Zion National Park has so many epic hikes. I mean, Angel's Landing, The Subway, The Narrows. The whole world knows about these hikes. While they are epic, they are too epic for some young kids, like mine. I've been to Zion National Park so many times I feel like I've hiked everything there is to hike with kids. This last visit to Zion National Park was a little tougher because SOOOO many of the kid-friendly trails were closed! Weeping Rock (closed indefinitely) & The Emerald Pool Trails were closed for maintenance. We made the best out of the situation and found some kid-friendly activities. 

Hike Overlook Canyon | 1 Mile Round-Trip

This is a super fun hike. It has chains, bridges, cliffs, and EPIC views. 

I like to call this hike a mini Angel's Landing. 

Keep a close watch on your kids though, it has some cliff drop-offs. 

Be sure to check out our past posts about Overlook Canyon Hike. 

Bike the Pa'Rus Trail with kids | 1.7  Miles One Way

Since we were staying at Cable Mountain Lodge, we packed ALL the bikes. I'll admit, packing bikes is a big deal. It can be stressful and slightly annoying. But After seeing how proud my kids were and how far they bikes, it was well worth all the effort. 

I was hoping that we could put our bikes on the Zion Shuttles, but my Yuba Cargo Bike is TOO big. Instead, we decided to start from the Visitor Center and head up the Pa'Rus Trail. 

There's a few rolling hills on the Pa'Rus Trail but nothing our kids couldn't do. Most of the time I had a hard time keeping up with my 5 year son who pedaled as fast as his little body could go. 

Once you hit the Shuttle Stop 5 the Pa'Rus Trail ends. You can either ride your bikes in the road or jump on the shuttle. We decided to lock up our bikes on the bike rack by the shuttle stop and hop on the shuttle. While there is very little traffic on the road, kids are kind of unpredictable on roads. Plus, they wanted a break. 

We rode the bus all the way to Temple Sinwava and lets the kids play near the river and sand for a while. We didn't stay too long as we knew the kids still had to bike back to Cable Mountain. We love our WOOM Bikes! 

Poor tiny Farah fell asleep on the ride back. We took off her helmet and she was head bobbing in the air for a while. 

You don't have to walk the whole trail. Bring any kind of wheels for your kids, they'd love it! Be sure to check out our past post about Pa'Rus. 

Ride the Zion Shuttles

While this sound silly, sometimes it's all the kids want to do. Our kids thought it was super cool to ride around a shuttle and see everything. We had planned to go visit the Lodge and then hike Emerald Pools, but it was closed for repairs. 

We asked a Lodge worker what would be fun with kids and he suggested walking along the Virgin River. He also suggested the short walk at Temple of Sinawava, but we had done that on our bike ride the day before. 

Straight across the street from the driveway into the lodge is a pathway. It's not an official, maintained trail, but it was well worn and we pushed the younger kids in the stroller.

We decided to get closer to the river and found another pathway under a tree.

We found a spot of sand by the river and let the kids play for a while. 

That sand was super soft, except for the goat heads that would stick to you! The kids didn't mind in the end. They were just happy to play outside.

We stayed for a while then headed back to the lodge to catch the next shuttle out. 

Become Jr. Rangers!

One of our favorite thing to do with younger kids is the Jr. Ranger Program at each National Park and Monument. Surprisingly, we'd never done the Jr. Ranger Program at Zion National Park! We picked them up on our way to the shuttles and on the ride, the kids finished their Jr. Ranger Books. 

Once done we returned to the Visitor Center to get sworn in as a Jr. Rangers!

It's super fun for the kids and they each get a badge! Plus, the kids all about the park and how to preserve them. 

Once sworn in, we walked back to Cable Mountain! If you are looking for more things to do in Zion National Park, be sure to check out our past posts!