September in Zion National Park is a good month: highs around 91°F, lows around 60°F. Crowds: peak crowds — #1 busiest of the park's 12 months. Narrows water warms; still hot at midday. The editorial best window here is April–May & October. You get about 12h 25m of daylight. To finish The Narrows (Bottom-Up) (3h 20m) before dark, leave the trailhead by about 4:21 PM.
Month data reviewed · how we check this
| Verdict | Good A solid visit with a caveat — usually crowds or heat. |
|---|---|
| Temps °F | 91° high / 60° low |
| Crowds | peak crowds · #1 busiest of the park's 12 months |
| What September is like | Narrows water warms; still hot at midday |
| Best window (whole year) | April–May & October |
| Peak crowds (whole year) | May–Jul, Sep |
CROWDS: RELATIVE SEASONALITY FROM NPS VISITATION STATISTICS · TEMPS: APPROXIMATE NOAA NORMALS AT MAIN VISITOR ELEVATION — HIGH COUNTRY RUNS 10–20°F COLDER
DAYLIGHT ON SEPTEMBER 15 · LOCAL PARK TIME (MDT)COMPUTED FROM THE PARK'S OWN COORDINATES FOR THE 15TH — THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH STANDS FOR IT, AS IT DOES FOR CLIMATE NORMALS. WITHIN A MONTH THESE TIMES SHIFT BY UP TO AN HOUR
LEAVE THE TRAILHEAD BY — TO FINISH BEFORE DARK ON SEPTEMBER 15WALKING TIMES ESTIMATED FROM EACH TRAIL'S MEASURED DISTANCE AND ELEVATION GAIN — A PLANNING FIGURE, NOT A PACE. ADD YOUR OWN MARGIN FOR PHOTOS, REST AND CROWDS. WATER AT THE HOT-WEATHER RATE, BECAUSE THIS MONTH AVERAGES 91°F. TRAILS WE HAVE NOT MEASURED ARE LEFT OUT RATHER THAN GUESSED
WHAT SEPTEMBER ASKS OF YOU HEREZion National Park in October — Best window, highs around 78°F, crowds: busy (cottonwoods turn gold — the photographer's month).
Our verdict for September is "Good". A solid visit with a caveat — usually crowds or heat. Expect highs around 91°F and lows around 60°F, with crowds at the "peak crowds" level. Temperatures are approximate NOAA normals at the main visitor elevation; crowd levels follow published NPS visitation statistics.
Across the full 12-month review, the best window is April–May & October, and the peak-crowd months are May–Jul, Sep. September itself we rate "Good".
October we rate "Best window" against "Good" for September, with highs around 78°F and crowds at the "busy" level.
About 12h 25m on September 15: the sun rises around 7:14 AM and sets around 7:39 PM local park time (MDT). Computed from the park's own coordinates, so it is the light you actually get at the trailhead, not the nearest city's.
The Narrows (Bottom-Up) takes about 3h 20m of walking, so on September 15 you would need to leave the trailhead by about 4:21 PM to finish before dark — the sun sets around 7:39 PM local park time (MDT). Walking times are estimated from each trail's measured distance and elevation gain, so treat them as a planning figure and add your own margin for photos, rest and crowds.
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