Zion National Park
🇺🇸 United States
Colorado Plateau, United States 572 spp. recorded
Zion National Park sits on the Colorado Plateau in southwestern Utah. Its landscape is a maze of deep canyons, towering sandstone cliffs and desert‑dry scrub that hugs the Virgin River corridor, setting it apart from the broader forested parks of the region.
37.286° N 113.022° W
🦜 Nature
306 Species sighted
65,256 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 328 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Zion National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
21Jan
27Feb
30Mar
47Apr
49May
46Jun
41Jul
45Aug
40Sep
40Oct
27Nov
23Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Canyon Overlook Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Emerald Pools Trail
-
37.296° N, 113.025° W
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Visitor Center & Campgrounds
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Mule Deer>90%+10%
Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard~80%+20%
Plateau Fence Lizard~80%≈
Rock Squirrel~80%-10%
Common Side-blotched Lizard~70%+20%
Western Whiptail~70%+20%
Desert Spiny Lizard~60%+20%
Desert Collared Lizard~50%+20%
Plateau Striped Whiptail~40%-10%
Canyon Tree Frog~40%-20%
House Finch~40%-10%
Gopher Snake~30%≈
-
Riverside Walk
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Hard
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 389
🐒 Mammals 115
🦎 Reptiles 45
🐸 Amphibians 23
572 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
21 Threatened 17 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.1
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
68% 📊
Coverage (138 species at ≥5% of 572 in the inventory)
24% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (4 mammal, 4 reptile, 3 bird, 1 amphibian)
94% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
89 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
4 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
21 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.9
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
On the way, we spotted bighorn sheep up on a ledge.
The switchbacks going up/down to Scout’s Lookout When we made it to the end of Scout’s Lookout, we were pleasantly surprised to see a family of deer grazing amongst the shrub!
While we were there, we saw an incredible number of mule deer.
We hiked there from Kayenta Trail and were lucky enough to see 3 deer crossing the Virgin River: The fresh new leaves of the cottonwood trees made me hungry for salad!
Before you go
What animals can you see in Zion National Park?
572 species
Zion National Park has 572 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Mule Deer (about 90%), Rock Squirrel (about 90%), Plateau Fence Lizard (about 80%), Bighorn Sheep (about 70%) and Uinta Chipmunk (about 70%). Among birds, the most-seen is Common Raven (about 70%); among amphibians, Canyon Tree Frog (about 60%).
When is the best time to visit Zion National Park for wildlife?
April–June and August–October
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 40% in December and January.
Can you see a California Condor in Zion National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a California Condor sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 968 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January (about 40%).
Can you see a Bighorn Sheep in Zion National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Bighorn Sheep sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 548 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December (about 90%).
Can you see a Mule Deer in Zion National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Mule Deer sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 1,060 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December and January (over 90%).
Can you see a Spotted Owl in Zion National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Owl sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March and June (about 30%).
Where in Zion National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Canyon Overlook Trail
The richest sighting zone is around Canyon Overlook Trail, followed by Emerald Pools Trail, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Zion National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Zion National Park rates 3.5/5: 195th of 316 parks worldwide and 27th in North America. 25 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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