How To Visit Zion National Park on Points

 

Zion National Park is stunning! So how do you make it affordable and easy? That's what I'm going to share with you. Zion National Park is located about 2-3 hours northeast of Las Vegas. It's an easy, but sparse drive so pack food and gas. It's well-marked with wide highways. Once you reach the small town of St. George, Utah, you are nearly there. 

If you plan to visit Bryce National Park too, I highly recommend going there first because if you enter Zion through the east gate, you will be in for a treat.

From the east gate, you enter a long and very dark tunnel that opens up into a spectacular view of the canyon. There is a viewpoint where you can stop and take photos like the one above. Drive 5 miles more and you will exit the west gate into the small town of Springdale. In Springdale, you can find dozens of hotels from all the major chains, independent hotels, and smaller bed and breakfasts. 

Most of the hotels are pretty pricey, but here's a major tip, there is a Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites located about 11 miles west of Springdale where you can get a room for $100 per night. The points for this hotel were listed at 50,000 per night so I opted to pay cash. It's a new hotel about 1.5 years old, in fact, half the hotel wasn't even open yet. The pool is big and includes a hot tub and kiddie pool. Both were open. Now there is nothing and I mean nothing near this hotel so be sure you eat in Springdale. 

There are lots of dining options in Springdale, however, they all stop takeout at 6pm. A friend recommended Whiptail and we ate there both nights. It is Mexican food and quite good with lots of vegetarian options. 

If you want to explore the Narrows or any of the other hikes inside the National Park, you will need to board the shuttle. To get to the shuttle, you will need to drive in the west gate of the park, definitely have your National Park annual pass handy. There is plenty of parking available at the visitor center where the shuttle picks up. 

Here's a tip, if you buy a shuttle ticket in advance, you can cut the line. The day we went on the shuttle, the ticket line was long! Tickets cost $1 so it's really a no-brainer. You can buy the tickets two weeks in advance OR the day before starting at 9am. 

The shuttle makes stops at all the popular hiking spots including the lodge so you can plan your day. We headed straight to the Narrows. It's about a .5 mile walk from the shuttle bus to the start of the Narrows. You should bring along water shoes and there are benches at the start where you change. Hikers also leave walking sticks here that you can borrow. You will get wet! It just depends on how high the water is, but that's part of the fun. 

Look for lots of wildlife including mule deer and California condors and enjoy! 

If you need points for this trip, consider applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card which is offering an 80,000 point bonus right now or the Marriott Bonvoy family of cards which are offering 50-100 thousand points right now or FREE nights depending on which one you choose.