Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

This place is really cool! We are here on our way from CA to CO, and wanted to go through Zion Canyon. Because Thanksgiving is the off season, I got a great deal. I’m traveling with my 3 teenage boys, and didn’t know what to expect. We photographed some huge bucks on the way in. The boys were thrilled to find mini golf and basketball when we pulled up to check in. Our «cowboy cabin» is a bunk bed that sleeps 4 and there is a futon that sleeps two. Bathrooms and showers are in a separate building but easily accessible. I love it here! Wish we were staying longer. You have to check it out!

First things first, this location is not near Springdale where the rest of the hotels are. Once you pass Springdale, you still got about 14 miles up the mountain to go. We stayed at their cabin suites (Cabin Bunk Suite). 1 bedroom with queen bunks, 1 bathroom, and the living room has a 2 person breakfast table, sink, microwave, small fridge and a pull out sofa. Outside you have a bbq pit and space to park your car. I thought this place had a fireplace but I guess not all the cabins have one. There was plenty of heaters throughout the cabin. We had complimentary breakfasts with our reservation which was very convenient. Their diner is open for a few hours during breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had dinner there the first night and the food was good. They have a small gift shop where you check-​in as well. Everyone was very helpful in answering our questions. I’d come back to this location for a «glamping» trip or with a big group of people.

During our trip to Zion, we had the pleasure of staying in one of the wagons on site. From the moment we walked-​in, the staff at the ranch were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Michael, the general manager, helped us to our wagon when he saw the a look of confusion over our faces. He personally escorted us over to our wagon. Had he not done so, it would have probably taken us a bit longer to find it.
After settling in to our cozy wagon, we headed over to the dinning hall, where Michael came over to ensure that everything was good and also gave us helpful tips of which trails we should see. We were fortunate to have Reed as our server for both nights, where he recommended the Dutch Apple Dessert (A MUST TRY). He was a very friendly waiter that made sure we had a nice dining experience at Zion Ponderosa Ranch.
Overall, the experience was great and the customer service was exceptional.
Highly recommend this location if you’re visiting Zion national park where the staff makes you feel right at home.
Note: Be aware of the Wild Turkeys, Deer, & Rams on your way to the ranch.

We stayed here while we were visiting Zion National Park. It’s farther from the Visitor Center than Springdale, but a lot less expensive and we didn’t mind the beautiful drive into the park every day. We stayed in a cowboy cabin which was very nice. It had queen size bunkbeds and a sofa that made into a bed if you need that, electricity, but no plumbing. The bathhouse was very close by and very clean. There were a dozen sinks and toilet stalls, and several showers each of which was a spacious, private room with doors that locked for privacy and included a generous sized changing area.
There was a very nice pool and spa and a small miniature golf course, board games in the office/​lobby. We got free breakfast in the morning which was quite a bit better than the average free motel breakfast — scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and bagels, fresh fruit, yogurt, juice, waffles, oatmeal with warm fruit compote, and excellent coffee.
I had dinner there one evening — trout with wild rice. It was quite good.

Came across this place and originally booked the pioneer wagon accommodation. Upon arrival I found out they are not heated, with temps in the 20 beginning of November, we upgraded to a cabin. Comfortable and clean. Came with full size bunk beds. Breakfast included, nothing special but okay. Dinner menu discriminates against vegetarians. Ordered the Cobb salad asked to leave the bacon and eggs off, for some reason there was a $ 4.00 charge for that?. . In room info book offers all kinds of spa services, when I tried to book a massage I as told no longer available. Time to update the book!

This resort is a go to destination to getaway from the big city. My husband and I just recently stayed there for 4 nights and had an amazing stay. The staff were so helpful and polite, the food at Rays was to die for, and the scenery was breathtaking. If you are coming from a huge city then this place will be a culture shock in the most positive way. They have so many activities for all age groups (i.e. horseback riding, ziplining, tours, hiking, etc). There are multiple sizes for the cabins; from cozy 1 bedrooms to family size homes. My husband and I received more than what we paid for with our stay with the hospitality, cleanliness, and comfort from the staff at the resort. Every time we went to the main office and restaurant no one gave us the cold shoulder or had fake smiles, everyone was genuine.
The prices for the activities and food were very reasonable and they even give discounts if you get the activities in bundles (:
They were amazingly amazing and I’ve been recommending this getaway to everyone I know
Thank you for the memorable and amazing stay. Keep up the great work!
— The Bellachs

My son and I stayed in a cowboy cabin, we had a great time. The showers and bathrooms were clean. Food was great. My son had a blast riding the atvs, climbing the wall and playing mini golf. All the staff members we interacted with were very friendly and helpful.

The value for either camping or RV/​trailering is fantastic. If you are paying the amount to stay in a cabin it is not worthy of 5 stars. But there is so much to do here. A lot to do at the resort itself and a lot to do because of its location to Zions and Bryce National parks. Will definitely come here again.

We stayed Aug 8 – 10 at a tent site. It was pretty much my first time camping (without my parents and their preparedness) and I can’t imagine any other way of camping!
The ranch is about 20 miles from the west entrance of the national park (which takes about 45 minutes to drive thru), but it’s such a beautiful scenic drive.
We got in around 4pm, and went to the reservation office, which was also a small convenient store and had the restaurant attached. In front of it, was a miniature golf course.
The staff was extremely friendly and the manager escorted us to our actual site. Which was the best possible site ever! Right across from the bathrooms, showers, swimming pool, and laundry room. Also walking distance to the office. The site had a BBQ grill, and a picnic table provided. I’d say you could fit about 4 tents.
Bathrooms are incredibly clean (they do have electrical outlets). Showers are private and clean (but bring flip flops anyway) and has a body wash dispenser).
The resort offers everything you could possibly need. I enjoyed my «glamping» experience at ponderosa.

Excellent!
We camped on our visit to Zion and since we booked kind of late, Zion ponderosa was one of the few to still have camp sites available.
This is pretty much glamping at its best because there is a little something for everyone. You do have the option to rent a home or cabin or you can camp it Og style by tent. There is running water and in fact 10 showers and toilets. It can get packed if you come shower at rush hour but come on, this is a luxury while camping.
We opted to stay in tents and the resort was super accommodating. While we bbq’d our own brought foods, (they provide grills but u need to bring ur own coal and firewood) they do have a café so you actually don’t need to bring food if you are extra lazy. They also remove your trash from your camp site!
There is a jacuzzi and pool right in the middle which is awesome after a long day of hiking. It’s about 40 mins from visitor center of Zion but worth the trek.

Fun times. We stayed in a 4 bedroom cabin which had plenty of run for 4 families. The upstairs was perfect for the kids. The zip line and mini golf was a blast. We also had a nice break at the pool. We cooked our meals at the house and enjoyed the deck. Highly recommend for a short weekend trip.

This place is a hidden gem!
Compared to your other camping option around Zion nothing comes close. Camping prices are very reasonable, plus they have cabins and wagons for people who don’t like sleeping in tents.
I hiked both days from the ranch into Zion on the eastern trail, one day making it to Angels Landing and Observation Point for sunset and then hiked back under the moonlight back to Ponderosa. It was one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done in my life.
Plus add on clean warm showers and a jacuzzi! Come on what else could you possibly want from a camping location!
And not to mention the excellent customer service. I unfortunately lost my keys bouldering through Hidden Canyon and they were extremely accommodating with my situation and even called the UPS driver to make sure he received the package with my spare set in them, and they gave me a ride back to my car in Zion National Park.
I’m so happy I found this place it will make all future vacations to Zion a breeze!
Cheers,
–Joe
Ps they always take in walk-​ins for traveling hikers/​backpackers.

What an awesome place to hold a Ragnar Trail race. They have plenty of space for 400 teams to camp out on their grounds. When it came down to inquiring on the availability of lodging, the women at the front desk were so kind and accommodating. That fireplace in that building sure was useful.
We were initially given one of their wagons to lodge in but that turned sour when a leak was discovered. We then got upgraded to a cabin where we were able to cook our food under an awning, away from the rain.
While we were waiting for our room, we took the opportunity to hang out in one of their two hot tubs. They do have a large pool but unfortunately it’s not heated. The private showers have shampoo, conditioner, and body wash provided.
At check out, we were invited to have breakfast. They have the typical offerings of fruit, bagels, oatmeal, and cereal. As far as hot foods, there’s scrambled eggs and hash browns but the star would be the waffles. The waffle maker was easy as pie to use. They have a pretty good selection of tea for your brewing pleasure.
See ya next year, Ponderosa, hopefully under favorable weather conditions.

Place is setup nice for cabins and camping in a tent, EXCEPT There is NO FIRE PIT in the ground on individual campsites, they have a bbq girl that stands up, that was a let down… overall a nice quiet place, we ate the breakfast buffet which was a typical one, eggs, bacon, waffles, cereal, juice and coffee. I do like how nice all the employees are, also the store has all the needs that you may forget at home, like butter, fire logs etc… the bathroom facilities are very nice as well. overall a nice stay except the fire pit. you cant camp without a fire, and not one in a bbq pit, I like mine in the ground PLEASE !

4 stars and would recommend to a friend. It’s definitely not roughin it, and I’m not personally one to pick a place with mini golf and a climbing wall, but was happy with my campsite (yes a bit close to others, but what campsites aren’t really?). The ability to do laundry, take a shower in a clean shower with HOT water, and use nice super clean bathrooms was really great. They also have an area to wash dishes WITH soap and a sponge and a table next to the sink! Not to mention when I bought laundry soap for 80 cents for one load I felt like I wasn’t being over charged just because thy could, which reminds me, two nights camping was about $ 20-​not bad! (Especially compared to the arm and leg I’m paying here in California at the moment, sheesh!)
Negatives: it is about 45 minutes to Zion Natl Park parking and visitor center where you take the shuttle up to all the hikes/​main sight seeing. The plus side though as I noticed leaving the other Zion entrance… Ponderosa resort is tucked away and not in a crowded «disney land» of the other side of Zion!
Only other real negative was it was a bit noisy, but life goes on… Ear plugs!

It’s so far from everything! 20 minutes from the main road, although from the main road it’s very close to the east entrance in the park. It seems like the lodge is more for families as there were a lot of kids there. Nights were really quiet though so it was nice to see the stars on top of the mountain. Front desk is very friendly.

Zion Ponderosa Ranch is the place to be if you have children in your party while visiting Southern Utah. I found out about this place while browsing
when planning our next family adventure to the region. Our family visits Utah at least once a year typically during my birthday. The beauty and serenity of Zion NP helps me unwind from the repetitive monotony of «the daily grind.» It is a great way to unplug and relax… unless you have two children under 6 and two big as dogs in tow, then not so much. Oh well I did it to myself.
Anyways, ZPR has everything to keep the kids entertained during your visit. This includes basketball, volleyball and tennis course, mini golf, newly remodeled swimming pool with slide and hot tub, playground, trampoline, zipline (that’s right zipline!), ATV track, horseback riding, trap shooting, pool tables, darts, foosball, and on and on. Seriously this place has everything. For the parents there is also showers and laundry machines if you are on an extended trip through the area.
ZPR is located past the East entrance to Zion National Park. It takes about 30 minutes to travel the winding roads to the main park entrance in the town of Springdale. It is worth it if you want to be more secluded from the busy little tourist town. Be careful while driving at night to the ranch especially during dawn or dusk because there are Mule Deer and Turkey everywhere. One collision with one of these animals and your vacation will be ruined in an instant. It might make for good cheap meal though. Mmmmm venison!
Zion Ponderosa Ranch has something for everyone. If you want to really rough it they have tent sites, or Cowboy Cabins with queen size bunk beds, to the Cabin Suites which have a bedroom and private bathroom with a shower. Woohoo! They also have RV spaces if you are rolling in style taking the NP tours of southern Utah. If you really want to drop alot of $$$ they have private fully furnished vacation houses that are high end luxury with all the amenities and privacy one might need if they were visiting from Hollywood. If you are staying in one of the many Cowboy Cabins a complimentary continental breakfast was included in the room rate which can really help your vacation budget. This space also serves as restaurant for lunch or dinner. They stay open until 9 or 10 pm depending on the time of the year. We only tried the breakfast because we ventured elsewhere during our visit.
The staff at ZPR were very friendly and always greeted you with a smile. Julie was very helpful for our family and made some changes to our second night stay to increase the comfort of our visit. Managing a property like this I am sure is always a work in progress. There will always be something that needs to be cleaned or repaired. There was a lot of random stuff tucked away in little corners that can affect the image of the property as perceived by visitors. Being a family business I am sure this can affect the productivity of the people working in an effective manner. Don’t get me wrong this place is still great, it could just use some tidying up a bit in some areas.
Overall great visit to ZPR, our family will be back soon and recommend to others. Please book ahead and for multiple days because there is sooo much to do.

Great fun for families
We stayed here for two two-​day stays over the course of a week-​long visit to canyon country. The place has many amenities including a really nice pool area with two water slides, two hot tubs, and two pools.
The only convenient restaurant is the diner on-​site. Dinner was meh: my steak salad was way overdressed. If you get a tossed salad, get the dressing on the side. The restaurant is laid out awkwardly with no access to the gorgeous outside. You feel like you are in a horse stall. One night our server served us outside in their event tent but the next night we just got it to go — much better. The only other night we ate at the restaurant, I ordered a burger, which was fine and the side salad was very good.
The yay!:
We were here at the start of the season and the staff was nice and very helpful.
The pool/​laundry/​bathhouse complex was terrific. The showers were plentiful, roomy, and well-​appointed. The pool had two fun watersides and there were two hot tubs. Very nice after a hot day in Zion.
We enjoyed staying in the cowboy wagons, which were off to the side and had nice views yet were close to the activities.
Breakfast for cabins and wagons was complimentary. The simple buffet was homemade and made and served with love. Eggs, eggs with chorizo, pancakes mufffins. Lovely. And you couldn’t ask for a sweeter buffet attendant.
We rented a golf cart for $ 30 for evening overnight and morning. Huge hit with the tweens who drove it around for hours.
We also rented a Polaris ranger, also a hit. You can drive out to an amazing view of Zion. You can also drive almost to the head of Jolley Canyon, park your polaris and take a very short walk to the top of the canyon. The view of this sculpted slot canyon is breathtaking.
We ziplined swam played foosball pong pong, rode our bikes around and played on the playground. All fun.
The meh:
The sewage is treated on site in open pools. Its not horrible buy you could periodically smell a strong swamp smell at the wagons.
If you tent camp, be sure to reserve a numbered site. We did not have one for stay one and the guy pointed out a patch of lumpy field and there it was. He and the husband had to carry over a picnic table to the site. There was a piece of toilet paper under our wheel which we removed (yuck). It was far to the potty, so it was tough for the kids, hence tough for mom. The remoteness could have been charming had it been the remoteness provided a nature experience, but we could see and here all the revelry from our campsite — drunk people around the fire dropping f-​bombs in front of our kids. It is so worth the extra expense of a wagon or the effort is ensuring that you have a numbered spot.
All in all. The kids had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed their freedom. I struggled between 3 and 4 stars given how much fun my kids had and the shower house. However, the next night we stayed at Kodachrome basin, much more nature-​oriented, quieter, more traditional camping and my daughter said she liked that better. I would have rather stayed closer to Zion (it takes nearly an hour to get to zion from Z-​P) but it was worth staying there to make the kids happy.

I’ve taken church groups to Zion Ponderosa Ranch for four years. We rented group tent sites at $ 10/​person/​nite. Granted the prices are much higher than other camp sites, but the amenities, the venue, and the staff at ZP are amazing!
We haven’t spent much time at the Ranch because we camp at the resort and hike Zion National Park during the day.
CLIENTELE: The clientele at Zion Ponderosa make up tourists from all over the world. It’s nice when you can sit in the jacuzzi and have conversations with such a variety of people.
LODGING: ZP offers lodging accommodations of all kinds from houses to tent sites and all points in between. You can rent small cabins or covered wagons, etc.
ACTIVITIES: There are many activities for individuals, families, and groups. However, you must purchase activity vouchers. In the past, our groups have taken advantage of indoor rock climbing and shooting (clay pigeon with a 20 gauge shotgun). However, the best of all the activities are sitting in the jacuzzi at nite after a long day of hiking to let the aches and soreness melt away. It is a breathtaking site to sit in the jacuzzi and watch the sun setting over the gorgeous forested landscape of the ranch.
PRICING: I feel that pricing is very competitive considering the resort is located within 30 minutes of one of the most visited national parks in the country. I dare say, one might pay more for much lesser accommodations in SoCal, Big Bear for example.
Tent sites are $ 10/​person/​per night, which is a bit pricey for camping. However, keep in mind that you have full access to all the amenities of an international-​quality resort: public restrooms, hot showers, laundry, 2 swimming pools, 2 jacuzzis, etc.
SERVICE: In my opinion, this is the best thing about ZP. The staff at Zion Ponderosa have always taken a «can-​do» approach toward customer service. They are extremely accommodating and helpful. I’ve never run across any bad attitudes. All the staff are polite, helpful and seem genuinely happy.

Giving this place a solid 5 because it delivered exactly what I expected… an outdoorsy yet solid place to stay while exploring the parks. Keep that in mind as you read the reviews as most critique seems to come from people picking the wrong place for their tastes.
Actually, my expectations were really beat. I expected a sturdy, barebones cabin to crash in at night. Instead I found myself in a really nice and completely private space… shared bathrooms, yes, but tons of them and individually doored (they also have nicer cabins with restrooms inside).
There’s clearly a ton of activities on the site for families /​visitors, but for someone who came to explore Zion & Bryce on my own, they were perfectly happy to give me tips, even show me what’s where on a map. That said, there’s a fantastic pool area with a hot tub (you’ll want this after hikes).
The food was great for a rustic style lodge, the prices were hardly out of line with anything else in the area and while it is to the east of Zion, that has the upside of making it quicker to get to places like Bryce and the Grand Canyon (not a day trip of course) if you’re doing a whole area tour.
It sounds like the place gets pretty packed in summer so keep that in mind… In late fall it was pretty empty and rather cheap, so I booked it twice and extended my stay.
If you want a traditional hotel with endless rows of rooms or plan to spend days indoor, move on.