and a stick in Springdale, and check the flash-flood forecast
8Emerald PoolsThe easy family walk from the Zion Lodge stop; the lower pool is under an hour
9Court of the PatriarchsA two-minute walk from the shuttle stop to the viewpoint
10Pa'rus TrailFlat and paved along the river from the visitor centre; sunset on the Watchman
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Springdale →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Springdale:
Free walking tours in Springdale
Into the canyon on the shuttle
For most of the year private cars are not allowed on the scenic drive into Zion Canyon, and the free park shuttle does the work, stopping at nine points up the canyon. The canyon itself was cut by the Virgin River, a muddy stream that still carves it deeper in every flash flood. This route follows the shuttle stops from the bottom to the end of the road, where the canyon closes into the Narrows. A full day; carry three litres of water each in summer, when the canyon floor can pass 38 degrees.
- Zion Human History Museum · The park began as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909, using a Paiute name. It was renamed Zion in 1918 and became Utah's first national park the following year.
- Court of the Patriarchs · In 1916 a Methodist minister, Frederick Vining Fisher, named the three peaks Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same man gave Angels Landing its name.
- Zion Lodge · Designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and opened in 1925 by the Union Pacific railway, which brought tourists here by train and bus. The main building burned down in January 1966 and was rebuilt in about a hundred days.
- Angels Landing · Fisher said only an angel could land on it. The trail was cut in 1926, with chains along the narrow spine at the top; since 2022 hikers need a permit, given out by lottery, for the final section.
- Temple of Sinawava · The last shuttle stop is named after Sinawava, the coyote spirit of the Southern Paiute. From here the paved Riverside Walk runs a mile up to where the canyon walls close in.
- The Narrows · In places the walls are more than 300 metres high and only a few metres apart, and the river is the trail. The park closes it when the flow passes 150 cubic feet per second, because a flash flood can arrive here from storms many kilometres away.
East through the tunnel, toward Page
The road east out of Zion climbs a wall of switchbacks and then disappears into the rock, through a tunnel blasted in the 1920s. On the far side the landscape changes completely, from deep canyon to slickrock domes and pink sand. This is the start of the next leg to Page, so take these stops in the morning on the way. Allow half a day to Kanab with the stops, and remember that once you cross into Arizona the clocks may differ from Utah's in summer.
- Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel · Finished in 1930, the tunnel is about 1.8 km long. Its builders cut 'galleries', large windows in the cliff face, to get rid of the rock they blasted, and in daytime the galleries still let light into the tunnel.
- Canyon Overlook Trail · A short trail ends on a ledge right above the galleries of the tunnel, looking down Pine Creek canyon to the main canyon. Bighorn sheep, reintroduced to Zion in the 1970s, are often seen on the slickrock here.
- Checkerboard Mesa · The horizontal lines are the slanting layers of ancient sand dunes, frozen into Navajo sandstone. The vertical cracks came later, from the rock swelling and shrinking with heat and frost.
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes · The pink sand is Navajo sandstone worn back into sand by the wind, which funnels through a notch between two mountains here. The dunes are the only home in the world of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle.
- Best Friends Animal Sanctuary · The largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the United States, with well over a thousand dogs, cats, horses and other animals in a red-rock canyon. It was started in the 1980s by a group of friends, and tours are free.
- Kanab · Hundreds of westerns and TV series were filmed around Kanab from the 1920s on, which earned it the nickname Little Hollywood. Stars from John Wayne to Frank Sinatra stayed at the Parry Lodge in town, and their names are on the doors of its rooms.
West of the gate: ghost towns and the high plateau
The settlers who came up the Virgin River in the 1860s were Mormon farmers sent to grow cotton, and the valley below Zion is still dotted with their stone houses and abandoned towns. This loop goes downriver from Springdale, then climbs to the Kolob plateau, the quiet side of the park that most visitors never see. Half a day by car, with no shuttle and no permits needed. The Kolob road climbs to above 2,000 metres, so in winter check that it is open, and in summer it is the coolest place around.
- Rockville · The village was settled in 1862 by families whose first settlement downstream had been washed away by the great flood of that winter. Its steel truss bridge over the Virgin, from the 1920s, is the way to Grafton.
- Grafton ghost town · Founded in 1859, moved after the flood of 1862, and slowly abandoned until the last residents left in 1944. In 1969 Paul Newman rode a bicycle past its houses in the 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- Virgin · The river and the town take their name, most likely, from Thomas Virgin, a member of Jedediah Smith's expedition of 1826. In 2000 the town council passed an ordinance requiring every household to own a gun, though it was never enforced.
- Kolob Terrace Road · Kolob is a name from Mormon scripture, where it is the star closest to the throne of God. The road climbs from the desert at Virgin through lava fields to aspen and pine on the high plateau.
- Left Fork Trailhead (The Subway) · The trail leads to the Subway, a section of the Left Fork of North Creek where the water has carved the rock into a curving tube. Only about 80 people a day may enter, by permit lottery.
- Lava Point · At close to 2,400 metres it is the highest viewpoint in Zion, looking south over the whole park. The tiny campground here has only six sites.
Getting to Springdale and getting around
- St. George Regional Airport · About an hour away; flights from Salt Lake City, Denver and Phoenix, closer than Las Vegas
- Zion Canyon Visitor Center · The park shuttle into the canyon starts here; in high season be in line by 7 am
Cheap eats in Springdale
Springdale feeds hikers: big breakfasts before the first shuttle, sandwiches to carry up the trail, and burgers, tacos and pizza when you come down. There is no farm-to-table culture here, but portions are huge and the coffee is strong. Utah's liquor laws are stricter than elsewhere in the US — in a restaurant, alcohol is generally served with food — so do not be surprised to be asked if you are eating.
- Deep Creek Coffee · Coffee and smoothies before the shuttle, about $5-10
- Oscar's Café · Huge Mexican plates and burgers, about $15-22
- Whiptail Grill · Fish tacos and enchiladas in an old gas station, about $14-20
- MeMe's Café · Crêpes, waffles and paninis, about $10-16
- Castle Dome Café, Zion Lodge · The snack counter inside the canyon, about $8-14
- Sol Foods · Supermarket deli for picnic supplies, about $8-15
Museums in Springdale
- Zion Human History Museum · Paiute life, Mormon settlers and the making of the park
- Pipe Spring National Monument · A Mormon ranch fort and a Paiute cultural museum
- Little Hollywood Museum · Old film sets and props in Kanab; free
- Zion Lodge lobby · Old photographs of the railway-era park
Nature and day trips near Springdale
- Emerald Pools · Pools under the cliffs fed by seeping springs
- Watchman Trail · Views over Springdale and the canyon mouth
- The Narrows · Wading up the river between sheer walls
- Kolob Terrace · Cooler high country with aspen and lava fields
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes · Pink dunes on the way east; walk out barefoot at sunset
Things to do in Springdale with kids
- Pa'rus Trail · The one trail in Zion where bikes and dogs are allowed
- Lower Emerald Pool · A short walk to a waterfall children can stand behind
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes · Sandboards for rent at the park; children slide down the dunes
- Best Friends Animal Sanctuary · Free tours to meet dogs, cats and horses
- Grafton ghost town · Peek inside the old schoolhouse and find the pioneer graves
Where to eat in Springdale
- Bit & Spur · Southwestern and Mexican cooking, a Springdale institution
- Zion Canyon Brew Pub · Local beer and burgers right by the park gate
- Spotted Dog Café · Sit-down dinner with a wine list, rare in this town
- Zion Pizza & Noodle · Pizza and pasta in an old church building
- Thai Sapa · Thai and Vietnamese, a change from burgers
- Red Rock Grill, Zion Lodge · Dinner inside the canyon; book, and mind the last shuttle down
Frequently asked questions about Springdale
What is there to see in Springdale?
The top sights in Springdale are Zion Human History Museum, Zion Lodge and Grafton ghost town. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Springdale?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Springdale without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Springdale?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Springdale, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Into the canyon on the shuttle.
How do you get to Springdale and get around?
The main ways are St. George Regional Airport and Zion Canyon Visitor Center. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Springdale, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Springdale that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Springdale for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.