Visitation rates at the country’s national parks is highest during the spring and summer, when sunny weather makes for great hiking and sightseeing in the outdoor spaces. Many times national parks are slightly cooler than cities due to the fact that there is little as far as structures which would trap heat and restrict wind flow. While many of the national parks of the southwestern United States will begin to see snow and colder temperatures in the winter, this seasonal change actually does make the trip more enjoyable in many respects. In a place like Zion Canyon national park, this slight drop in temperatures actually thins the crowds down significantly, making the experience feel far more personal. There are many who feel that winter is the exact right time to visit Zion, as the hiking and nature walks are less crowded yet offer the exact same spectacular views. Bringing a jacket is a small price to pay to avoid the crowds.
Zion Canyon has become one of the country’s most popular tourism spots, probably due to a combination of effective marketing to younger people and the proximity to Las Vegas. One of the major drawbacks that has caused national park’s tourism rates to decline is their distance from any city that can support airline traffic. Since most people do not live within driving distance of the park they want to visit, they need to fly into the nearest city and use it as a starting point for their trip. Most major cities that have commercial airports are a minimum of four hours drive from the nearest park, with some being even more than that. Zion is an exception, being located only 2.5 hours driving from Las Vegas. Because of the sheer amounts of people who visit Las Vegas every year and who want to take a day out of their vacation to explore some of the wide open spaces of the southwest, Zion becomes the logical choice because you can drive to it and back as well as exploring for a decent amount of time, and do it all in one day. While it might be more satisfying to take a few days so as to explore the other parks that are close to Zion as well, many people only want to allocate a single day to the trip, meaning they are going to visit Zion. While tourism to Las Vegas only drops off slightly in the winter, the amount of people who want to spend time outside in cooler temperatures drops significantly, thus eliminating a large portion of the daily traffic from the city to the park. The lines get shorter and you have more of the park to yourself, and while you may need to bring some heavier clothing anyone who has waited for parking at Zion can tell you this is a small price to pay. The smartest visitors book their Zion trips as the weather becomes cooler, and lets us do the driving and touring for you. Contact us today about your next Zion tour.