The very small town of Mount Carmel is a good base for exploring national parks in the southern part of Utah. It offers an eclectic destination, with a blend of cultural highlights in town and nature trails in the rocky surroundings. Admire stunning views of rock formations and boulders in Zion National Park.
Tour the Mount Carmel town center and see some of the sights. Visit the Maynard Dixon Living History Museum, which contains The Thunderbird Foundation of the Arts. The nearby Mt. Carmel School and Church is a stone structure that dates back to 1890.
Have fun at the 9-hole executive fairways of the Thunderbird Golf Course. Drive through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, which was carved into a mountain in the 1920s get a permit if your vehicle is tall or wide.
Enter the park through the Zion National Park East Entrance and head to the Canyon Overlook Trail for stunning views. Farther north, brave yourself for the dizzying heights of the Angels Landing Trail, with some of the best vistas of Zion Canyon.
Follow the East Rim Trail through a ponderosa pine forest to a plateau where you’ll have outstanding views of sandstone cliffs. Near the park entrance, hike toward the Checkerboard Mesa, a cone-shaped mountain with a checkerboard appearance on its slope.
Find Mount Carmel in Kane County, in Utah’s southwestern corner. It’s on the eastern side of Zion National Park, just south of Dixie National Forest. From Las Vegas, drive northeast for 200 miles (300 kilometers) to reach the town.
While you’re in this part of Utah, visit nearby landmarks such as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Fishlake National Forest and Capitol Reef National Park.
Use Mount Carmel as an idyllic base to explore Zion National Park. To serve the high number of visitors to the area, restaurants are plentiful and varied. Enjoy pizza and wings, bison burgers, baked goods or fine dining.
