Your Guide to Fall Events in Greater Zion

1. 01

   The heat breaks 

2. 02

   The calendar fills up with experiences you want to add to your memory bank.

Between late September and mid-November, events in Greater Zion feature a week-long off-road celebration, a marathon’s 50th anniversary, a PGA TOUR stop, the world’s largest games for athletes over fifty, freeride mountain biking’s biggest stage, and high school mountain bike races at a brand-new trail park.

Here’s what makes this fall truly unique: For four days in early October, four premier events — Trail Hero, the St. George Marathon, the PGA TOUR’s Bank of Utah Championship, and Huntsman World Senior Games — overlap in the same stretch of southwest Utah.

1. Thursday, October 1

   Arrive in time for the first night of the Trail Hero Amplified, a music festival at Legacy Park in Hurricane. Gates open early, and headliners take the stage around 7 PM.

2. Friday, October 2

   Spend the morning at Black Desert Resort watching the PGA TOUR for the Bank of Utah Championship. Then, when you’re tired of whispering, head back out to Legacy Park to sing and dance at night two of Trail Hero Amplified.

3. Saturday, October 3

   Get to downtown St. George early to participate in the St. George Marathon. Well, not the whole marathon, but the Mayor’s Walk. It’s one mile, and you get to cross the official marathon finish line. Afterward, hang around VernonWorthen Park to join the crowd energy as the first athletes complete the race. In the afternoon, slip out to Zion National Park to explore the canyon, or stay in St. George and catch the UT Tech vs SUU rivalry football game in Greater Zion Stadium.

4. Sunday, October 4

   Watch the PGA TOUR pros compete in the final round of the Bank of Utah Championship, then trade the grandstands for a trail. Red Cliffs Desert Reserve is a short drive away, and there are trails that fit every adventure profile. 
   

   If you’re searching for an evening activity, consider stopping by the 2026 Cauldron Lighting Ceremony for the Huntsman Senior World Games at 7:30 PM on the front lawn of the Dixie Convention Center. It’s free to attend and a fun way to close out your weekend. 

Trail Hero & Music Festival

Sept 28-Oct 3 | Legacy Park & Sand Mountain

Off-road trucks and buggies tackle Sand Mountain by day, live bands take the stage at Legacy Park by night. Six days of desert horsepower and music make this one of southwest Utah’s biggest fall gatherings.

St. George Marathon

Oct 3 | St. George

Celebrating 50 years this fall, the St. George Marathon is a nationally ranked race that brings thousands of runners from the Pine Valley Mountains into downtown St. George. Get to the finish line early. The best viewing spots along Main Street fill up well before the leaders arrive.

Bank of Utah Championship PGA TOUR

Oct 1-4 | Black Desert Resort

The PGA TOUR lands at Black Desert Resort for four days of championship golf against a backdrop of black lava rock and red sandstone. Practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday are free to watch and far less crowded than tournament days.

Huntsman World Senior Games

Oct 5-17 | Greater Zion

Thousands of athletes, age 50 and up, compete across dozens of sports during this two-week celebration of fitness and competition. Now in its fourth decade, the Games turn Greater Zion into a hub of senior athletics every October. 

 Red Bull Rampage

Oct 8 & 10 | Virgin

The world’s best freeride mountain bikers drop into massive cliffs and exposed lines above Virgin, Utah, in the sport’s most extreme competition. Riders build their own lines into the terrain, then send them in front of a global audience.

 NICA Utah State Championship

Oct 23-24 | St. George

Student mountain bikers from across Utah race for state titles on the new SageRush Trail Park at Desert Color. The event caps off a season of growth for the state’s youth cycling league.

 NICA Western Regionals

Nov 14-15 | St. George

Top student racers from across the western U.S. converge on the SageRush Trail Park at Desert Color in St. George for a shot at regional bragging rights. It’s a weekend of fast laps and rising talent on the only trail in the region built specifically to NICA standards.

Snow Canyon ½ Marathon

Nov 14 | Ivins

Runners wind through Snow Canyon State Park on a course that trades summer heat for crisp November air. The route’s steady descent and postcard scenery make it one of Greater Zion’s most scenic finishes of the year. 

Not every week this fall centers on a starting line. Tuacahn Center for the Arts keeps its musical lineup running through October 24, with Finding Nemo, Les Misérables, and Grease being performed under the stars. When those shows close, Odyssey Dance Theatre’s Thriller takes over during Halloween week.

If you’re visiting during one of the quieter stretches between events, pair an evening show at Tuacahn with a full day on the trails. Snow Canyon, Sand Hollow, Quail Creek, and Zion National Park all offer terrain and scenery that hold up with or without events happening nearby.

These events in Greater Zion bring big energy. The trails and canyons are still there the next morning, as calm as they’ve always been. That contrast, more than any single event, is what makes fall in Greater Zion worth the trip.