Cable Mountain Lodge has the best location of any hotel outside the park: it sits in Zion Canyon Village at the very top of Springdale, right beside the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, with a footbridge leading to the park entrance. From your room you can walk to the start of the park shuttle in a few minutes, which means no parking stress and the easiest possible early starts for Angels Landing or The Narrows. The lodge takes its name from Cable Mountain, the cliff in Zion Canyon where pioneers built a cable works in the early 1900s to lower timber from the plateau to the canyon floor. The building is low-rise, wood and stone, set in landscaped lawns and designed to blend with the terracotta cliffs. Accommodation comes in eight studio and suite types. Studios are on the ground floor with king, queen or twin beds; suites have pool, park or courtyard views, private patios or balconies, and sofa beds in the living areas; the Judy Ann Suite adds a dining table, a fireplace and a jetted tub. Every room has a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave and coffee maker, and an on-site convenience store stocks the basics, so self-catering is easy. The seasonal outdoor pool looks across the canyon and the Virgin River, with a heated spa for cool evenings, and complimentary gas barbecues line the river. Within walking distance in Zion Canyon Village are restaurants, a grocery store, an art gallery and gift shops. Rates are mid to upper range, reflecting the location.
What sets Cable Mountain Lodge apart is convenience. In Springdale, where parking near the park entrance fills early and costs money, walking out of your room and into the park is a real luxury. It gives you the feeling of staying inside the park without the price or the scarcity of Zion Lodge. The rooms are spacious and practical, with warm natural tones and handcrafted furniture, and the kitchenettes make it ideal for longer stays, families and hikers who want to pack lunches and eat simple dinners after long days.
How to use it. Wake early and walk to the Visitor Center for the first shuttle; in the shuttle-free weeks before Christmas, drive into the canyon from the lodge in a couple of minutes. Spend afternoons by the pool in season, grill dinner by the river on the barbecues, and walk to the village restaurants. Ask for a suite with a park view for the best outlook toward the Watchman and the canyon entrance, and book well ahead for spring and fall.
Who should stay. Hikers, families and anyone who values proximity above all. The trade-offs: it is self-catering rather than full-service, there is no on-site restaurant or spa, and the pool is seasonal. The village can be busy by day with park visitors. But if you want the shortest commute to Zion Canyon from any bed outside it, Cable Mountain Lodge is the answer.
Why stay here
- ✓Footbridge to the park entrance
- ✓Kitchenette in every room
- ✓Seasonal pool with canyon views
- ✓Heated spa
- ✓Gas barbecues by the river
- ✓On-site convenience store
- ✓Suites with patios or balconies
- ✓Walk to Visitor Center shuttle
Good questions
How close is Cable Mountain Lodge to Zion?+
It is beside the Zion Canyon Visitor Center in Zion Canyon Village, with a footbridge to the park entrance, so you can walk to the start of the park shuttle in minutes.
Do rooms have kitchens?+
Every room has a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave and coffee maker, and there is an on-site convenience store. Barbecues by the river are complimentary.
Does the lodge have a restaurant?+
No on-site restaurant, but several restaurants and a grocery store are within walking distance in Zion Canyon Village.
