Although it is a tiny town of just about 500 people, Springdale hosts thousands of visitors every year. Located on the Virgin River just outside beautiful Zion National Park, Springdale is the gateway to everything the park has to offer: rugged, car-free bike trails, challenging hikes, brilliant wildlife and breathtaking vistas. The town's lodgings and services accommodate travelers on their way to discovering the incomparable beauty of Utah's natural landscapes.

It was originally settled as a Mormon farming community in 1862 by evacuees from the flooding of nearby Northrop. Springdale was named one of the 20 'prettiest towns' in the United States by Forbes Traveler in 2008.

Zion National Park is a southwest Utah nature preserve distinguished by Zion Canyon’s steep red cliffs. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive cuts through its main section, leading to forest trails along the Virgin River. The river flows to the Emerald Pools, which have waterfalls and a hanging garden. Also along the river, partly through deep chasms, is Zion Narrows wading hike.

The Virgin River and its tributaries run through Zion National Park. This water is the primary agent of erosion that continues to carve and shape Zion.

The North Fork of the Virgin River begins north of Zion at Cascade Falls, where it drains out of Navajo Lake at 9,000 feet above sea level. The East Fork of the Virgin River originates above Long Valley. Both the North and East Forks of the Virgin River run through the park and empty into Lake Mead at about 1000 feet above sea level, where it joins the Colorado River.