There is just one lodge within the borders of Zion National Park, but there are a good number of lodging options in the landscape surrounding the park. With little effort you can find charming bed-and-breakfasts, chain motels, and guest ranches to choose from when it comes to deciding where to lie your head down.
The historic Zion Lodge in the heart of Zion Canyon is the location most park visitors want. It's rimmed by the canyon's soaring sandstone walls, a short walk from the rippling Virgin River, within easy reach of some great hikes, and on the route of the park's free shuttle buses if you want to explore Springdale just outside the south entrance.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1987, Zion Lodge was designed in the 1920s by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood and built by the Union Pacific Railroad.
As with Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim and Bryce Canyon Lodge, Zion Lodge was built by the railroad to promote tourism and rail service to the West, note David and Kay Scott, Traveler's lodging experts.
Western Cabin interior. Photo by David and Kay Scott.
Zion Lodge offers a combination of cabins and motor lodge rooms, all of which the Scotts have found to be quite nice. In fact, in 2011 they wrote that they considered the amount of remodeling and improvement at Zion Lodge since their last visit in 2008 to be quite amazing.
A major remodeling of the 40 cabins was completed in 2011. Concessionaire Xanterra Parks & Resorts replaced carpeting with fir floors, installed custom-made furniture manufactured by an Indiana company that has a long history of making furniture for national parks, and contracted with Pendleton Woolen Mills to recreate blankets and draperies based on historical photographs.
Zion Lodge also offers 76 rooms in two motor lodge buildings. These rooms recently were upgraded with new carpet, furnishings, and 32-inch flat-screen televisions. Lodge rooms are available with two queens or one king bed. Each room has a relatively large balcony.
Nudging up to the park's southern boundary is the town of Springdale, where you can find a range of lodging. There are roughly two dozen locations to choose from, making it relatively easy to find something to fit your wallet.
This is a quaint town with art galleries, eateries and gift shops all within easy walking distance. Base your visit in Springdale and during the high season you can catch a ride to and from the park via Zion's free shuttle system.
Roughly three miles beyond the east entrance of the park lies a guest ranch that can be a vacation experience in itself. Expand the radius from Zion's south entrance to 25 miles and you'll find even more lodging options in both B&B and chain motel layouts.
