Zion Lodge

The only hotel inside Zion National Park, this historic 1925 lodge features cabins and rooms designed to harmonize with the sheer sandstone canyon walls.

Zion Lodge, the sole lodging option situated within the boundaries of Zion National Park, recently celebrated its centennial, marking a century of operation since its grand opening in May 1925. Designed by renowned architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood and commissioned by the Utah Parks Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, the lodge was built to stimulate passenger rail travel to southwest Utah. Underwood’s design had to meet the strict demands of National Park Service Director Stephen Mather, who insisted on a modest scale that would harmonize with the narrow canyon floor. To achieve this, Underwood utilized a studs-out style with milled lumber rather than massive whole logs, sourcing 265,000 board feet of timber lowered from the plateau by the historic Cable Mountain Draw Works. Although a devastating fire destroyed the original main building on January 26, 1966, a rapid 108-day rebuild restored basic operations, and a meticulous 1990 renovation finally returned the lodge to its original 1920s National Park Service Rustic appearance.

The property features 122 guest accommodations, consisting of 76 hotel rooms, six suites, and 40 historic Western Cabins that survived the 1966 fire. These stand-alone cabins, constructed in the late 1920s, offer a highly sought-after historic experience. A major refurbishment of the cabins completed in 2011 replaced worn carpeting with fir floors, added custom-made wood furniture, and introduced Pendleton Woolen Mills blankets and draperies meticulously recreated from historical photographs. In January 2025, Destination Zion Lodge, a subsidiary of the Park City-based outdoor recreation company POWDR, took over management of the concessions, ending a 52-year run by Xanterra. Under POWDR’s stewardship, the lodge has focused heavily on environmental initiatives, earning the Leave No Trace Gold Standard Hospitality designation for its sustainable operations and guest education programs.

Dining at the lodge centers around the Red Rock Grill, which serves regional dishes like Utah trout and game meats alongside expansive views of the canyon walls through floor-to-ceiling windows, while the seasonal Castle Dome Café offers quick-service options. Guests staying at the lodge receive a red vehicle permit, allowing them the rare privilege of driving private vehicles along the scenic canyon drive during the peak shuttle season. This access provides a peaceful window of time in the early mornings and late evenings, when the day-use crowds have departed on the last shuttles. During these quiet hours, visitors can sit beneath the massive historic cottonwood tree on the front lawn, listen to the calls of canyon wrens, and watch the changing light on the sheer sandstone cliffs of the canyon.

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