We recently made our return back to Zion National Park, a place that first stole our hearts on a family trip in 2024. Our boys are 7 and 9 years old for reference and had an absolute blast both times!

We didn’t realize our trip fell on Memorial Day weekend, so the park was a little busier than it normally is. That being said, we were still able to do everything we wanted and didn’t think the restaurants or hikes (except for the Narrows) were *too* busy!

Traveling from Florida to Zion

There’s truly no ‘easy’ way to get to Zion from Florida. We decided to fly into Las Vegas and spend a couple of days there to rest and recharge before making the 3 hours drive to Zion.

My travel #OOTD: the most comfortable matching set!

Vegas: The Four Seasons, Titanic Exhibition and Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay

We stayed at the Four Seasons hotel – a 5-star hotel and one of the only smoke-free properties in Vegas -and it was worth every penny! It occupies the 35-39th floors of the Mandalay Bay building and is extremely quiet and private! You don’t feel like you’re in a big city and we didn’t hear a peep from anyone else staying there. 

Our flight got in late and that left us with one full day in Vegas. We decided to check out the Titantic Exhibition, which the kids really loved. We added on the audio option and the kids enjoyed learning about the ship as we moved through the exhibit. There are hundreds of real artifacts on display, including the biggest piece of the ship ever recovered. We spent about 1 hour here.

Next, we went over the the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, before stopping for lunch at Border Grill.

Border Grill is owned by Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, from Food Network’s “Too Hot Tamales,” and was absolutely delicious! I got the cauliflower tacos are they were amazing.

We ended our day at the Four Seasons pool, which is extremely quiet and private.

Roadtrip from Vegas to Zion National Park

The next day, we packed up and made our way over to Zion. It’s about a 3 hours drive from Las Vegas, depending on traffic.

On our way out of Vegas, we grabbed lunch at a 100% plant-based fast food restaurant called ‘Plant Power Fast Food’. Everything is vegan-friendly and the menu is pretty big! I would definitely go back here if we passed one again.

My roadtrip #OOTD is below!

On the drive in, we stopped at Wild Thyme Bistro at Trees Ranch for dinner. This property is absolutely gorgeous and there is ample seating outside, which I recommend on a beautiful day. I ordered the vegan-friendly yellow curry with chickpea cakes. They use ingredients from their organic gardens and everything tasted super fresh!

Our Two-Bedroom, Two-Bathroom Villa at Montclair at Zion

After dinner, we checked into our hotel. We rented a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa at Montclair at Zion. This property is in an excellent location, has incredible views of Zion, and also has a swimming pool. We loved having the extra space and full kitchen, too!

Breakfast at my FAVORITE coffee shop in the COUNTRY + the Canyon Overlook Trail

The next day, we made our way over to Deep Creek Coffee for breakfast. This is unquestionably my favorite coffee shop *in the entire country* and it’s where we have been getting our coffee beans for the past 2 years!

I got a vanilla oatmilk latte and my hubby and I split the brah-rito (vegan breakfast burrito with tofu, potatoes, beans, etc) and Monkey wrap (banana, peanut butter and honey). I would make it a point to stop here for breakfast one day!

After breakfast, we decided to do the Canyon Overlook trail. It’s a modern 1 mile hike on the east side of Zion with unbelievable views at the top!

It is steep in some parts but there are railings set up in most of those spots. There’s also a cool little cave you can rest in and have a snack!

We still had the entire afternoon ahead of us, so we decided to check out the Emerald Pools Trails. The trailhead is located across from the Zion Lodge. You have to take a shuttle to get up to this part of the park, which you can pickup at Zion Outfitters. We decided to to the Lower pools trail, which is a little over 1 mile round trip and leads you to small waterfalls at the end.

There’s also a spot where the kids can dip their feet in the water before you leave! There are restaurants and restrooms at the Zion Lodge, which is across the street.

For dinner, we stopped at Bit and Spur, which is not far from our hotel. This is a southwestern restaurant and one of our favorites in Springdale! I got the tofu tacos and they were incredible!

The Narrows: Parking, Renting and Shuttling

We woke up early with our eyes set on doing the Narrows today. We snagged a parking spot at Zion Outfitter (it’s paid parking here) around 6:30 a.m. before the shop officially opens at 7 a.m. a.m. This is where you can rent your hiking gear for the Narrows and has access to the park shuttle system that you need to hop on. This lot fills up FAST and was completely full shortly after 7 a.m.

We rented waterproof hiking boots, neoprene socks, a waterproof backpack and hiking sticks. The neoprene socks keep your feet warm in the cold water (it was 63 degrees the day we went) and the sticks help you keep your balance in the current.

Mornings are pretty cool in May. We saw a lot of people in long sleeves on top and shorts on the bottom. Here’s my #OOTD for the Narrows here!

The line to get onto the shuttle was LONG (I think because it was Memorial Day weekend) and we waited almost 2 hours for it. In hindsight, we could have rented our gear the day before and bypassed that process to get on the shuttle quicker.

The shuttle ride is about 40 minutes long and takes you up to the Temple of Sinawava, which is a 1 mile hike that leads to the entrance of the Narrows. It’s a really gorgeous and easy walk to do!

Hiking the Narrows: Temple of Sinawava

It really wasn’t that busy once we got to the Narrows. There are multiple stops along the shuttle route and not everyone that was in line with us went to the Narrows first thing.

All in all, the boys did great and the walking sticks were a huge help for all of us! We didn’t go too far into the Narrows (less than 1 mile in before we turned around and went back) because the water got pretty deep by that point. My husband and I would have been fine but it would have been difficult for our kids. We would love to go back one day (just the two of us) and attempt to go much deeper into the Narrows!

There are tons of cool spots you can explore off the Temple of Sinawava trail. The entire process took us about 5.5 hours from the time Zion Outfitter opened to the time we got back down and returned our rental gear. We packed snacks and waters and took breaks whenever the kids needed them.

Afterwards, we stopped for a quick bite to eat at Zion Canyon Brew Pub, which is right next to Zion Outfitter. I got the housemade-quinoa burger with chimichurri fries and it was just what I needed after our morning adventure.

We also grabbed Desert Ice, right outside of the restaurant. They have tons of dairy-free options! I got the mango and strawberry combo and it was a 10/10!

For dinner, we ate outside at Whiptail Grill and then went over to Canyon Creamery, which serves vegan-friendly Dole Whip.

Our Last Full Day: Day Trip to the Kolob Canyons

On our last full day, we decided to do a day trip to Kolob Canyons. This is a less crowded section of Zion National Park and about a 45 minute drive from the main entrance. The views here are absolutely breathtaking and it’s nice being able to drive your vehicle through the park.

We did the Timber Creek Overlook Trail (1 mile) and then part of the Taylor Creek Trailhead (a little over 5 miles round trip if you do the entire trail).

We ended the day with dinner at Oscar’s Cafe, another one of our favorite spots in town. I got the veggie enchiladas and my husband got a burger, which they are also known for!

Back Home to Florida, After One Special Last Stop!

The next day we drove back to Vegas to catch a flight home to Florida. Obviously, we made one last stop at Deep Creek Coffee on our way out!

Zion is such a special place and we are so glad we went back! We will probably do a similar trip yet again in another 2 years!

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