Zion National Park Half Day & Full Day Tours

Experience the grandeur of Zion National Park with our customizable half and full day tours of the park’s centerpiece – Zion Canyon. Our experienced tour guides will take your group to the places you choose to see.

Our tour can include classic Zion hikes such as Emerald Pools, the Riverside Walk (gateway to the Narrows), and up to Scouts Lookout next to Angels Landing. Hikers can continue up Angels Landing if they are able to get a day-permit (the day of the tour) or continue hiking a short distance up the West Rim Trail that offers spectacular views of the canyon below. If you don’t care much for hiking and climbing, we can go to less walking-intensive places.

Not quite sure what there is to see or how to choose? No worries, we can help you choose after learning more of what you’re interested in and how far you wish to walk/hike. See our pictures and video below to visually appreciate the places to see in Zion Canyon.

Book Half Day Tours!

Book Full Day Tours!

Half Day Tour Price: $149.00
Full Day Tour Price: $199.00

Half day and Full day Zion Canyon tours can be combined with other tours where you’ll find fewer people, such as our Eagle Crags or Smith Mesa tour. We can also arrange tours where you’ll spend half the day in Zion Canyon and the other half at one of these other places outside the National Park.

Customize Your Tours!

Full Day Zion Tours

Pick any hike(s) from Destinations List below that adds up to 7 hours total, or
Zion Canyon Narrows Hike (see our tour page)

Half Day Zion Tours

Pick any hike(s) from Destinations List below that adds up to 4 hours total
Does Not include Zion Narrows Hike

Destinations List

Must ride the Park’s shuttle-bus:

Court of the Patriarchs – 0.5 hour
Emerald Pools – 1.5 hours
Scouts Lookout (Angels Landing if permit rewarded or West Rim Trail) – 4 hours
Weeping Rock – 0.5 hour
Big Bend – 0.5 hour (more of a stop than a hike)
Riverside Walk – 1.5 hours
Zion Narrows (see our tour page) – 7 hours

No shuttle-bus needed:

Watchman Trail – 2 hours
East Entrance, Canyon Overlook Hike, stop at Checkerboard Mesa – 3 hours
Smith Mesa & Lambs Knoll (driving tour, light walking) – 3.5 hours
Eagle Crag (see our tour page) – 3.5 hours

Riding Zion Canyon’s Shuttle-buses:
Between early spring and late fall, the only public access into Zion Canyon (except for walking or biking) is by riding shuttle-buses. During that time, our tours will include riding these buses.

During popular visitation periods, such as summer, 3-day weekends, spring break and fall-color time, it may take us longer to board a bus, which could be up to 60 minutes or more. When you book your trip, we will inform you what we expect for wait times to board the shuttle-buses.

But don’t let the idea of waiting in lines scare you away. While we wait for the next bus, your tour guide will take the time and explain the interesting geology, human and natural history of Zion National Park, plus more interesting facts about the Greater Zion area.

Seasons (When to Visit):
Here’s what to know about when you’re planning your visit to Zion.
Winter:

Shuttle-buses don’t run – we can drive our tour vehicle into the canyon
Canyon is less crowded
Increased possibility of bad weather
Possibility of snow in the canyon, which makes Zion even more beautiful!
The trees in Zion are barren, providing more visibility

Spring:

Shuttle-buses resume service
Crowded during spring break
Trees sprout their fresh green leaves around late April
Bad weather is still possible

Summer:

It can easily be over 100 degrees between June 15 and September 15, between 11am and 5pm
Highest visitation occurs during these months (busiest time)
Possibility of thunderstorms in afternoon causing flash floods

Fall:

Canyon becomes less crowded, but there are busy periods in October
Fall colors are spectacular in Zion Canyon – usually October and November
In our opinion, fall has the best weather of the year!

Zion Tours and Details

Court of the Patriarchs – 0.5 hour
These are three massive, pointed sandstone monoliths that Zion Canyon is well-known for. There are two short walks. One to a higher-up overlook and the other to a bridge over a waterfall that makes for a great group picture. Total walking distance is about 0.5 mile (0.9 km).

Emerald Pools – 1.5 hours
This is a great introductory hike to what Zion Canyon is all about: high, red sandstone cliffs and waterfalls. This combination of two trails consists of a 2-mile (3.2 km) hike on a mostly hardpack trail with stairs. Elevation gain and loss is a total of 200 feet (60 m).

Scouts Lookout (Angels Landing) – 4 hours
One of the most popular hikes in Zion, it’s also one of the most strenuous. Depending on how far you go, it is 4 to 5 miles roundtrip, plus an elevation gain of 1,100 feet (335 m). That hard work, however, will really pay off as this hike offers some of the best views of the canyon. It will leave you with memories that will last a lifetime!

Hiking to the top of Angels Landing requires that you get a permit, which can be obtained from the National Park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/angels-landing-hiking-permits.htm. If you’re able to get a permit, we’ll wait with your gear (to lighten your load) as you climb the final half mile to the top of Angels Landing. If you’re not able to get a permit, you can optionally continue climbing the West Rim Trail that offers more views of the canyon, including unique views of Angels Landing itself. Again, we’ll wait with your gear while you explore this trail for about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, guides are not allowed to conduct tours past Scouts Lookout.

Weeping Rock – 0.5 hour
This is a short but steep ½ mile walk to stand behind a wide and dripping waterfall. The views of Zion Canyon here are unique as the water falling in front of you makes it seem like it’s raining throughout the canyon.

Big Bend – 0.5 hour
There is no walking involved with this destination unless you’d like to take the short walk to the shore of the Virgin River. The purpose of stopping at Big Bend is to marvel at the massive Angels Landing above, plus other nearby cliffs, and also to learn about North America’s largest bird, the California Condor. Condors frequent this area, as do rock climbers.

Riverside Walk – 1.5 hours
This is the beginning of Zion’s other popular hike – the Zion Narrows (see our separate Zion Narrows tour). This tour takes you only one mile into the Narrows and is an easy 2-mile round trip walk alongside the Virgin River.

This beautiful walk starts out at the base of the thousand-foot high, red sandstone cliffs of Zion Canyon and gets narrower as we follow the river up-stream. Just before we have to get our feet wet in the Virgin River, we’ll turn around and see a different view of the canyon as we return to where we started.

East Entrance & Canyon Overlook – 3 hours
This tour doesn’t go into Zion Canyon itself and doesn’t require that we ride the shuttle-bus. What it does do is take you to the east side of the Park via our own tour vehicle. We’ll pass through the famous Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, explain its history and, once on the other side, we’ll grab a parking spot and hike out to Canyon Overlook, which is 2 miles roundtrip.

The trail to Canyon Overlook has some steep drop-offs, but don’t let that scare you as there are many guardrails to hold on to. The view at the end of the trail is absolutely stunning.

After our hike, we’ll continue east on the highway and pass through a surreal landscape of swirling and colorful sandstone that is very different from Zion Canyon itself and can only be found in this section of the Park. We’ll stop at Checkerboard Mesa and perhaps make another stop or two.

Watchman – 2 hours
This hike also doesn’t require riding the shuttle-bus. This 3-mile round trip hike ascends some 400 feet (120 m) up the eastern wall of Zion Canyon, just underneath Zion’s famous Watchman. The views of the canyon below are wonderful. Our guide will explain the various geologic formations we pass through along this hike.

Smith Mesa & Lambs Knoll - 3.5 hours
See the Smith's Mesa Tour Page

Eagle Crag - 3.5 hours
See the Eagle Crag Tour Page

Zion Narrows - 6-8 hours
See the Narrows Tour Page

Greater Zion Tours and Grand Circle Tours are authorized permittees of Zion National Park.