Family hike at Angels Landing in Zion National Park in November

We spent our first Thanksgiving as a family of three in Zion National Park. Justin had been there twice before, so we were comfortable taking the baby, knowing that some of the more epic hikes would be off limits to us with our 6-month old in tow. All-in-all, even with some trails closed, we were able to see some beautiful views and keep our daughter warm and happy while we explored Zion each day.

If you're considering visiting Zion National Park with an infant, read on to see how we managed!

Getting to Zion NP

We flew into Las Vegas, McCarran International Airport and rented a car.

To make your life easy, choose a rental car company that lives in the McCarran-Rent-A-Car Center. Then you can take the free shuttle right outside baggage claim; bonus, if you’re jetlagged, there is a Starbucks in this small building.

We used Thrifty Rental Cars as they had the best rates, and luckily, the shortest lines when we were there. Renting and returning were super easy.

From Vegas, it’s about 2 1/2 hours to Zion. Note, you will switch time zones during this drive, so you will get to your hotel an hour later than you plan. (And when you drive back, you’ll gain that hour.)

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Transitioning with the baby

We used the LilleBaby carrier in order to help transition from the plane through the airport and to the rental car facility. You cannot take a stroller on a shuttle unless it is collapsed, so this was the safest and easiest option for carrying our 18-lb baby. Plus, she was cozy and happy, which allowed her to nap.

I also purchased these noise-cancelling headphones. They saved us and helped her stay asleep longer.

Accomodations

When we travel, we typically stay at NPS campgrounds, and we wanted to for our trip to Zion, too.

But, the forecast called for snow and it was a little chilly for our infant, so at the last minute we booked a room at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Virgin.

Our room was spacious, had a porch that looked outside, and included a mini-fridge and a microwave. Bonus- there are washers and dryers and the front desk sells laundry detergent. Breakfast was included in the room price and was delicious. We were there every day at 6am (sometimes getting coffee at 5:45am as they set up for the day before we left for the park.)

Note: There are closer hotels, but this was much more affordable and we used the drive to the Visitor's Center every day as a little cat nap for the baby.

Groceries and Food

The closest and largest town on the way to Zion (from Vegas) is St. George, Utah. We stopped at a Target to buy some groceries, diapers, and other things that we did not want to pack in our luggage.

There are tons of chain restaurants here if you are looking to eat out before you head to the park.

Zion Outings:

Check out the Zion website before hiking to check for tail closures, etc.

As you look at this day-by-day summary below, please know that you could squeeze a lot more into a day than we did. We allowed for midday breaks for coffee and lunch, and had the baby in bed at 5pm most nights because we were all still on EST.

Day 1: Angels Landing, Zion NP

The forecast was clear, so we got up early and got ourselves to the park before it opened. We parked in the Visitor’s Center lot and got on the first shuttle at 7am.

The free in park shuttle has 9 stops and it takes about 40 minutes to get from one end to another. Angel’s Landing is at stop 7.

Once again, the baby was in our handy LilleBaby carrierand we carried one of our packs (which served as a carry on the day before) with supplies for all of us. (We once carried a diaper backpack once while hiking and we won’t do it again.)

The trail starts out gentle along the river and then transforms into switchbacks the head up. Since we were there early in the morning, it was easy to pull over and take breaks with the baby. I stopped at Scout’s Landing and had lunch while the baby napped in the carrier while Justin scurried up the more dangerous part to the Angel’s Landing Lookout.

Scout’s Landing includes a bathroom and lots of large rocks that are good for relaxing on. Just don’t leave any food out or set an open pack down, the chipmunks are brave and will go right into your bag.

We finished this hike before it got too busy and then took the shuttle back to the Visitor Center. From there, we were able to change the baby, feed her, and walk into town for some coffee and lunch.

Day 2: Riverside Walk and Canyon Overlook Trail, Zion NP

Still jet lagged, we got up early again and this time took the shuttle out to stop #9 for the Riverside Walk. At 7:15 am we had an entire shuttle to ourselves AND there were only 5 other people on the trail. This was an easy, relaxing walk to start the day. This is the walk that leads to Zion’s famous Narrows.

Of course, with an infant in November, there was no way we were wading in the water. However, we saw lots of people who were getting their gear in Springdale for this specific hike, so, don’t let the 40 degree temps discourage you if you visit in the fall.

Start of Riverside Walk

last view of Riverside Walk before the Narrows

To get some more miles in, we took the shuttle back to stop #6, The Grotto, and then walked to the Lodge. There’s another shop here and a small, but interesting selection of nonfiction books.

After coffee and lunch, we drove up through the tunnel and did a hike on the Canyon Overlook Trail.

This was not always easy with the baby because it was a bit crowded. I would recommend going earlier in the day. But, the views were amazing and it was definitely unique.

Canyon OverLook Trail Zion National Park with a baby

Mom and baby hiking on the Canyon Overlook Trail

Day 3: Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site Hurricane, Utah

Snow was moving into the area soon, so we drove up to higher elevation before the storms for a new view, and to get away from the crowds in Springdale.

And, it was freezing and the trails were already covered in ice, so that did not work. Lesson of the year: elevation matters. A lot.

However, if you are there in a warmer time, we definitely recommend going here for half a day. It was beautiful.

We wandered back down to lower elevation and had a magically warm day. We thought about going to the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site , because someone in this family really loves fossils. But after putting the word “dinosaur” into Google maps, we found real dinosaur fossils in the wild.

Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site in Hurricane, Utah.

Yes, we drove on bumpy dirt roads for 30 minutes, yes we thought we were lost and breaking some rules, but Google did not fail us and we had the whole place to ourselves.

Day 4: Pa'rus Trail and a Slot Canyon near Zion NP

This was supposed to be a snowy and rainy Thanksgiving Day. Luckily, the forecast was wrong and everyone else believed it and stayed inside.

We again parked at the Visitor Center and took an easy morning walk along the Pa’rus trail while the baby slept in her Bob stroller. (This is the only time that we used the stroller in the park as this is the only paved trail.)

Pa'rus trail in Zion National park stroller friendly

Stroller walk in Zion on the Pa'rus trail

Since the park was rainy and some of the trails we wanted to try out were closed for other reasons, we decided to go for a drive and check out a nearby slot canyon. Red Hollow Slot Canyon is located in Orderville, Utah.

We drove to a little town and found this beautiful slot canyon place. We walked down a sandy path from the road for some exploring. Though we could not get far with the baby strapped to my chest (we were too wide), as we left, we saw a man with 4 small kids getting ready to hike, so if you have older children who can scramble, then you can definitely do more than we did. Check out All Trails for hike details before deciding to visit.

Red Hollow Slot Canyon

Day 5: Red Rock Canyon

We check out of our hotel and headed back towards Las Vegas.

There are many places near Vegas that would be interesting to explore depending on the time of year you visit, like Lake Powell, the Hoover Dam, and more. We chose to head to Red Rock Canyon and make use of our America the Beautiful pass one more time.

Red Rock Canyon offers a one-way loops with many parking lots (and facilities) to help you pull over and explore. In good weather, you could spend an entire day here.

The petroglyphs (ancient rock carvings) were of particular interest, and they are very easy to walk to.

For our trip: It was cold. There was a ton of wind. And it started snowing. But, it was beautiful nonetheless, and nice to see something different before we flew home.

Zion National Park with a Baby