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The one area of Utah (other than the Salt Lake area) that I still haven’t gotten to see enough of is southwest Utah and the Greater Zion Area. I have seen some of it, but not enough. Never enough.

It’s also actually (so far) my least favorite part of Utah. The area around St. George, at least. It’s not just the landscape of southeast Utah which is my favorite. And this doesn’t mean it’s a bad area by any means. It’s still great just not my favorite area.

That said, I do still like Zion a lot. And Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks and Snow Canyon. They’re some of the best places to visit in Utah. It’s also just a lot busier over here but I’ll still go back to finish everything on this list.

This is also probably the only list I’ll have with this much on it that I haven’t done yet but I’ve still wanted to write this for years, so I am. Today were talking about the best things to do outside Zion.

That means things to do near Zion that aren’t in the Park. Because sometimes you want to get away from the Zion crowds and there are plenty of other great things to see in this area.

I’ve got national parks, state parks, specific hikes, and more on this list anywhere from 20 minutes away to two hours away. Things that are further away would be great if you’re based in the Springdale or St. George area for a few days.

If you’re spending most of your time in Zion and just looking for some other things to do outside of Zion but still very nearby, I would base yourself in Springdale. If you mostly want to see things that aren’t Zion, I would go for Hurricane or St. George.

One of the best ways to escape the Zion crowds is to join a tour in the area. If you’re looking for adventure, a canyoneering, UTV, or helicopter tour would be awesome. If you want something fun but a little less adventurous, horseback riding would be great!

Zion tours

• East Zion slot canyon and UTV
• East Zion horseback tour
• Zion and Canaan Cliffs helicopter tour
• Springdale half-day canyoneering experience
• Sunset UTV tour with views of Zion
• Stone Hollow Canyoneering experience

Map of things to do near Zion National Park

I’ve included a map of things to do outside of Zion National Park here so you can easily see where everything is in relation to each other. To open the map in a larger window, click on the four corner rectangle thing in the top right corner.

Visit the other areas of Zion

This is technically in Zion, so I’m not sure if it should count, but visiting Kolob Canyons and Kolob Terrace Road are two other great ways to experience Zion without the crowds of the main canyon. There is plenty of hiking in those areas and it’s much more likely the trails won’t be as busy.

Sand Hollow State Park

Distance from Zion: 47 minutes, 33 miles

Cost: $15 for Utah residents, $20 for everyone else

Sand Hollow State Park is a reservoir outside of Hurricane, Utah where there is something for everyone. It’s even one of the most-visited state parks in Utah.

It’s a park that has something for everyone including swimming, boating, fishing, off-roading, biking, stargazing, and hiking. There aren’t really hiking trails but you can walk around the reservoir.

This is a great place to cool off in the summer just know it can get very hot here. Be sure to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. It also can get really busy so be sure to get there nice and early to really avoid the crowds.

Red Canyon

Distance from Zion: 1.5 hours, 70 miles

Cost: Free!

Red Canyon is an area just outside of Bryce Canyon along Scenic Byway 12. The landscape is reminiscent of Bryce Canyon but less busy. It’s also where you can find these little tunnels carved into the red rock.

I’ve driven through here quite a few times and I love it but I’ve never done anything else here. There are three main hiking trails that I would love to do: the Tunnel Trail, Pink Ledges Trail, and Birdseye Trail.

Casto Canyon is another good trail here for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. I think most people just tend to drive on through here but it definitely deserves a little more time to explore it.

Snow Canyon State Park

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 7 minutes, 51 miles

Cost: $10 for Utah Residents, $15 for everyone else

I love Snow Canyon. This is my favorite Utah state park alongside Goblin Valley. It’s beautiful and, I think, the best thing to do outside of Zion without having to drive terribly far. It’s worth the 1 hour and 7 minute drive.

If you want to visit a state park near Zion for hiking, this is the best option. There are 9 hiking trails here, which I think is pretty high for a state park so that’s awesome.

They range in difficulty and length so there should be something for everyone but you can always do more than one, which I would recommend.

When we went, we saw the Pioneer Names and did the Butterfly Trail and saw a lava tube but we didn’t go very far into it. Jenny’s Canyon and Johnson Canyon are two I would love to do but really, I want to do them all. Are we really surprised?

Parowan Gap petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 21 minutes, 77 miles

Cost: Free!

The Parowan Gap petroglyph site is a great place not far from Zion to see ancient rock art. At this site, there are 90 panels with more than 1500 figures. That’s wild!

This is an awesome thing to do near Zion that will really take you back in time. It’s an easy drive 10.5 miles from the town of Parowan and is perfect for history buffs or anyone that loves Native American history.

There are apparently dinosaur tracks nearby as well if you want to visit those at the same time. There is a nice short trail to the track site and information about them at the parking area.

Things to keep in mind when visiting rock art & ruins:

• Do not touch the rock art (pictographs or petroglyphs) because the oils on our fingers can degrade them.
• If you find artifacts, do not take them.  Leave them where they are and just take pictures.
• If there are structures (rooms, kivas, anything like that) don’t enter them unless it is stated that you can.  Most places you can’t but national and state parks will have restored structures you can enter.  Mesa Verde, Edge of the Cedars, and Anasazi Museum all have ruins you can enter.
• And finally, don’t carve in or write or paint or draw on the rocks!  I don’t want to have to say this, but I need to for real.

Things to keep in mind when visiting dinosaur sites:

• Don’t take the bones.  I shouldn’t have to say this, but I do because people have dug out some of them.  While there aren’t any marked here that I’m aware of, if you do find some, leave them where they are.
• Just look at the tracks, don’t fill them with water.  While it makes them easier to see, it can damage the tracks.
• If you find artifacts, do not take them.  Leave them where they are and just take pictures.
• And finally, don’t carve in or write on the rocks!  I don’t want to have to say this, but I need do.

Grafton Ghost Town

Distance from Zion: 21 minutes, 8 miles

Cost: Free!

I didn’t know about Grafton Ghost Town until our recent visit but we decided to visit as a break from all the hiking we were doing during our week in Zion.

It’s just 20 minutes from Zion making it one of the closet things to do outside of Zion. You could easily visit this with just an hour or two since it’s not that big.

There are a few buildings, old homes, you can walk through. There isn’t anything in them but it’s still cool to see them. You can walk around the farm areas and fields, too.

On your way in or out, you can also visit an apparently haunted cemetery. We stopped here but it was so muddy, it was hard to walk through. We didn’t stay long and didn’t see or hear any ghosts, either. This is a cool place to see and learn about some of the darker history of the area.

Hike Yant Flat

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 10 minutes, 41 miles

Cost: Free!

I have wanted to hike Yant Flat for so long and I still haven’t done it. This is a 2ish mile trail through the Candy Cliffs of Utah. It’s a beautiful area and a great place to explore and hike outside of Zion.

This is a great place to get off the beaten path in Utah. You may be able to make it in a regular car but 4WD would be much better.

I think this would be a particularly great place to enjoy sunrise or sunset. I mean, look at it! Even though I haven’t been to The Wave either, this feels reminiscent of that.

Toquerville Falls

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 7 minutes, 29 miles

Cost: Free

You will need a 4WD high-clearance drive to get to Toquerville Falls, a hidden gem in the little town of Toquerville. There are no facilities here so you’ll have to bring anything you want/need and be sure to pack it all out, too.

Not only do you get to enjoy a waterfall here, but you can even cool off in the swimming holes! The upper one is more shallow that the lower one.

If you want to swim, visiting on a weekday in the summer will help you avoid any crowds. If you don’t care about swimming and just want to see the falls, springs, fall, or winter would be great.

Hike Water Canyon

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 5 minutes, 44 miles

Cost: Free!

Water Canyon is a 3.3 mile out-and-back hike in Hilldale, Utah. This is definitely one of the best things to do near Zion if you want a hike that is a little less known.

If you enjoy water hikes like The Narrows or Sulphur Creek, this may be perfect for you. It isn’t entirely in water but it is along a river and includes a waterfall!

I only recently heard about this one but it looks beautiful and I wish I could have done this one while we were still out there but just one more to do when we go back.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 51 minutes, 85 miles

Cost: $35 or $80 for a national park pass

Bryce Canyon National Park is the longest drive on this list and is best done if you’ve got a few days in the Zion area instead of just one or two.

You could easily spend a few days here but you can still see most of the highlights in one day. Be sure to stop at all of the overlooks and do some hiking.

The Mossy Cave Trail and the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop Trail are the best with just one day in the park. Getting below the rim is one of the best ways to experience Bryce Canyon.

National Park Pass + Other National Park Deals

• If you’re planning on visiting multiple parks (3 or more) on this trip or within the year, I would highly recommend getting a national park pass. It’s $80 but will pay for itself in about three trips to parks. It’s so worth it and I buy one every year! They’re also great for gifts for the park lovers in your life.
• To help plan the best national park trip ever, this Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is perfect! You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
• This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
• Get yourself a little National Park notebook to write all about your adventures while you’re on the road. These from Field Notes are all very cute! Buy a national park journal here.
• Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.
• Planning a big national park trip? Check out these other posts: National Park bucket list, Make the most of a National Park trip, National Park camping packing list, My favorite National Park hikes, More National Park hikes I love, Underrated National Parks.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 41 minutes, 91 miles

Cost: $10 per person (national park pass covers this)

Cedar Breaks is beautiful. It’s like a small Bryce Canyon with a lot less people. This might be my favorite Zion day trip. There is plenty of hiking and in the summer, it’s an awesome place to escape the desert heat.

It’s a little mountain getaway with incredible views and if you’re there in July, you may even be able to catch the Wildflower Festival! It’s a great place to go stargazing in Utah, too.

When we were there, we hiked the Alpine Pond Loop which was really nice and part of (I think) the Spectra Point Trail along the canyon rim. I would definitely recommend both. And they’re both fairly short and easy hikes in Utah.

Pipe Spring National Monument

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 10 minutes, 59 miles

Cost: $10 per person (national park pass covers this)

Pipe Spring National Monument is a great place to visit near Zion if you love history and want to learn more about the Mormon pioneer history of the area.

This little monument isn’t brimming with activities but they do have ranger talks and guided tours. There is a museum where you can learn about the history of the Kaibab Plateau.

The 0.5-mile Ridge Trail gives you wonderful views of the Arizona Strip. You can also explore the grounds on your own to see the spring and historic buildings. They even have an orchard here, too!

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Distance from Zion: 1 hour 7 minutes, 40 miles

Cost: $10

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is a cool park between Hurricane and Kanab. It’s a small park with the perfect peachy sand dunes surrounded by desert plateaus.

You can go sand boarding, off-roading, and hiking all on the dunes and unlike Great Sand Dunes Natio