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Many people plan a trip for the “Mighty Five” Utah national parks. I was tempted to do the same. I thought about visiting all five of the national parks or visiting two Utah parks and the Grand Canyon. I ultimately decided that Zion National Park (ZNP) deserved a week unto itself.
Flights
We booked non-stop American Airlines flights to Las Vegas. Tickets for our preferred times were $490 per ticket when booked. We left the east coast at 7:30 am and arrived in Las Vegas at 9:00 am. Our flight was delayed by about an hour and a half so we departed Las Vegas at 1:00 pm and arrived at our home airport at 8:30 pm.
I booked our flights while we had our Capital One Venture card and used 50,000 miles (at 1 cent per mile) to cover one of the flights. I have since downgraded this card to the Capital One VentureOne Card (no annual fee; earning 1.25 miles per dollar spent). However, given the better transfer partner ratios for Capital One, I’ll be applying for the Capital One Venture card again in the future.
Due to our camping supplies (trekking poles!), we checked one bag for $30 each way.
Lodging
Our first night, we stayed in a drive up tent only campsite in the Watchman Campground. This site was $20 for the night. We enjoyed the beautiful view of the golden hour in the Zion Canyon as the sun began to set.
We enjoy backcountry camping. We secured a one night permit for a campsite on the La Verkin Creek Trail ($5 reservation fee, $15 wilderness permit fee).
The next night, we stayed in a walk in tent only site in the Watchman Campground ($20 per night). This site was less ideal, given that we had to carry our supplies from the car and walk further to the facilities (water, restrooms).
After 2 or 3 days of camping, I enjoy a comfortable bed and a shower! We stayed in a tiny home Airbnb in Springdale right off the main street for 2 nights ($454 all fees included). This felt expensive to me for the room that we had, but I was booking only 3 months before our trip.
Before our trip, I had heard good things about St. George and decided that we would stay there on our last night. Our Airbnb was $142 and was very nice. This Airbnb was beautifully decorated and had the simple necessities we needed. They even had e-bikes that we would have used on nearby biking paths if we had more time. Be aware that the bed was up in a loft, but we really enjoyed our last night here.
I booked our Airbnb stays while Discover was offering 5% cash back on PayPal purchases. I earned approximately $30 cash back.
Getting Around
Rental cars have been much more expensive this year than in year’s previously due to complications of the pandemic. I use Autoslash to find the best deal on rental cars. You can enter your travel dates, pick up airport, and discount eligibility (think military, AARP, credit cards, etc), and they email you to let you know your search is finished. You can book a car and choose pay at the counter, then ask Autoslash to monitor your dates and location for a lower rental car price. I booked an SUV with Hertz and prepaid for a rate of $473. Gas for the entirety of the trip totaled $72.
Parking
We park our car at an airport lot that has a loyalty program to earn free days of parking. Our parking bill for 7 days was $69. There is limited parking available for ZNP. Because of its popularity and limited space, Zion runs a free shuttle up and down the Zion Canyon. You can park in the Visitor Center parking lot while you enjoy your day in Zion, but these spots fill up quickly. One day, we found ourselves in need of a place to park. We resorted to pay $30 for a day of parking in the town of Springdale. From the parking lot, we walked to the closest Springdale town shuttle and rode over to the pedestrian entrance to ZNP.
Food
For breakfast and lunch, we mostly used groceries we bought or ate at a restaurant or cafe ($250). For one day, we had a Peak Strawberry Granola breakfast; it was a delicious and high-calorie start for that day. We spent $5.50 per meal ($11). We had several backcountry dinners (freeze dried meals) on hand, so we saved money on this aspect of our trip but you can expect to spend approximately $10 per meal per person. We had 3 dinners out at Camp Outpost and Zion Brew Pub in Springdale and The Painted Pony in St. George ($225).
Entertainment, Souvenirs, and Camping Supplies
I always like to collect a national park pin, and I usually purchase a sticker as well ($10). After several days of hiking, we enjoyed a rest day in St. George. We visited the Dinosaur Discovery Site in town ($8 per adult ticket). While a small museum, I found it to be a very enjoyable experience. The best part of the museum was the fact that the museum was built around the discovery site. While many dinosaur tracks and fossils have been uncovered already, excavation is ongoing at the site. There are some camping supplies that we cannot take on a plane. We purchased camp stove fuel ($10) and firewood ($7).
Budget Breakdown
Flights + Baggage: $1040 – $500 (Capital One miles) = $540
Rental Car + Gas+ Parking: $644
Lodging and Camping: $660 – $30 (Discover Rewards) = $630 for 6 nights
Food: $486
Entertainment + Souvenirs + Camping Supplies: $43
Zion National Park Budget: $2,343
Note: You will need a park pass for entry into Zion National Park. Please see the ZNP park entry fees.
If you’re interested applying for a Capital One card to use miles to erase a travel purchase, please consider using my link for the Capital One Venture Card or the Capital One Venture X Card.