Zion National Park Visitor Center
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Zion National Park
Visitors Center
The National Park Service maintains the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and the Zion Human History Museum. Ranger programs are offered and a schedule is posted at the visitor center and the museum. Programs range from history and folklore of Zion to talks about biology, geology, flora and fauna. Both of these buildings are found on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and can be accessed in your private vehicle. The original visitor center, which was actually a rangers cabin, was built at the Grotto in the 1920s. The current museum was the next visitor center which was built in the 1950s. The current visitor center, built in 2000, was constructed to conserve energy and help keep the air in and around Zion clean. The first year after the centers construction, it consumed 70-80% less energy than other buildings of its size.
Zion National Park Lodging
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Plan your trip with our "Canyon Country"
Vacation Itinerary
The Zion Canyon Visitor Center is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm, with extended hours in the spring, summer, and fall. The visitor center is filled with displays and information about the park. There are also ranger talks offered, from late March through November, which are held outside on the patio. This can be a nice break from hiking and driving and quite educational.
Just a short jaunt down the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway is the Zion Natural History Museum. Behind the building is an incredible view of some of the landmarks of Zion National Park including the West Temple, Sundial and Altar of Sacrifice. Inside the museum are more park displays demonstrating the history, flora, fauna, geology and other aspects of the park. An outstanding, twenty-two minute film runs throughout the day which reports how Zion National Park was formed. There is no fee to watch.
If you are up for some "off the beaten path" adventures, the east side of Zion National Park offers Orderville Canyon, East Rim and Parunuweap Canyon among many others. Parunuweap is riddled with slot canyon tributaries, and offers quiet isolation. Although few venture into the East Fork, it rivals the famous North Fork (Zion Narrows) in beauty and adventure.
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Zion Park History
In 1917 the Zion Lodge was built in Zion Canyon to accommodate the tourists who flocked to the area. Two years later, Mukuntuweep National Monument was proclaimed Zion National Park. In 1930, the Zion-Mt Carmel highway was completed which opened up Zion Canyon to the east side of the park. This also gave easy access to Bryce Canyon and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Zion Human History Museum, located along the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, has informative displays on the human history of the Zion National Park area. Humans have been in the area for a very long time. Evidence dates back to 500 A.D., a time when the ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) hunted the megafauna that roamed the earth.
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Zion National Park Vacation: Canyon Country
Private vehicles can travel Highway 9, the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, through the east side of the park year-round. Oversized Vehicle Information
From April until October the only access to the Scenic Drive is via shuttle. From October until April private vehicles can travel the Scenic Drive.
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 Nature Notes
Zion National Park offers a program were visitors can spend the day with park science technicians, learning about current resource management issues. The goal is the preservation of the native plants in the Zion National Park area while learning plant identification and experiencing Zion's backcountry with experienced scientists or Rangers. Call for more information: 1.435.772.0218. Zion also offers other events, throughout, the year that are science oriented.
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