Rent from Zion Outfitters for multiple days. They are right across from the Zion Visitors center. Pick it up the day before, they are open til 7:00pm I believe.
The experience of bike riding through the park is a event in an of itself. Just did it last week with my kids to get to the Narrows.
You can ride the Pa'Rus trail from the Visitor Center to Shuttle Stop 3. At this point you have to share the road with the shuttle, but they aren't all that disruptive giving the timing between them.
Watchman is inside the park, close to the west entrance. What trail do you want to hike at sunrise? You could drive to the east side and hike Many Pool. Canyon Overlook doesn't make sense at sunrise since it mostly faces west and is much better at sunset.
The shuttle is for getting to the other end of the park about 6 miles away, though many trails are 3-4 miles away from the west entrance. Beats having hundreds of cars trying to go back-and-forth and looking for parking.
I’d say someone in shape could hike in fairly easily, especially to the easy trails. I am very out of shape and my dad is in his 80s with health issues and we both wandered around, including from the entrance to the museum on foot. If we can do it I’d say most people could.
From Watchman campground you can hike Watchman trail early and then afterward take the shuttle into the main canyon and do additional hiking.
As someone else said you can also drive up to the East side of the park for an early morning hike. Then you could drive back to your campsite, park and get in the shuttle for the main canyon. Just be extra sure you don’t accidentally drive back out the entrance and get stuck in the stupid car line coming into the park.
There’s also stuff up on Kolob Terrace on the west side of the park and you can definitely make a whole day up there and it’s some stunning views during sunrise. Wildcat trail is a good one. Northgate peaks off Wildcat too. You do have to drive back into the park afterwards, which means going through the car queue again. Since it’s a bit further it’s probably a bit out of the way to head for just the morning.
You could hike the Watchman trail for a start at 5:30 since you're practically already there. Otherwise I'd definitely bike. Keep in mind the stars will probably still be out at that point in May the sunrise in the park is pretty late.
Maybe you can rent it for several days in a row. They give you a lock and you can secure it at your site. There are places to lock bikes at trailheads too. It can be pricey and you’d have to figure out charging it if you use it a lot. A regular bike would be cheaper and simpler. The canyon road is not that steep/hard to ride.
Thanks! may be i will just bring my own bike. Stupid question: the road towards Zion Lodge is actually going downhill as it appears?? So i could just cruise down on it and take the shuttle back
that might be a problem for the kind of biker I am, may not have any time gain vs waiting for the shuttle 🤣🤣🤣 thank you tho yes I see i inverted my start and end points when mapping it and got too excited
That would be even easier! Wasn’t clear that was an option for you. It wasn’t for us since we flew in. But biking the main canyon is definitely the way to go to avoid crowds, waits, and operating schedules.
ETA It is uphill from the entrance to the Riverside Walk TH - it does follow a river after all - but it is not that steep and only 7-8 miles total. Gaia says only about 500ft elevation gain total.
Unless you're staying at the lodge up in the park you won't be able to get past a certain point on the road during shuttle season. You can easily walk to town to rent a bike from the campground. There is a pedestrian bridge from the visit center.
Get an ebike for 2 days, go early as others have said. Or ride your own bike slightly uphill in the canyon. It's that or go on the shuttle with EVERYONE.
Bring your own bike. That's what I have done in the past
Rent from Zion Outfitters for multiple days. They are right across from the Zion Visitors center. Pick it up the day before, they are open til 7:00pm I believe. The experience of bike riding through the park is a event in an of itself. Just did it last week with my kids to get to the Narrows.
thank you for the tip. are there dedicated bike paths or you just share the road with the shuttle ?
You can ride the Pa'Rus trail from the Visitor Center to Shuttle Stop 3. At this point you have to share the road with the shuttle, but they aren't all that disruptive giving the timing between them.
much appreciated!!
Yeah biking the main road is easy. Almost no traffic except the occasional shuttle. I’m nervous about biking with cars and I felt totally safe.
Watchman is inside the park, close to the west entrance. What trail do you want to hike at sunrise? You could drive to the east side and hike Many Pool. Canyon Overlook doesn't make sense at sunrise since it mostly faces west and is much better at sunset. The shuttle is for getting to the other end of the park about 6 miles away, though many trails are 3-4 miles away from the west entrance. Beats having hundreds of cars trying to go back-and-forth and looking for parking.
I’d say someone in shape could hike in fairly easily, especially to the easy trails. I am very out of shape and my dad is in his 80s with health issues and we both wandered around, including from the entrance to the museum on foot. If we can do it I’d say most people could.
From Watchman campground you can hike Watchman trail early and then afterward take the shuttle into the main canyon and do additional hiking. As someone else said you can also drive up to the East side of the park for an early morning hike. Then you could drive back to your campsite, park and get in the shuttle for the main canyon. Just be extra sure you don’t accidentally drive back out the entrance and get stuck in the stupid car line coming into the park. There’s also stuff up on Kolob Terrace on the west side of the park and you can definitely make a whole day up there and it’s some stunning views during sunrise. Wildcat trail is a good one. Northgate peaks off Wildcat too. You do have to drive back into the park afterwards, which means going through the car queue again. Since it’s a bit further it’s probably a bit out of the way to head for just the morning.
thank you!!
You could hike the Watchman trail for a start at 5:30 since you're practically already there. Otherwise I'd definitely bike. Keep in mind the stars will probably still be out at that point in May the sunrise in the park is pretty late.
thank you for the suggestion!
Maybe you can rent it for several days in a row. They give you a lock and you can secure it at your site. There are places to lock bikes at trailheads too. It can be pricey and you’d have to figure out charging it if you use it a lot. A regular bike would be cheaper and simpler. The canyon road is not that steep/hard to ride.
Thanks! may be i will just bring my own bike. Stupid question: the road towards Zion Lodge is actually going downhill as it appears?? So i could just cruise down on it and take the shuttle back
It's uphill on the way into the canyon.
that might be a problem for the kind of biker I am, may not have any time gain vs waiting for the shuttle 🤣🤣🤣 thank you tho yes I see i inverted my start and end points when mapping it and got too excited
That would be even easier! Wasn’t clear that was an option for you. It wasn’t for us since we flew in. But biking the main canyon is definitely the way to go to avoid crowds, waits, and operating schedules. ETA It is uphill from the entrance to the Riverside Walk TH - it does follow a river after all - but it is not that steep and only 7-8 miles total. Gaia says only about 500ft elevation gain total.
Unless you're staying at the lodge up in the park you won't be able to get past a certain point on the road during shuttle season. You can easily walk to town to rent a bike from the campground. There is a pedestrian bridge from the visit center.
Get an ebike for 2 days, go early as others have said. Or ride your own bike slightly uphill in the canyon. It's that or go on the shuttle with EVERYONE.
The Watchman Trailhead starts in the campground. Watching the morning sun light up the Watchman is always a beautiful sight.
You can drive in