5 Incredible Hotels in Southern Utah

AutoCamp is best known for transforming collections of retro Airstream trailers into comfortable, design-forward places to sleep under the stars. The outdoor lodging brand first opened in 2013 in Santa Barbara, California. Although that initial property has shuttered, it has since expanded to other naturally beautiful areas throughout the United States.

AutoCamp Zion is one of four new arrivals to the brand, having opened in May 2023 in a small town just outside of Zion National Park. Set against a tall, red-brown mesa on a 16-acre property, it lets guests escape the hubbub of the park’s gateway town, Springdale, while still being convenient enough for enjoying everything Zion National Park and the surrounding area has to offer. Unlike some other glamping options, it is open year-round.

Set within a postcard-perfect corner of southern Utah and surrounded by national parks, the 600-acre Amangiri is tucked away in a protected valley among the canyons, flat-topped mesas, and desert landscapes of the Grand Circle. The resort’s architecture and decor allow the area’s natural beauty to take center stage—interiors are decorated in a minimalist fashion, using natural materials such as white stone and concrete, Douglas fir timber, blackened steel, and polished glass. The 34 accommodations range from 1,150-square-foot mesa- or desert-view suites to larger options with private pools, plus one four-bedroom home with living and dining areas and a kitchen; all include private outdoor space (terraces or courtyards), fireplaces, and heated floors for cooler desert nights. The local landscape also shines through in the cuisine, which includes Southwestern-inspired dishes served in view of the sweeping desert. In the sprawling 25,000-square-foot spa, treatments are inspired by Navajo healing traditions and begin with sage smudging ceremonies. When you’re not exploring the surroundings on guided hikes and horseback rides, or kayaking on nearby Lake Powell, linger on property for the cold and heated pools and yoga pavilion.

Just down the road from the main entrance to Zion National Park and its vivid red, pink, and cream-hued sandstone cliffs is this family-owned property, whose reclaimed Douglas fir and redwood beams merge seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The 73 rooms and suites, with their sleek kitchenettes, floor-to-ceiling windows, and pale-green-and-cream furnishings, are bright, modern, and spacious—upstairs accommodations feel even roomier thanks to high, cathedral-style ceilings. There’s an outdoor heated pool and a hot tub near a soothing rock waterfall for unwinding after an exhilarating hike or bike excursion, as well as private balconies or terraces in every room, equipped with wooden Adirondack chairs for soaking in the majestic views of the red rock cliffs and Virgin River.

Near the southwestern edge of Snow Canyon State Park is this wellness-oriented resort, a sprawling 55-acre property filled with fragrant mesquite trees, black lava gardens, and 106 rooms and villas. Stays here can be as low-key as a swim under the desert sun in one of two outdoor pools or an exfoliating red clay treatment at the renowned Sagestone Spa & Salon, but most visitors come for the full range of adventure offerings, from hiking and kayaking to sunset rappelling and horseback riding deep in red rock country. While the “consciously-planned entrée portions” at the hotel’s Canyon Breeze restaurant are all 500 calories or less—with most well under—dishes like grilled grass-fed strip loin steak with cheesy potato au gratin will leave you feeling anything but deprived. As of 2017, the resort is easier than ever to get to, thanks to new daily flights by United Express from Los Angeles to St. George.

This lodge bears the distinct honor of being the only “in-park lodging” at Zion, Utah’s first—and extremely popular—national park. Designed by noted architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood in the 1920s, it’s also on the National Register of Historic Places. Here, you’ll find 40 cabins and a main lodge that, after burning down in 1966 and being rebuilt shortly after, was restored to its original Underwood design in 1990. Cabins feature a more rustic look, with exposed wooden beams and stone fireplaces, while the 82 rooms and suites in the main lodge are outfitted with modern amenities, including flat-screen TVs and satellite reception. At the bright and airy Red Rock Grill, Southern-accented dishes like bison-jalapeño cheeseburgers and black-bean-and-quinoa-stuffed bell peppers compete with views of soaring red rock cliffs from the restaurant’s large windows.