Zion Mountain Ranch — Hotel in Four Corners States

There is no way I can give a rating low enough for this place, I hope my words can help steer some people towards other options. First this place should easily be phenomenal, it’s setting is majestic and that alone should give it an advantage. However, when it’s run by greed and employees who just don’t care things quickly fall apart. We arrived on 4/29/21 and the front desk was less than helpful. Part of our group was going to arrive well after the front desk had closed, we inquired how this would work and they informed us there would be an envelope with keys in it outside for them. At midnight when our tired travelers arrived, sure enough an envelope was waiting with a key in it, sadly we do not know what cabin the key was for. Panic set in as they scrambled, in the dark, to get into to a rented cabin with a key that wouldn’t work with multiple children desperately in need of a bed. You’d think the phone, the website, FaceBook, or other method would surely have an emergency number, nope! After almost 30 minutes of struggle to find a solution it was discovered a door at the rear of the house over the railing was unlocked. Other members of the party had left voice messages, sent FaceBook messages and attempted anything to get in touch with someone. The following morning surely there would be a concerned employee reaching out... nope, well at least not until 5pm when a FaceBook response arrived. The cabin we rented, #142, was also disappointing. For $809 a night for a small cabin there are many things you should expect; walk way lighting to be working and not lying haphazardly on the ground, satellite/cable, decent A/C (thankfully highs were 80 not 95), daily housekeeping, some amenities, decent curtains on east facing windows, furniture not falling apart, sheets that weren’t stained, light bulbs not burnt out, windows not broken, and the list could go on and on. $809 in Utah is a premium price, you’d expect it to come with premium service and amenities. This place offered nothing. There was a horrible restaurant on site, clearly they have good ideas with the restaurant, but in reality it failed to deliver. The food was ok, the service was ok, they had wine but no liquor options, and the service was ok. Again, not matching the expectations someone should have at a place such as this. If you need something you’re driving 20 minutes to US-89, if you want one other food option it’s 20 minutes, multiple options it’s 40 minutes. A place such as this should be aware of its shortcomings and find a way to overcome them; I would suggest expending a menu and hours, a full liquor license with room service, in room bar setup (mini bar?), grocery delivery, better necessities offerings at front desk, 24 hour emergency line, and again this list could go on and on. I forgot to add something, so forgive this tidbit seemingly out of order. The WiFi is horrible, we’re talking 2mbps horrible. Couple this with the fact most of the cabins do not get cell service (we had AT&T and Verizon devices) and it’s not a place for those who need to be in touch with patients, businesses, or anyone. Finally we were fortunate enough that our stay was over and we could flee this place as it’s time to check out. Upon walking in to return the key there were two employees at the front desk in an otherwise empty store/office. One lady was on the phone so I approached the other. “142 checking out” I said, and I kid you not below my sight line she had a plate of food and after taking a massive fork full off food said through the food, “I am not working, she will help you.” This is why most companies won’t let an employee eat food in uniform at a front desk, utterly shocked I tossed the keys on the counter and walked out vowing to never return. So in summary, if you want to be close to Zions back door entrance and are willing to pony up a hefty price for a bed to sleep in, then lower your expectations...

The following is a review of cabin 123, a 2-story 2 bedroom cabin.

This ranch is run by lovely people and a good staff. If we ever had any issues or needs, maintenance and staff were quick to help and pleasant. The views from the check in desk were of the broad plains and they were very pretty. The animals at the restaurant, Cordwood, which is attached to the check in desk, were delightful. They did in fact have several Great Pyrenees, including a puppy, chickens, roosters, pigs, and horses. Reviews suggest they come up to your cabin. I was in cabin 123; they are about a 10 minute walk from there and you can’t see anything but the horses from this location.

A few things need to be corrected on their site and in the reviews for people planning their trips. First, you can’t see the bison from your cabin. They’re in a lower pasture that’s about a 5 minute drive — not walk — away. They mention that’s possible on their website but it’s conflicting info from pictures.

Perhaps the most important thing to know for Mt Zion hikers is that the cabin IS technically close to the edge of the territory that is the national park line but you are NOWHERE near the park. We left at 5am daily to hike Mt Zion and it took 3 hours every day to get to each intended trailhead. This is because you have to go through the park entrance, where people haven’t all bought their passes, then wait for one way roadwork, then wait for the one way tunnel. Then you have to wait in line for a shuttle and then walk to the trailhead to start hiking. If you stayed in the town of Springdale itself, you wouldn’t have this trouble. Springdale is where the shuttle runs. It’s a 40 minute drive to town from the cabin for restaurants, supplies, and to get to the shuttle and a 40 minute drive back. The only place to eat anywhere within an hour is to go back down the mountain another 40 or to eat at Cordwood, which we liked a lot but required either a reservation or a wait.

About the cabin itself: the jetted tub in cabin 123 didn’t work in either room. The machine (it has a plug in machine) that makes the bubbles had been duct taped together and, while the bubbles in half of one of the tubs would start to work, if you got in the tub, they’d stop. Maintenance couldn’t get it to work and confirmed the upstairs tub’s parts had been ripped out of the wall, where there was just a rectangular hole next to the tub where the parts might once have been.

None of the TVs worked except the living room. Bedroom TVs would turn on but there were no channels or streaming options in either room.

Some of the reviews mentioned a stocked kitchen. We were able to function fine but it’s basic at best. If your plan was to offset the cost of the cabin with meals made in kitchen, that will be hard. It had a dorm fridge (3 tiny shelves, 1 small freezer section big enough for 4 pack of breakfast sandwiches) and a microwave and coffee pot. There were 3 forks, spoons, and knives, 4 bowls, 4 plates. They provide the coffee and sugar each day. There’s no oven, pans, cutting knives, cutting boards, or other prep tools except one can opener. I had planned to make lunches and breakfast there; we were only able to do stuff like pb&j sandwiches and oatmeal from the microwave.

I was also willing to pay a lot of money not only for the amenities but also the views. The master had a good view of the plain. The lower just looked at dirt and pine trees.

The beds were comfortable, the pillows thin and worn. The bedding was fine. There were several cobwebs in the half bathroom. The window ledge where you can put your soap and razor and shampoo is thick with dust and cobwebs in the first floor bath.

What you get here is a basic but fine cabin, even if it needs a good deep clean. Few to no frills. Nice people. Good restaurant. Pretty sunset. If you can get a great deal (not $3k) on it for a few days to visit other places besides Mt Zion...

My husband and I booked the first three nights of our trip out West at Zion Mountain Ranch, expecting it to be a highlight of our trip. Much to our disappointment, the pictures and advertisement on their website do not add up to what we experienced. After traveling for close to 17 hours, we arrived hungry and tired. Our dinner at Cordwood was mediocre at best. We didn't eat there again during our three-day stay. The ZMR Instagram advertises food in your cabin that can be easily taken to-go. When we asked about placing a to-go order after traveling all day, they acted like that wasn't something they did.

When we arrived at our cabin (preserve cabin suite 170), the french doors that opened up to the porch were so flimsy they were shaking with the wind. There was no tight seal, and the wind was coming straight through the doors, making a loud whistling sound. Even when deadbolted, you could still enter the cabin from the outside. We requested to be moved due to security concerns, and were moved to another preserve cabin (183) that was 83 degrees inside and took many hours to cool down. We were encouraged by staff to upgrade to a different cabin across the street that would be nicer, but we declined the additional expense.

As soon as the shower was turned on, a smell of sewage filled up the cabin that never left. Showering was completely unpleasant due to the odor, and we kept the bathroom door closed as much as possible to try to keep the smell out of the bedroom.

Upon checking out, we were asked about our experience and stay. We shared our complaints, for a second time. The girl took notes, but we were not offered any discounted rate or refund of any sort, which I see now from reading other reviews, is a common occurrence.

For the price we paid, the experience should have been much better than ours. The place has so much potential to be the magical experience we expected, but sorely falls short. We will be staying at Zion Lodge in park next time.

Pros- The night sky is beautiful. The bed was comfortable. Close entry to the park.

Cons- The cabin we were moved to had no pretty views. We faced the highway. This was extremely disappointing considering the scenic views played a big part in our decision to stay there. The shower drainage smelled up the entire cabin our whole stay. The toilet was broken. We had to lift the back lid off to flush repeatedly, and it appeared either stained or dirty. The towels were tattered on the edges, and we received two towels. For two adults who spent all day outdoors, we expected more. You will need to bring your own ground coffee if you want a decent cup of coffee. However, I couldn't bring myself to drink any after I saw how dirty the coffee pot was where you...