The Ultimate Temple of Sinewava Wedding Guide for 2025
The Temple of Sinewava, nestled amidst the narrowing canyon along Zion National Park's Virgin River, offers a beautiful and intimate setting for small wedding ceremonies. This location is ideal for couples who want a classic Zion location for their ceremony and have a small group. While it's less ideal for couples who prioritize privacy and don't want to ride the shuttles. If you're researching which wedding location in Zion National Park is right for you, read on for the ultimate guide on Temple of Sinewava weddings!
Temple of Sinewava Weddings
As you probably know by now, Zion National Park only allows wedding ceremonies in one their six sanctioned locations, like the Temple of Sinewava. Many couples love the Temple for its location deep inside the Park and its intimate feel surrounded by the towering sandstone cliffs. For each of the six locations, you will need to apply for and abide by the rules of Zion's wedding permit.
Permit Details
Maximum Number of People: 35. This number includes anyone present at the ceremony. So make sure you count yourselves and any vendors, like your officiant, photographer or videographer!
Shuttle Required?: Yes, during Shuttle operation season (March - November)
Are chairs permitted?: Yes. Chairs cannot exceed the number of allowed people. During Shuttle operation season (March - November), chairs must be folding chairs since regular chairs are not allowed on the shuttles.
Permit Application Fee: $100
Permit Application Due Date: At least three weeks prior to the requested date
Permit Application Open Date: 1 Year in Advance
Get all the details for the permit from Zion National Park HERE
Regulations
Every wedding permit issued in Zion must adhere to all of the permitting regulations. Here are a few of the most relevant regulations for most couples:
Non-exclusive: A wedding permit does not grant exclusive access to the permitted area. You cannot exclude other park visitors from the site during your ceremony.
Foot travel must stick to establish roadways and identified permitted trails
No physical changes may be made to the environment
Any decorations must be approved via the permitting process
You may not erect any signs or banners
No amplified sound is allowed, this includes speakers no matter their size for music or the officiant. If you want music, you can have an acoustic musician.
Make sure you thoroughly read all of the regulations under the permit, you can find a sample of these regulations from Zion National Park HERE.
About the Temple of Sinewava
This massive amphitheater, the Temple of Sinewava, marks the beginning of the world-famous Narrows hike. At this point in the canyon, the walls really begin to narrow until they form the famous slot canyon. Those narrowing canyon walls create a feeling of intimacy at the Temple of Sinewava. The tall canyon walls protect this area from the harsh sunlight and the river provides ample nutrients, creating an oasis of vegetation in the desert.
How do you get to the Temple of Sinewava?
During Shuttle operation season in Zion (March - November), you can only get to the Temple of Sinewava using the Zion Canyon Shuttle system. Access to the shuttle system starts at the Zion Visitor's Center. You can park in designated parking areas at the Zion Canyon Visitor's Center for the closest access point to the shuttles. Other parking areas in the park include:
South Campground/Nature Center, requires a .6 mile (1 km) walk via the paved Pa'Rus Trail
Zion Human History Museum, requires a .85 (1.3km) walk via the Museum Trail to the paved Pa'Rus Trail
Limited Road Side Parking along Zion Park Blvd which all require various distances of walking. Park only in designated parking spaces unless you want a hefty parking fine.
Parking in the park often fills up early in the day. When parking in the park fills up, you can park in the town of Springdale and ride the Springdale Shuttle Line to the Zion Pedestrian entrance.
During the winter season when the shuttle isn't in operation, you can drive the Scenic Drive to the Temple of Sinewava. Park only in designated parking spaces. When all the parking spaces down the Scenic Drive fill up, Park staff close the entrance to the Scenic Drive until space frees up.
Where is the Temple of Sinewava Located?
The Temple of Sinewava is located at the very end of the Scenic Drive in Zion Canyon. It's stop number 9, the final stop, on the Zion Canyon Shuttle Line.
What amenities are at the Temple of Sinewava?
You should regard the Temple as a primitive location and plan accordingly.
Bathrooms: Yes, porta potties only
Cell Service: No
Water: Yes, water bottling filling station, may be out of service in the winter months
Food: No
*As of February 2024, the Park bathroom facilities at the Temple of Sinewava are closed. The Park has provided a number of porta potties for visitors to use. Until the bathroom facilities are opened, the closest bathrooms to the Temple of Sinewava are at the The Grotto and Zion Lodge shuttle stops.
How busy is the Temple of Sinewava?
As the final stop on the Zion Shuttle Line and the trailhead for the world famous Zion Narrows hike, the Temple of Sinewava is one of the busier places in the park. While most of the visitors that get off the shuttle head straight to the Narrows, some still enjoy the natural amphitheater and strolling along the water. If you choose to have your ceremony at the Temple of Sinewava, you should expect visitors as well as consistent road noise from the shuttles passing by.
Planning your wedding at the Temple of Sinewava
As Zion local elopement photographers, we've helped countless couples plan for their wedding ceremony at the Temple of Sinewava. The following are general recommendations for accounting for the Temple's logistical challenges, if you work with us, you'll get customized recommendations based on your wedding day and the experience you want to have!
Where are ceremonies allowed?
The Park has designated a single location at the Temple of Sinewava for wedding ceremonies. Some photos of ceremonies you'll find on the internet of Temple of Sinewava weddings are not in this sanctioned location. Remember, it is your responsibility to know and abide by all the rules in the permit, including the specific spot where you hold your ceremony. When you exit the shuttle, the ceremony location will be behind you, across the road. It's a sandy space, nestled in the trees, less than 15 ft from the parking spots.
Recommendations for your Temple of Sinewava Wedding:
Familiarize yourself with the Shuttle System: This is worth repeating because it is the most challenging part of planning a wedding at the Temple of Sinewava.
Keep it simple: The Temple of Sinewava is best suited to simple wedding ceremonies looking to use the scenery as the backdrop. The fewer things you have to bring and setup, the easier the planning process will be!
Look up the time for sunrise, sunset, and high noon for your desired day before you apply. That way you can make an informed decision for the time you put on your permit. If you'd like help with this, feel free to reach out to us before you apply!
Apply for your permit as early as you can. The Temple of Sinewava is the most popular wedding location in Zion National Park, so we recommend applying as soon as you can!
The Best Times of Day for Wedding Ceremonies at the Temple of Sinewava
For the highest quality photos, you'll want to avoid the time of day when the sun is at its highest. At this time of day, the ground will be much brighter than the canyon walls, which makes it more difficult to show off those beautiful colors! Instead, we recommend planning for mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Typically, the most ideal light for photos at Temple occurs about 1 hour after sunrise until 2-3 hours before high noon and 2-3 hours after high noon until about 1 hour before sunset. Your ceremony time will often hinge around the other experiences you'd like to have on your wedding day. If you are planning to go to other locations in the park for portraits, for example, keep in mind that it often takes an hour or longer to get to some of the most popular portrait locations! The good news is, when you work with an experienced wedding photographer, especially one that has photographed ceremonies at the Temple before, you can rest assured that they can create great photos for you no matter the time of day.
Example Timelines for Weddings at the Temple of Sinewava
Here's what your wedding day with a ceremony at Temple of Sinewava can look like:
Afternoon Ceremony
3:00 - Meet at Visitor center and get on shuttle
3:45 - Ceremony at Temple of Sinewava
4:15 - Group portraits
4:45 - Drive to first portrait location
5:15 - Hike to portrait location
5:25 - Portraits
6:05 - Hike back to car
6:15 - Drive to second portrait location
6:25 - Hike to portrait location
6:55 - Portraits
7:40 - Hike back to trailhead
8:00 - Finish photography coverage
Morning Ceremony
7:45 - Meet at Temple of Sinewava
8:00 - Ceremony
8:30 - Group Portraits
9:00 - Ride shuttle to Grotto
9:15 - Walk to first portrait location
9:25 - Portraits
9:55 - Walk back to shuttle stop
10:05 - Ride shuttle to Visitor center
10:35 - Drive to second portrait location
10:50 - Hike to second portraits location
11:20 - Portraits
11:45 - Finish photography coverage
Is the Temple of Sinewava the right location for your Zion wedding?
You may want to plan your ceremony at the Temple of Sinewava, if any of the following are true:
You love the photos you've seen from the Temple of Sinewava
You have a special connection with this location
You love the idea of being close to the Virgin River
You're planning a small, simple ceremony with fewer than 30 guests (including photographer, videographer, officiant and yourselves)
You don't mind planning some extra time to deal with the shuttles
You may want to look at some other locations if any of the following are true:
You want a wedding with more than 35 people total
You don't want to deal with the shuttle system
You want a really secluded location for your ceremony
You want to include props and decorations at your ceremony
Maybe one of the other Zion locations will be a better fit for you - check out our guides for Menu Falls and the Zion Lodge Lawn!
Looking for more tips on eloping in Zion National Park, check out our Ultimate Guide to Eloping in Zion National Park!
If you're looking for a Zion National Park wedding expert to help you find the perfect location for your ceremony, get in touch with us! We provide all of our couples with a personalized list of location recommendations for both your ceremony and portraits!
