Entrance station · Zion National Park
A working gateway beside the park’s old sandstone-and-log welcome sign.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Zion Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Zion National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Zion audio tourRecorded for this place
Zion Canyon Visitor Center“Zion Canyon Visitor Center is ahead, where you can get ranger advice, browse the outdoor exhibits and board the canyon shuttle.”
Plays as you drive up to South Entrance in the Parkwolf Zion Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
South Entrance is the vehicle checkpoint into Zion Canyon, at the north end of Springdale. Pay the park entrance fee here or show a valid pass; the pedestrian entrance and Zion Canyon Visitor Center are separate stops. This is a quick gateway, not a destination that needs its own time.
A short distance west of the booths, red sandstone pillars and a projecting log mark the historic welcome sign. Civilian Conservation Corps crews built it in the mid-1930s, and it was rotated in 1960 to make room for larger vehicles. The sign is a small piece of the park’s early road-building history.
Lines can form before you reach the booth, so leave some slack if you’re timing an arrival. The sign is a nice look as you enter, but a safe designated place to stop for a photo could not be confirmed; don’t pull over in the entrance lanes.
Wildlife
291 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
350 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,326 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
23 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
15 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Zion. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyPa'rus Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 0.1 mi awayA paved riverside walk with Watchman views and shared bike traffic.
ModerateWatchman Trail3.2 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayA rocky canyon climb with a loop and views over Springdale.
EasyVirgin River Nature Trail0.1 mi · 9 min · 0.1 mi awayA few level steps put you beside the Virgin River.
EasyArcheology Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 0.2 mi awayA short, exposed climb to an ancient storage site and canyon views.
ModerateLower Pine Creek Falls Trail0.7 mi · 45 min · 1.6 mi awayA short creek walk gives way to boulder hopping and shallow wading.
ModerateGifford Canyon Hike3.6 mi · 3 hr · 2.6 mi awayA sandy canyon wash with two rough dryfall scrambles.
ModerateCanyon Overlook Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 2.8 mi awayA short, rocky climb to a big view over Pine Creek Canyon.
ModerateSand Bench Trail3.9 mi · 3 hr · 2.9 mi awayLoose sand turns this canyon loop into a bigger effort.
Visitor center · 0.1 mi awayZion Canyon Visitor CenterGet ranger help and board the canyon shuttle at Stop 1.
Campground · 0.3 mi awaySouth CampgroundWalk the Pa’rus Trail from camp to the visitor center and shuttle.
Campground · 0.4 mi awayWatchman CampgroundCamp beside Zion’s canyon shuttle, a short walk from the visitor center.
Visitor center · 0.4 mi awayZion Nature CenterHands-on Zion exhibits and ranger programs in a seasonal indoor center.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayWatchman OverlookThe Watchman fills the view at the end of a rocky climb.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayZion Human History MuseumA short museum stop for Zion’s human story and canyon views.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayLower Pine Creek FallsA small waterfall worth the scramble if rough creek walking suits you.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayGreat ArchA broad sandstone alcove comes into view on the tunnel climb.Parkwolf’s Zion ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
