Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort Review
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If you’re planning to spend some time in Southern Utah and looking for a hotel, look no further than the Zion Ponderosa Resort. We were fortunate to spend 3 nights at the Zion Ponderosa on our most recent trip to Zion National Park, so check out this Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort Review to find out if this is a good fit for your next trip to Zion.
Disclaimer: Our stay at the Zion Ponderosa was part of a collaboration, however the opinions of the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort Review are my own.
Zion Ponderosa Location
The Zion Ponderosa is located on the east side of Zion National Park. The 4000-acre property borders Zion National Park for 5 linear miles. This makes it a prime location to enjoy Zion National Park as well as the surrounding area.
Zion National Park is an incredible place, but if you are looking for additional things in the area, check out these fun things to do near Zion National Park to complete your Southern Utah itinerary.
If you are flying in from out of state, the closest airport is St. George (SGU), a small regional airport that is 90 minutes from the Zion Ponderosa. Other alternatives would be Las Vegas (LAS), 3.25 hours from Zion Ponderosa, or Salt Lake City (SLC), 5 hours from Zion Ponderosa.
With the remote location of the Zion Ponderosa property you’ll either rent a car from a regional airport location, or drive your own vehicle to have the best experience. You will find your vehicle will be useful as you venture to nearby scenic locations. Zion Ponderosa does offer shuttle services into Zion Canyon and to hiking trailheads.
Zion Ponderosa is also very centrally located to other destinations in Southern Utah:
- Bryce Canyon National Park: 75 minutes
- Red Canyon: 70 minutes
- Cedar Breaks National Monument: 80 minutes
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes: 40 minutes
- Kanab, UT: 40 minutes (If you are visiting Kanab, check out these 11 things to do in Kanab.)
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort Review
Lodging
The Zion Ponderosa Resort itself has a lot to offer all different types of travelers. There are 7 different lodging types at the Zion Ponderosa including vacation homes, cabin suites, cowboy cabins, glamping tents, covered wagons, RV hookups, as well as tent camping sites. We stayed in a cabin suite which was very cute, functional and private. You can tell that the resort lodging was designed in a way to maintain the rural feel of the east side of Zion National Park.
Food
Additionally, the resort has an on-site restaurant and catering services. This is important because the east side of Zion National Park does not have a lot of restaurant options. However, there was a kitchenette in the cabin suite, so you could grab groceries on your way in if you prefer to cook most of your meals. Breakfast was provided for free each morning.
Amenities/Excursions
One of the most impressive parts about my stay at the Zion Ponderosa Resort were the amenities offered by the hotel. There is so much to do at the Zion Ponderosa Resort itself that it is entirely possible to leave the property only by shuttles and excursions coordinated by the resort. With three nights at the Zion Ponderosa, we only scratched the surface of the amenities offered. We hiked, took two Jeep tours, and my personal favorite – a full day canyoneering trip. Additionally, we planned to do some horseback riding but an unexpected late April snowstorm kept us from this activity.
Here are the specific excursions/activities we did while on the property:
Full Day Canyoneering Excursion – This was THE highlight of our trip to Southern Utah. If you are unfamiliar with canyoneering, according to Webster, canyoneering is “the sport of exploring canyons (as by climbing, rappelling, or rafting)”. I can’t believe we spent 6 years living in Southern Utah and never tried canyoneering until this trip. We already can’t wait to do it again. If you are planning a trip to Southern Utah (even if you don’t stay at the Zion Ponderosa), DEFINITELY book a canyoneering excursion with East Zion Adventures. If you are worried that canyoneering might not be for you, you can consider a half day option with less intense repels.
Top of the World Jeep Tour – This was a great tour in one of the jeeps where you could see for miles in every direction. We did this on our last day which we thought was helpful as we were already familiar with a lot of the area so we could recognize them from above. However, even if you are unfamiliar with the area, the view really does have you feeling like you are on the top of the world.
Sunset Jeep Tour – I am forever a sucker for the sunset. This tour takes you to the perfect sunset spot to enjoy and they even had blankets and chairs at the destination to snuggle and enjoy.
Sunset Horseback Ride (canceled due to weather) – Unfortunately we did not get to participate in this activity due to weather, however I am adding this to my list for my return trip to the Zion Ponderosa.
East Mesa Trail to Observation Point Hike – Observation Point is arguably the BEST view of the main Zion Canyon. And even better, there are no chains or shuttles required. The East Mesa Trail begins right on the Zion Ponderosa property and is about 7 miles round trip to Observation Point. We decided to do this for sunset which meant we hiked back in the dark. If you plan to do this yourself, make sure you plan ahead with the ten essentials, especially headlamps, extra water and snacks.
Other things to do at the Zion Ponderosa
Additional excursions (that I did not try) include guided hiking, slot canyon tours, trips to some of the nearby parks, and stargazing tours. In addition to planned excursions, the property itself also has a pool, hot tub, climbing wall, tennis courts, mini golf, paintball, zip-lining and many other on-site activities.
Because of the number of amenities at this resort, my recommendation would be to stay a minimum of two nights at the Zion Ponderosa. However, the ideal timing would be somewhere between 4 nights and a week. This way you can fully maximize everything that the resort has to offer as well as explore the other amazing adventure destinations in the Southern Utah area.
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort Review
Hopefully this Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort review will help you decide if this is the place for you to stay on your next trip to Southern Utah. Zion National Park is arguably the best national park in Utah and the Zion Ponderosa is considered by many people to be the #1 year-round resort destination in the west, so there really is not another resort experience like it.
Have you stayed at the Zion Ponderosa? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.
You May Also Enjoy These Posts:
- Hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park
- Best Hikes in Utah
- 21 Places to Visit in Utah that aren’t National Parks
- Epic Things to do in Utah
- Visiting the Utah Mighty 5 National Parks
Let’s Stay in Touch…
Andrea Cannon is a pharmacist, triathlete, gratitude practicer, and avid traveler. For both business and pleasure, she has taken more than 250 flights yearly for the past 3 years. In addition to being a travel hacking enthusiast, Andrea enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband (Austin) and dog (Dex). You can connect with her via her blog www.beaUTAHfulworld.com or on Instagram @andreafcannon .