Winter in Zion: Tips for Winter Weddings

Many people are familiar with the blistering heat of Zion's summer busy season, but did you know Zion stays open year round and is a great place to visit in the winter? Zion boasts incredible views year round, but be prepared to have your breath taken away when you see the snow contrasting along the cracks of the tower red rock walls of the canyon. With some preparation, you can experience all the beauty Zion has to offer while avoiding the crowds. Read on for tips on having a Zion National Park wedding in the winter!

Summary of Winter Weddings in Zion

Here's a little TL;DR for those of you looking for some quick hits about winter in Zion.

Season

Mid-November until End of February

Pros

• Fewer crowds - the off-season means fewer people at the more popular spots.

• Serene Vibes - Winter in Zion is often very calm and peaceful

• Cheaper Accommodations - Many hotels and AirBnBs offer lower rates in the winter

• Lower Angle of Light - From a photography perspective, the sun stays lower in the sky all day, making more interesting light throughout the day.

• Unique Scenery - The mixture of red rocks with snow is an incredible view that can't be replicated other times of year

Cons

• Colder Temps - Even though it's a mild winter, it's still pretty cold, especially at sunrise and sunset.

• Shorter Days - Fewer hours in the day can sometimes limit the things we can do and still have daylight.

• Limited Locations - Some locations are inaccessible due to dirt roads that are impassable when wet.

• Limited Hours/Availability - Restaurants and experiences may have more limited hours and availability, especially those in Springdale.

Weather

• High Temperatures: 45-65℉ (7-18℃)

• Low Temperatures: 28-45℉ (-2-7℃)

• Precipitation Likelihood: 8% in Dec, 13% in Jan, 18% in Feb

What's Zion like in the Winter?

We have a pretty mild winter when compared to many other states in the US and their national parks. The Park has a wide range of elevations, ranging from the lowest point at Coal Pits Wash (3666ft) to the tallest point at Horse Ranch Mountain (8726ft). Weather will vary drastically between those elevations. At the lower elevations, like the Visitor's Center and the canyon floor, you'll rarely see snow touching the ground. When it does snow, it often melts within a few hours. At the upper elevations of the Kolob Canyons, Kolob Terrace, and the East Canyon, however, we commonly see snow storms that impact travel.

Temperatures

• November: mid-day highs between 50-60℉ (10-15℃) and the overnight lows between 28-35℉ (-2-1℃)

• December + January: mid-day highs between 45-55℉ (7-13℃) and overnight lows between 25-31℉ (-4-0℃)

• February: mid-day highs between 55-65℉ (13-18℃) and overnight lows between 0-45℉ (-1-7℃)

Precipitation

The lower elevations are the Park rarely experience snowfall, storms that bring snow to the upper elevations often still rain at the lower elevations. December is typically one of the driest months of the year, with only about an 8% probability of precipitation (the driest month is June at 4%). January and February increase probability of precipitation. Late February has an 18% probability of precipitation which is on par with August, the wettest month of the year.

Source: Weatherspark

Road Conditions

Technically, the whole Park stays open year round. We're not like Rocky Mountain or Glacier that close roads for an entire season. However, some roads will close in certain conditions. The Kolob Canyons Scenic Drive closes most frequently due to snow and ice. When this road closes, it often stays closed for a day or two due to the Park's limited snow removal equipment and personnel. Very rarely, the Zion-Mt Carmel Highway will close if we have a particularly heavy snow storm.

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive

The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which is typically restricted to the shuttles only, is open to private vehicles in the winter (except for during holidays). That means you can simply drive to many popular locations in the Park like the Lodge, the Temple of Sinewava, and the Grotto. The Park monitors traffic in and out of the Scenic Drive and will close the road to cars when parking fills up until enough vehicles leave.

Outside the National Park

Outside of the National Park, many of the dirt roads become inaccessible in the winter. This region famously has lots of clay that, when wet, turns heavy and sticky making it particularly challenging to drive on. We have a capable off-road Jeep and we avoid those dirt roads as much as possible. So we often are limited to the places off pavement we can access in the winter.

Trail Conditions

Like the rest of the Park, most of the trails remain open throughout the winter. Typically, most of the hikes remain accessible and safe to use. Conditions can change quickly, so we highly recommend keeping an eye on reviews on services like AllTrails for up to date conditions. It's common to encounter icy patches in shaded areas, so it's not a bad idea to have traction devices like micro-spikes handy just in case. The water level in the Narrows is typically safe for travel, though you will certainly want to rent the waders and shoes from a local adventure shop, that water will be very cold! High elevation trails that are inaccessible from the canyon floor, like the Observation Point, are typically closed due to road conditions.

Visitation

In the winter months, Zion experiences the lowest visitation numbers compared to the rest of the year. The 4 months comprise roughly 16% of Zion's total yearly traffic combined.

• November: 6%

• December: 4%

• January: 3%

• February: 3%

Keep in mind, 3% represents approximate 130,000 people over the course of the month. So the Park won't be empty, but you'll see far fewer people than the other three seasons. Visitation spikes around holidays, so you'll typically see the shuttles running around those dates.

Source: NPS

Activities and Amenities

Since most of the region surrounding the Park relies on tourism traffic, you can expect more limited options in the off-season. Many tour companies either close for the winter or only offer limited dates and options. Restaurants in Springdale typically adopt off-season hours that are more limited. You likely can snag some great deals on lodging during this season. The further you get from Zion, the less reliant on the Park's visitation seasons the area is. So you can often still find activities and restaurants in St. George.

Winter Weddings in Zion

If you're willing to navigate some of the challenges of winter in Zion, you'll be rewarded with a uniquely beautiful Park and fewer people around! Here are some tips to consider when planning your winter wedding in Zion.

Add layers to your wedding clothes

The trick to really enjoying your winter wedding is staying warm! Unfortunately, the best times of day for photos also tend to be the coldest (sunrise and sunset). So we recommend planning to add layers to your wedding clothes.

Suits in the Winter

Wedding Dresses in the Winter

The options for adding layers will depend on the cut of the dress. We always recommend wearing a pair of warm thermal leggings. You can look for these in a skin tone color or white to match the dress, that way it's not as noticeable if they show up in photos. You can consider adding a wrap, shawl, or coat that adds to your outfit. At the very least, make sure you bring a warm coat you can easily put on over your dress to warm up in between photos. You can also consider adding gloves to your outfit if they fit the vibe! Regardless, make sure you bring some gloves to wear while hiking around.

For suits, adding a layer off thermals under your dress shirt really helps keep the heat in. Consider adding a nice heavy overcoat that fits with the rest of the suit. Alternatively, you can simply bring a large warm coat that fits over your jacket to throw on in between photos. We recommend bringing a pair of gloves you can wear while we're hiking around to keep your hands warm.

Hats?

Keeping your ears warm makes a huge difference. Hats tend to be the most challenging solution since they often mess up your hair in the process. You can consider ear muffs or coats with warm hoods included.

Footwear

We highly recommend choosing warm footwear that also provides good traction. Most of the terrain in Zion is uneven and already requires good traction to navigate, that's even more important when the trails could have icy patches. We recommend looking into some stylish winter boots that will look nice with your outfit and also keep you warm. Make sure you try the boots on with your dress or suit to make sure they play nice together!

Hand Warmers

Hand warmers are an excellent winter wedding hack for staying warm. The single use kind can be activated and then stuffed into dresses, shirts, jackets, etc to help keep you warm. We also highly recommend electric hand warmers! It's easy to keep these in the pocket of your coat to hold onto while we're exploring!

Keep your scenery in mind

Thankfully, a lot of the Park has evergreen vegetation that keeps it looking relatively consistent season to season. Keep in mind many of the locations down by the Virgin River have cottonwood trees that will most likely be bare in the winter, if you don't love that look, you may want to consider other options.

Make sure you have a backup option

Unpredictable weather can make some parts of the Park inaccessible without warning. So we recommend working with a local who can suggest backup options in advance and have experience adjusting course on the fly (like us!) While we love a good outdoor wedding and they often work well here in the winter, if you have guests, you may want to consider booking a local venue that has an indoor option you can use if needed.

Stay Flexible

Approaching your wedding day with flexibility will help keep the vibes high if something unpredictable happens. Whatever happens is now part of your wedding story, lean in and enjoy the ride. Chances are if something unpredictable happens, you'll end up with both a unique story and unique photos!

Looking for a local Zion expert who can help you plan your winter wedding in Zion? Reach out and let's get to work!

Looking for more tips about getting married in Zion? Check out our elopement guide for Zion!