Golf Near Zion National Park: Where to Play, Where to Stay and When to Go from St. George

Most golf near Zion National Park is in Hurricane, Utah, on the east side of Washington County, about 30 minutes from downtown St. George. Sky Mountain is about 26 road miles from Zion's south entrance, Copper Rock 29 and Sand Hollow 33.5. Coral Canyon in Washington, which looks out toward Zion, is a few minutes further west. All four are public, and from a Hurricane hotel you're 5 to 19 minutes from any of them.

There are no courses at the park's front door, in Springdale, but this side of Southern Utah is built for a hike-in-the-morning, golf-in-the-afternoon trip. Here's how to set one up.

Golf near Zion National Park: the closest courses

Road miles to Zion's south entrance are routed estimates (OSRM). Fees are as seen in October 2026 and change.

Sand Hollow also has two short courses on the same site. The Links is a wide 9-hole links-style course ($50 to $105 seen). The Wee Course is a 40-to-100-yard pitch-and-putt.

From St. George to Zion: Washington, Hurricane, LaVerkin and Springdale

Think of the drive from St. George to Zion as a line running east. You leave the city, pass Washington and the Coral Canyon / SR-9 exit off I-15, then follow SR-9 through Hurricane and LaVerkin toward Springdale and the park's south entrance. The golf sits along the first half of that line. Toquerville and Leeds lie to the north, between Hurricane and the I-15 run to Cedar City, and have no courses on our map.

Drive times are free-flow routing estimates. The practical upshot: if Zion is a big part of the trip, Hurricane is the better base; if golf is the main event and Zion is one day, St. George or Washington works fine. Our where to stay for golf in St. George guide weighs the bases, and the Hurricane, Utah golf guide covers the east-side courses in depth.

What each course gives a Zion trip

Sky Mountain: closest, and usually cheapest

It's a short municipal course on a mesa, with views to Zion, Pine Valley Mountain and the Virgin River gorge. Local advice is to play it after an early hike. Wind is its main defence, so a calm morning or late afternoon makes it much easier. Full details are in our Sky Mountain guide and on the Sky Mountain course page.

Copper Rock: the test

Copper Rock opened in 2020, hosts the LPGA's Epson Tour event and has the highest men's Course Rating in the St. George area. Its clubhouse sits at about 3,384 feet, the highest of the four courses here. Online booking opens 60 days out, and cancellation is free if you cancel 72 or more hours ahead. Move up a tee if you're a 15-plus handicap. See our Copper Rock guide and the Copper Rock course page.

Sand Hollow: the showpiece

The back nine runs along a cliff edge on holes 11 to 15, and that's the reason most people book. Tee times open 180 days out, and resort lodging guests can book up to a year ahead. Prime spring weekend mornings go months in advance. From December to January, the rate drops by about half after about 1 pm ($75 to $85). If you have the legs, add the wide, walkable Links nine next door for 27 holes in a day. Our Sand Hollow guide covers the booking strategy, and the Sand Hollow course page has the scorecard.

Coral Canyon: the hard one with the view

Coral Canyon is wide but stiff (148 slope from the tips, 155 on the front nine), with views to Pine Valley Mountain and Zion. It sits by the Coral Canyon / SR-9 exit off I-15, the first course you reach coming from St. George. It also doesn't overseed, which matters in September. The Coral Canyon course guide has the tee table.

Where to stay: Hurricane as base camp

Staying in Hurricane cuts both drives: the park is down the road, and all four courses are close. Drive times below are routed estimates.

• Comfort Inn & Suites is on the west edge of Hurricane, closest to Sky Mountain. It has an indoor pool and hot tub and two-queen rooms, but you drive for dinner.
• Wingate has free buffet breakfast and is the closest of these to Copper Rock, with restaurants and a grocery within a few minutes' walk.
• Sand Hollow Resort has 2- to 4-bedroom condos and homes, which suit a group of 4 to 8. The STAY&PLAY code gives 10% off lodging and 20% off tee times, with a two-night minimum.
• Holiday Inn Express North - Zion was seen at about $100 to $120 a night (January snapshot) and is beside Coral Canyon in Washington.

Staying in St. George instead? That works too. From downtown, Coral Canyon is about 17 minutes, Sky Mountain about 28, Sand Hollow about 32 and Copper Rock about 36 on our routing. You give up the short drive to the park, but you gain the city courses and a much wider choice of hotels.

We didn't find published rates for the two Hurricane hotels when we checked in October 2026, apart from one Comfort Inn sample of $131 to $145 for October 12, 2026. For the wider picture, see our St. George golf hotels guide.

Timing golf near Zion National Park

Zion and golf peak at different times, and that's useful.

• February to May is peak golf: highs of about 59°F to 85°F in St. George. It's also busy, with snowbirds, spring break, Easter and Zion traffic all on top of each other. Weekends book up and tee times go fast.
• June to August is Zion's busy season. June and July each bring about 12% of the park's annual visits (2019-2023 average), and Zion logged over 95,000 visits on Memorial Day weekend 2025. It's also the cheapest golf of the year, but St. George highs average 96°F to 102°F, so golf is dawn-only.
• September is overseed month at many St. George golf courses. The Zion-side courses are a good bet: Coral Canyon doesn't overseed, and we found no fall overseed closure published for Sky Mountain or Sand Hollow. Copper Rock's schedule isn't published, so call.
• October and November bring fresh turf and highs of 64°F to 79°F. Early October is the most crowded event stretch in St. George. November is quieter, with the lightest winds of the year.

Our best time to golf in St. George guide goes month by month.

Setting up a hike-and-golf day

The simple version that works in spring and fall:

1. Hike early. Get into the park first thing, before the heat and the crowds.
2. Tee off in the early afternoon at Sky Mountain, which is closest, or Sand Hollow. Sand Hollow's winter twilight rate kicks in after about 1 pm in December and January.
3. Watch the light in winter. Days are short from December to January. Twilight rounds at Sand Hollow aren't guaranteed to finish 18.

In summer, flip it: golf at dawn and save the park for later, or just accept a hot round.

A sample three days on the Zion side

• Day 1: arrive via St. George, play Coral Canyon on the way east, check in to Hurricane.
• Day 2: Zion in the morning, Sky Mountain in the afternoon.
• Day 3: Sand Hollow Championship in the morning, the Links nine after lunch if you want 27.

Swap Copper Rock in for any round if you want the hardest test. For a full city-based plan, see our 3-day St. George golf itinerary.

The east side: Thunderbird at Mount Carmel Junction

The only golf near Zion National Park on the far side is Thunderbird Golf Course at Mount Carmel Junction. It's a 9-hole, par-31 course of about 1,900 yards, opened in 1957 and run with the Best Western East Zion Thunderbird Lodge. It sits at about 5,200 feet, so it's a summer course. The lodge markets it as an escape from the St. George and Las Vegas heat.

Before you build a day around it, two cautions. We found no 2025 or 2026 confirmation that it's operating, so call 435-648-2188. And from St. George the direct route runs through Zion National Park: about 66 miles and around 112 minutes on our routing. You'll pay the park entry fee, and the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel has oversize-vehicle restrictions. It's worth it only as part of a Zion east-side or Bryce trip. Our Cedar City and Southern Utah golf guide covers the other higher, cooler courses beyond St. George.

Plan it on the map

Open the 3D map of St. George golf and zoom to the Hurricane side to see Sky Mountain, Copper Rock, Sand Hollow and Coral Canyon together, with drive times from each hotel. It's the quickest way to plan golf near Zion National Park, with days that start in the park and end on a tee.