Zion National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Utah: 2,000-plus square miles of canyons, peaks, red rock, rivers and waterfalls.
Weddings happen at 6 approved sites inside the park, and they have little in common with each other beyond the rock. One is a wooden patio above a waterfall that holds 10 people. Another is an amphitheater with bench seating and room for 100.
The park issues a permit rather than renting you a venue, and that difference decides most of what your day can and cannot include.
Zion National Park Wedding Quick Facts
Location — Zion National Park is in southwest Utah at Springdale, about 30 minutes from St. George and roughly 5 hours from Salt Lake City.
Capacity — Your guest count is set by the site you book: 10 at Menu Falls, 20 in the Kolob Canyon area, 35 at the Temple of Sinawava, 50 at the Nature Center North Lawn, 75 on the Zion Lodge Lawn and 100 at the South Campground Amphitheater. No wedding permit anywhere in Zion is approved for more than 100 people.
Cost — Zion charges no venue rental fee. A Special Use Permit costs $100 and is nonrefundable, extra processing time runs $50 an hour, a required monitor is another $50 an hour, and park entrance fees apply on top of that for every vehicle.
Season — Zion books weddings year-round, with two limits on the calendar: the Nature Center North Lawn is only available November through March, and Zion Canyon’s Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles March through November, so guests reach most in-canyon sites by the free park shuttle. The park itself is open 24 hours a day, though the shuttle and most services run on their own daytime schedule.
Catering — There’s no in-house caterer at Zion, and food service is prohibited at every ceremony site, so anything past picnic-style snacks and drinks happens somewhere other than where you say your vows.
Lodging — Zion Lodge is the only lodging inside the park. Outside it there’s Springdale, Zion Ponderosa Ranch, Under Canvas Zion and nearby camping.
Coordinator — Zion has no in-house wedding coordinator. The park issues the permit and sets the terms, and vendors, setup and timeline are yours to run or to hire someone for.
Accessibility — Every Zion ceremony site is considered accessible except Menu Falls, which sits at the end of a hiking trail. More broadly, none of Zion’s trails are considered ADA accessible under the law, because of the park’s natural terrain, though the visitor centers, shuttle buses, restrooms, picnic areas and Zion Lodge are accessible.
Pets — Pets are allowed on a leash within Zion’s campgrounds and on the park’s paved Pa’rus Trail; they aren’t permitted on other trails or at the ceremony sites. Service animals may go anywhere in the park; emotional support animals don’t qualify as service animals.
Weddings per day — A Zion wedding permit doesn’t grant exclusive use of a site, so another wedding, or simply other visitors, can be at the same spot on your day.
Zion National Park Wedding Info
Ceremony Sites at Zion National Park
Zion approves 6 sites for weddings, each with its own guest cap.
The Temple of Sinawava, at the end of Zion Canyon, sits along the Virgin River under mature trees with waterfall views and holds 35 people. Menu Falls is the smallest and the most private, a wooden patio above the falls at the end of a short hike, capped at 10.
The Zion Lodge Lawn holds 75 under oak trees with canyon walls behind them, and resident deer turn up on it; because the lawn belongs to the lodge rather than the park, booking it takes separate approval from Zion Lodge management at 435-772-7752.
The Nature Center North Lawn is flat grass with mountain views, capped at 50, and available November through March only. The South Campground Amphitheater is the largest at 100 people, with bench seating and a small stage, and it’s the one site where an arch, altar or arbor may be permitted by exception.
The sixth site is out in the Kolob Canyon area, about an hour’s drive from Zion Canyon off Exit 40 on I-15, among red rock cliffs and open sky. It holds 20 people and 4 cars, and the live listing calls it Timber Creek Overlook.
The park’s rules sheet also names a Kolob Viewpoint site without publishing a capacity for it, so ask about that one directly if the main canyon isn’t what you’re after.
Whichever you choose, no permit is approved for more than 100 guests, and no permit gives you the site to yourselves.
Reception Spaces at Zion National Park
Zion has no reception space. Food service is prohibited at every site, which makes a Zion wedding a ceremony rather than a ceremony and a dinner; light picnic-style snacks and drinks are as far as it goes on site, and couples book a reception somewhere else in Springdale or nearby.
Amplified sound and PA systems aren’t permitted at any site, and noise has to stay at normal speaking volume, so a band or a DJ set isn’t part of it either.
Getting Ready, Lodging & Guest Logistics
You’ll get ready off-site. Zion provides no getting-ready space at any of its wedding locations. Zion Lodge is the only lodging inside the park; Zion Ponderosa Ranch, Under Canvas Zion, nearby camping and Springdale’s hotels are all a short drive from the entrance.
Every vehicle coming in for the wedding pays the park entrance fee. Zion Canyon’s Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles March through November and on selected holiday dates, so guests reach in-canyon sites on the park shuttle, which is free and takes no reservation.
Anyone using a wheelchair should know the shuttle lift has a 600-pound combined weight limit and won’t take a chair longer than 45 inches or wider than 25. Kolob Canyons, where the Kolob Viewpoint and Timber Creek Overlook sites are, has its own entrance off Exit 40 on I-15, about an hour from Zion Canyon.
Catering & Vendors at Zion National Park
Zion publishes no preferred vendor list and has no in-house caterer, so you can hire whoever you want; what they can’t do is set up food service on site, which is prohibited everywhere in the park.
Decorations need approval in advance, and some things are off the table outright: no throwing confetti, rice or birdseed, no releasing birds, butterflies or other animals, no banners or signs, and no live or dried flowers carrying seed pods.
Chairs are allowed at the Temple of Sinawava, the Zion Lodge Lawn and the Nature Center North Lawn up to the site’s guest cap, and during shuttle season they have to be folding chairs. The park furnishes no electrical power and doesn’t allow generators, so string lights and anything else that plugs in are out.
Zion National Park Wedding Cost
A Zion wedding starts with a $100 Special Use Permit application, nonrefundable, which covers the park’s first 2 hours of administrative work on your request. Processing beyond that runs $50 an hour, and a monitor, which approved wedding permits typically require, is $50 an hour including the time it takes them to reach the site.
Applications are due at least 3 weeks before the date and can be filed up to a year ahead. Depending on the site and the size of the group, the park may also charge cost recovery and require proof of liability insurance naming the United States as an additional insured, with payment through pay.gov.
Entrance fees sit on top of the permit, per vehicle: $35 for a private vehicle for up to a week, $30 for a motorcycle, or $20 per person without one, and a $70 annual pass covers anyone returning.
There’s no food and beverage minimum and no per-person catering charge to plan for, because food service isn’t part of a Zion ceremony at all.
Real Weddings at Zion National Park
See an intimate Temple of Sinawava wedding in Zion National Park.
Zion National Park Wedding FAQ
How much does a wedding at Zion National Park cost?
There’s no venue fee. A Special Use Permit is $100 and nonrefundable, extra processing is $50 an hour, and a required monitor is $50 an hour. Every vehicle pays the park entrance fee, $35 for up to a week, and insurance may be required.
How many guests can Zion National Park hold?
That depends on the site. Menu Falls tops out at 10 people, the Zion Lodge Lawn at 75, and the South Campground Amphitheater, the largest of the 6, at 100. No wedding permit in Zion is approved for more than 100 guests.
Can you bring a dog to a Zion National Park wedding?
Dogs are allowed leashed in the park’s campgrounds and on the paved Pa’rus Trail, not on the park’s other trails or at the ceremony sites. Service animals may go anywhere in Zion, and emotional support animals don’t count as service animals.
Is Zion National Park ADA accessible?
Every ceremony site is considered accessible except Menu Falls, which sits at the end of a hiking trail. More broadly, none of Zion’s trails are considered ADA accessible under the law because of the terrain, though the visitor centers, shuttle buses, restrooms, picnic areas and Zion Lodge are accessible.
Does Zion National Park have an in-house wedding coordinator, or do you need your own planner?
There’s no in-house coordinator at Zion. The park issues your permit and sets the terms for where and how, and everything after that, vendors, setup and the timeline, is yours to run or to hire a planner for.
What time of year can you get married at Zion National Park?
Year-round, with two limits. The Nature Center North Lawn books November through March only, and the Scenic Drive closes to private vehicles March through November, so guests ride the free park shuttle to most in-canyon sites.
Zion National Park Contact Info
1 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, UT 84767
435-772-3256
zion_park_information@nps.gov
Details verified against Zion National Park’s official wedding information sheet, updated July 2026, and the park’s current website. We’re actively inquiring with Zion National Park for up-to-date information. Requirements, fees and site availability change between seasons, so confirm details with the park before you plan your day around them.
Similar Wedding Venues
Zion Red Rock Oasis is a 15-acre private estate on the Virgin River, about 10 minutes from the park, with a beach area along the river for ceremonies and no separate event hall. Zion Red Rock Oasis wedding info and cost
Under Canvas Moab is a 40-tent camp on high desert near Arches, with no ballroom and nowhere indoors to move if the weather turns. Under Canvas Moab wedding info and cost
Red Earth Venue Moab is 17 acres of private desert 10 minutes from Arches, run by a former wedding photographer, with one wedding on the property at a time. Red Earth Venue Moab wedding info and cost
The full list is on The Best Utah Wedding Venues: A Photographer’s Guide.
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