These Are The Closest Airports To Zion National Park

Zion National Park has some of the most stunning landscapes in the country. Ribbons of red rock wind through the park, some of them 270 million years old. The breathtaking cliffside hike up to Angels Landing is world famous. This vertiginous climb to the peak is so steep that a Methodist minister visiting in 1916 is said to have quipped that only an angel could land there, a legend retold by the National Park Service. It's so popular that hikers need a timed permit to access the 5-mile-long trail to prevent overcrowding.

Preserving the national park's pristine environment is a priority. That's one reason why there is only one hotel inside — the Zion National Park Lodge, tucked into a red-rock canyon at the heart of the park. It's also why airports are a fair distance from the park entrances. Fortunately, many of the airport options have interesting sights of their own or offer access to other natural wonders. Here are the closest airports for planning your Zion National Park adventure.

This airport is one of two airports that are closest to Zion National Park. Located just north of Utah's border with Arizona, the St. George Regional Airport is 63 miles from the closest park entrance, about a 90-minute drive. Delta, United, and American Airlines all fly to this regional hub from western airports. So, it's a good choice for moderately priced tickets.

If you're lucky enough to have a bit of time before or after you fly, there are some interesting sights nearby, especially for kids. The Western Sky Aviation War Birds Museum occupies two of the hangars at the airport. Visitors can climb into the cockpit of fighter jets in this small but mighty museum dedicated to preserving vintage military aircraft. In addition to U.S. Air Force planes, the museum also has several Soviet-designed MiG fighter jets from the Cold War, and it frequently hosts visiting retired aircraft as well. Less than a 20-minute drive from the airport, travelers will also find the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, a good place to let little T. rexes stretch their legs. This is an active fossil discovery site. Hundreds of fossils have already been unearthed, and volunteers are encouraged to pick up a shovel and dig in or help to catalog the finds.

The city of St. George has the feel of a small resort town with several golf courses, hiking areas, and a historic downtown area. It makes for a good base to explore Zion National Park and the surrounding area. A little closer to the park, the gateway town of Toquerville offers swimming holes and secret waterfalls, and is on the way to the park. 

Located just 20 miles from the park's northern entrance, this airport is the closest to Zion National Park. It's a quick 20-minute drive to the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center. Delta Airlines flies in daily to Cedar City Regional Airport, using regional airline SkyWest to connect through Salt Lake City. The limited airline options may not make this a good choice for travelers on a limited budget, however. On the other hand, the airport is also closest to Bryce Canyon, "America's Most Unique National Park". Depending on the itinerary, Cedar City could be the best choice for travelers who want to cover more in less time.

From June to October, Cedar City's calendar is filled with festivals, the most famous of which is the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. Even in winter, however, Cedar City has plenty going on, including skiing and snowboarding at the nearby Brian Head Resort. The stunning geological amphitheatre of Cedar Breaks is even open for snowshoe tours in the winter. For little explorers, the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs in Iron County are a half hour north by car. This area is known as "the Mother Town" of Southern Utah, rich in Native American and pioneer heritage. Look out for fossilized dinosaur tracks a short distance from the petroglyphs! Cedar City is a good base to visit Utah's natural wonders with several hotel options. Local foodies recommend Hermie's Drive-In for burgers and their "Navajo tacos," crafted with fillings piled onto golden frybread. 

The closest airport with long-haul flights to access Zion National Park is Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. It's nearly 180 miles away, and it's a three-hour drive to the park. It's not close, but it does offer the widest range of flights with 30 carriers flying in from all over the world. For those who need more flying options on a limited budget, this may be the best airport to fly into. Renting a car is ideal, but if you prefer not to drive, there are shuttles from Harry Reid International to St. George and Cedar City, where other shuttles await to take you to Zion.

Las Vegas is known for its wealth of entertainment and lodging options. If you're eager to get away from the neon lights, however, there are some excellent options on the way to Zion National Park, with plenty of natural sites to see. In Moapa Valley, about an hour outside of Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park is a red-rock wonderland of swirling sandstone formations. Keep on traveling along the I-15 and, about halfway between Las Vegas and Zion, you'll come to Mesquite, a quaint town nestled alongside Nevada's Virgin River Valley. Several casinos offer lodging and dining, along with a more subdued kind of entertainment than what Sin City serves up.

Flying into Salt Lake City International Airport might seem like the best option for accessing Zion National Park. Both the airport and park are in Utah after all, but on opposite ends of the state. At nearly 275 miles away from the closest entrance, it takes just under four hours to reach Zion National Park from this airport. For international visitors, however, this option allows for flight connections to Cedar City. Like Las Vegas, Salt Lake City's airport is also connected by shuttle to St. George and Cedar City.

The fastest route to Zion National Park is south along the I-15. This will take you to the walkable college town of Provo, framed by the Wasatch mountains, and home of Brigham Young University. There is also Provo Airport, a small but busy hub with flights across the country that might be a good alternative to Salt Lake City's.

If time permits, however, it's worth taking the scenic route. A well-planned road trip through Utah's five national parks is an unforgettable journey. A meandering route through Arches, Canyonlands, then circling back through Bryce Canyon and Zion will give visitors the best views of this incredible landscape.

This isn't an exhaustive list of the available airports that can ultimately get travelers to Zion. However, we evaluated a selection serving a wide array of domestic and international destinations within a 300-mile radius of Zion National Park to identify the closest options offering the greatest variety for travelers. To confirm these are truly the nearest, we verified driving distances and times using Google Maps.