Zion National Park: Worth Going To On Holiday Weekends?

Above, Zion's Checkerboard Mesa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first time I visited Zion National Park was in August 1969 (we heard the news bulletin about the Sharon Tate murders while there) and there weren't any crowds.

Today, there are nothing but crowds (especially on holiday weekends) at Zion National Park.

AZCentral asks the question, "Is it worth visiting on a holiday weekend?"

They begin with:

Zion National Park is crowded. Even more so on holiday weekends. Here are some facts from the Fourth of July 2019: 

• More than 94,000 people visited over the four-day holiday weekend, the park said on Facebook.
• Wait times were up to 90 minutes to board a park shuttle.
• Hikers waited up to four hours at the trailhead for Angels Landing.
• Zion's parking lot was full by 8:30 a.m. July 5 and 6.
• Parking in Springdale, Utah, just outside Zion's western entrance, was nearly full by 1 p.m. both days.

My preference for visiting national parks is during the off-season and not during holiday weekends. Who wants to join thousand of other people "wanting to get away from it all"?

To read more, go here.