The seasons, in detail.
We list only the timing NPS publishes for Zion. Many visitors stay for sunset, NPS says, "to take photos of cliffs glowing vivid orange in the late day sun." NPS doesn't say which cliffs catch first or last light, or name a month when the Narrows runs low, so we don't either. The rows below come from the NPS seasons page and the NPS stargazing page. For telescopes and tripods at night, NPS suggests Checkerboard Mesa Pullout, Lava Point Overlook, and Timber Creek Parking Lot, which have wide views and flat ground. All three have restrooms except Checkerboard Mesa.
| Subject | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Claret cup cactus bloom | Mid-April | NPS captions its spring photo "Claret cup cactus flowers blooming in mid April." In March and April the trees leaf out and the earliest wildflowers start to bloom. |
| Spring snowmelt in the Narrows | April and May, sometimes later | Snowmelt raises the Virgin River. NPS says the river often closes to hiking during spring snowmelt, in April, May, and possibly later (NPS Virgin River Narrows page), and the Narrows closes to all travel when the flow goes over 150 CFS (NPS Narrows page). |
| Milky Way over Zion Canyon | Summer (May to September) | NPS says the Milky Way can be seen over Zion Canyon in summer, and the darkest nights always fall in the week leading up to a new moon. When the moon is up it washes out the Milky Way. On June 21 the darkest hours at the visitor center run from 10:26 p.m. to 4:42 a.m. the next morning. The darkest skies are on the east side of the park and along Kolob Terrace Road. |
| Monsoon | July to September | NPS says to watch for flash floods once the summer monsoon begins and to ask about the risk at the visitor center. The Narrows closes when the National Weather Service issues a Flash Flood Warning and stays closed two hours after it lifts. Summer temperatures regularly top 100°F. |
| Fall color | End of October to early November | NPS says color starts at the highest elevations and works its way down to Zion Canyon at the end of October and early November. Its seasons page shows Lower Emerald Pools in late October. |
| Snow on the cliffs | December to February, after storms | After winter storms, snow usually disappears within hours at lower elevations and builds up higher, and NPS notes that snow on the Temples and Towers can melt quickly in the sun. Shady trails can be icy, some trails close for falling ice, and you will likely need a drysuit for the Narrows. |
Sunrise and sunset through the year.
Crowds in the photo months.
The photo seasons and the quiet months don't line up well. June is the busiest month at about 602,000 visits. March jumps to 68% of that (NPS says almost three times February), April, the bloom month, runs 81%, and October, the fall color month, is still 82%. NPS says visitation drops more dramatically in November, which runs 50%, and January is quietest at 23%. In summer all parking in Zion is often full by 9:00 am, and Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day are the three busiest weekends of the year.
For dawn or dusk in Zion Canyon, plan around the shuttle. In shuttle season you can't drive the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive at any hour, including before the first bus and after the last, and in most years private cars can drive it only from December through February. Our Zion shuttle page has the schedule and Zion parking covers where to leave the car. Month tradeoffs are on the best time to visit Zion page. Zion's campgrounds are full almost every night from mid-March through late November (Zion camping).
Rules for cameras and drones.
Drones are prohibited anywhere in Zion, under the park's ban on remote-controlled aircraft (NPS laws and policies). Feeding and harassing wildlife is prohibited too. NPS asks you to stay at least 100 feet from deer, bighorn sheep, California condors, and mountain lions, and at least 50 feet from smaller animals like squirrels, birds, and reptiles, and to back away if an animal comes toward you (NPS wildlife viewing safety). Don't block traffic to take pictures or while you wait for parking.
Watch your footing. NPS says falls from cliffs on trails have killed people, loose sand or pebbles on stone are very slippery, and you should be careful of edges when using a camera. Stay on the trail. Don't stand on the Canyon Junction Bridge to take pictures: NPS says the Pa'rus Trail nearby has similar views of the Watchman and the Virgin River (NPS safety page). After dark, stay on trails and in parking areas, use only red light, and give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust. There is no food in the park at night, and sleeping in pullouts or parking lots is prohibited.
Most photographers need no permit. NPS says a group of eight or fewer needs none if it works in areas open to the public, uses hand-carried equipment only, doesn't need exclusive use of a site, doesn't harm park resources or other visitors, and adds no administrative cost. Commercial and non-commercial work is treated the same, and entrance fees still apply. Above eight people, Zion issues a special use permit for up to 12, with a $150 non-refundable application fee, and it needs the application at least three weeks (21 days) ahead (NPS Zion filming page). Zion won't permit filming in wilderness, which includes most slot canyons, on the West Rim Trail to Scout Lookout and Angels Landing, or on the Riverside Walk and Narrows trails.
Everyone who hikes Angels Landing needs a permit, camera or not; our Zion reservations page covers the lottery. You don't need a permit to hike the Narrows upstream from the Temple of Sinawava as far as Big Spring, but check NPS current conditions first: it closes above 150 CFS and during flash flood warnings.
Dates, fees, and rules change. Confirm the current details on the official pages before you leave. NPS seasons · NPS stargazing · NPS filming permits · NPS current conditions
Facts on this page last verified September 10, 2026.
Where these facts come from
Bloom, fall color, monsoon, winter snow, summer parking, and visitation notes come from the NPS seasons page (last updated July 27, 2024); the April and May snowmelt closures from the NPS Virgin River Narrows page. The Dark Sky Park line, summer Milky Way, new-moon and dark-hours advice, moon, red light, stargazing places, restrooms, and night rules come from the NPS stargazing page (last updated April 17, 2025). Permit rules, fees, and the places Zion won't permit filming come from the NPS Zion filming page; the drone, wildlife-feeding, traffic, and pullout rules from NPS laws and policies; cliff, bridge, and trail safety from the NPS safety page; wildlife distances from NPS wildlife viewing safety; Narrows flow, flood closures, and the no-permit stretch from the NPS Narrows page; the Scenic Drive rule from the NPS shuttle page; the Angels Landing permit from the NPS Angels Landing permits page; campground fullness from the NPS campgrounds page. Sunrise and sunset come from the U.S. Naval Observatory for 2026 at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center in local clock time; the dark hours add NPS's 1.5-hour rule to those times. Map points are from OpenStreetMap; the park boundary is from the NPS boundary service and state outlines from the U.S. Census. Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.
Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.