We stayed at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort for a few days, and it’s a great destination to stay while visiting Zion National Park and Mount Carmel no matter what time of the year you choose to go. Whether you’re making spring break plans, taking a road trip, or planning your next visit, we’ve put together a full coverage review to help you decide if Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is the perfect place for you to stay!

Lobby at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

The main lobby and entrance to Zion Ponderosa Resort is right next to the outside parking lot down a few stairs, it’s relatively easy to get to with a wheelchair-accessible path. The front reception desk has a gift shop, and two hallways are all located within the lobby. One leads toward some of the hotel rooms and another into the restaurant. The lobby has a few water bottle stations, vending machines, and free wi-fi. The check-in time is relatively fast, although keep in mind that might change during the busy season in Zion.

Different Lodging Options

There are many different types of room to book at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort for you to book. The options include:

• Vacation Rental Houses
• Cowboy Cabins
• RV Camping
• Conestoga Wagons
• Cabin Suites
• A Glamping Tent
• Deluxe Glamping
• Tent Camping

The cheapest hotel deal you can book would be the tent camping. There are three different cabins to rent especially if you want to feel like a real cowboy while staying on this ranch:

• A- Queen bunk bed in the bedroom with a pull-out couch in the living room.
• B- Queen bed with a pull-out bed in the living room.
• C- Queen bed + bunk bed in the bedroom and pull-out couch in the living room.

We chose to book cabin A which included a small kitchenette, a small dining table, a living room, a full bathroom, and a bedroom. As well as a small porch outside, campfire, picnic table, and drive way.

And for those of you wondering about a four-legged family member, they do not allow pets. Unless that pet is a service animal of some kind. The cabin was around a five-minute walk from the lobby and restaurant, although if you decided to take your car to and from the lobby it would be around a minute drive.

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Restaurants

The onsite restaurant that we ate at is called “Ponderosa Eats Restaurant” and has indoor and outdoor seating. When we entered there was a smell of a great country breakfast. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as offer a catering service and snack bar. Unfortunately, there’s no poolside grill but the dinner is delicious.

There is free breakfast included with your room BUT not during the months of January and February, nor is it included during major events.  

The only thing some might consider a downside about the restaurant is that while the customer service is decent you have to go up to the front to order and ask for anything you might need. They do not wait the tables. While the restaurant does get crowded and sometimes there can be long lines. Though, there’s still room for the whole family and large groups of people. It’s of course also a great place to eat. While we did not try Kiki Dee’s Taqueria ( A onsite food truck ) We’ve heard it’s good and worth a try!

The Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort property

The property of the Zion National Park resort is very big and green and is of course in the more quiet side of Zion. They have a pool, miniature golf, and many more things that will be covered in the recreation activities section of this post. The cabins, lake, and all are surrounded by coniferous forest so not only do you have many people staying on the property, but deer also like to make an appearance every now and then.

We saw deer around three different times during our stay, and an astonishing number of bird’s. So you get a taste of America’s wilderness alongside a relaxing resort stay. Not only that but they have goats that also roam the property, grazing on the fields. They’re friendly and will more than likely let you pet them, they did for us!

Here’s a Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort map view.

Recreation activities

In the way of activities, there are unguided, assisted, and guided. Most are all onsite activities, but there are a few that venture out into the national parks. Personally, I’m a fan of things like zip lining, so I was a little sad when I found out that is something not offered. But lucky for you, we’re here to tell you what is included and offered at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

• Unguided activities include: Mini golf, trampoline bungee, Volleyball, basketball, massages, golf cart rentals, horse shoes, hot tub, and the pool. 
• Assisted activities include: Trampoline bungee, climbing wall, paintball, gun range, VR (virtual reality), star gazing ( for looking at beautiful southern Utah stars ), Zion hiking shuttles/taxis, Yoga, and a nice country dinner. 
• Guided activities include: Canyoneering in Zion, Horseback riding, SWAT shooting, Zion National Park hikes, UTV tours, and sunset jeep tours.

If you’d like more ideas for the east side of Zion National Park, Mojave desert regions, recreation areas, or guidance in planning your trip to southern Utah check out this other blog post!

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort Review

Overall Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is a nice relaxing place, with plenty of things to do after you visit Zion National Park, and gives you a nice, family-friendly place to stay while visiting other attractions in the area such as Bryce Canyon.

• Free Wi-Fi Speed: 3.5 out of 5 stars for the free wifi, and was average 
• Early Check-in & Baggage Holding Available: We arrived well after normal check in time so we did not utilize this service.  
• Wall Sockets for Charging: There were plenty of sockets to charge our devices, international travelers be prepared with the correct adapter to accommodate the plug in the Americas. 
• Bed, Sheets, and Furniture Comfort Level: 2.5 out of 5 stars. So the bed felt like it was leaning to one side, it looked like it was the foundation of the cabin. The bed sheets were comfy and soft. The ladder to the loft queen bed did not feel very safe because it was not tied or permanently fixed to the bed. Lounge area furniture was very basic, the cabin did include a picnic table with a fire pit. 
• Water Pressure & Water Temp: Water pressure was standard and the water was nice and hot offering a good showering experience.
• Shuttle Service: n/a
• Customer Service: 4 out of 5 stars. The front desk check in was smooth and helped us decide what to stay in after arriving. The staff was friendly and respectful throughout the property. We had zero issues with staff members. 
• Bell & Maid service: We did not use this service while visiting the resort.
• Customer Complaint Resolution Experience: We stayed one night and we did not have any complaints for them to resolve. 
• Military Discount: 10% off for Active Duty

The free breakfast was very basic. We didn’t care for it that much. It was cafeteria style and mostly consisted of cereal, breads, coffee and fruit. They do offer items for order through their kitchen so if you decide you want something different you have options there. There are a few heated pools in the pool area that we thought was pretty cool!

Frequently asked questions

This is a list of frequently asked questions about Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

Where is zion ponderosa ranch resort

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is between Springdale and Dixie National Forest, and of course to the east of Zion National Park. Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort address is Twin Knolls Rd, Orderville, UT 84758

How high is Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

The elevation of Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is about 6516 feet or 1986m.

How far from Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort to Zion National Park

Zion National Park is only a 15-minute drive from Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, of course, that’s not including traffic or less-than-ideal weather conditions. That said Zion National Park is 8.1 miles away from Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. So not too far.

If you’re looking for more things in Utah to check out click here