Shooting Sports

Zion National Park is located in the heart of Southern Utah. One of Utah’s favorite hobbies is shooting sports. Sports shooting is a great outdoor activity for most ages and allows participants to shoot rifles, shotguns, pistols, or even archery. With many states having extremely strict gun laws, many people in the U.S. have never been able to shoot a gun. In southern Utah, there are plenty of opportunities to try it out.

Located in St. George, just 45 miles from Zion, there is an indoor range called Rowdy’s Range. They have six air conditioned lanes, which are perfect for year-round shooting comfort, as well as a variety of other services, such as a wide variety of classes and training opportunities. Prices start out at $15 to rent a lane and they offer ear and eye protection, which are required, for $1.00. There are even special perks if you decide to get one of their memberships.

Don’t have a gun of your own? No problem! Rowdy’s offers a variety of different ffirearm rental options. This is also a great option for those who are interested in purchasing a firearm, because you can “try it before you buy it.”

Rowdy’s also acts as host for a variety of different programs and clubs, including their Youth Group program and the local chapter of The Well Armed Woman. Their Youth Program is an excellent way for youngsters to get together to learn about firearms and firearm safety. The cost is just $5 per person and Rowdy’s provides .22lr rifles for use.

The Well Armed Woman is a national organization that was created by women, for women. Their goal is to help women learn firearm safety, learn about women specific firearm equipment, and build a sense of community. The Well Armed Woman has a local chapter and more information about their chapter can be found here.

Zion Ponderosa Ranch is located on the East side of Zion National Park and offers a shooting range, located a safe distance away from their resort, where guests can target practice and learn about firearm safety. There is a designated range that overlooks a ravine, which is perfect for shooting clay pigeons or shooting at targets across the ravine. There is another designated shooting area that is ideal for those looking for stationary and closer targets, where you can shoot at targets that are placed against a hillside.

Whether you are someone who has never picked up a gun and need to rent one of their 20 gauge shotguns or you are an enthusiast and want to take your own guns, they have something for everyone! The fee to be able to use their range is a $15 facility fee.

Washington County Shooting Sports Park is located about 30 miles outside of Zion National Park in Hurricane, Utah. This park alone offers six different ranges, hosting a variety of different types of shooting sports, and groups. They are all open to the public and provide a great opportunity to get involved with a variety of different sports!

The rifle and pistol range is the perfect place to take the whole family, since youth under 18 years old have free admission. While having fun is important, safety is always a number one concern with any shooting sport. There are NRA trained Range Safety Officers to help ensure everyone stays safe and has fun. Unfortunately, if you wish to use this range, you have to have access to your own firearm, however, other necessary items are available for purchase, such as targets, eye protection, hearing protection, and water. Daily fees for non members are $8.00 for adults and free for youth under the age of 18. There are other benefits to becoming a member, and you can check those out here.

The Rifle and Pistol Range is open Wednesdays through Saturdays year round however, since this is an outdoor range, times vary depending on the time of year. From May through September, hours are 8 am to 12 pm and October 1 through April 30, hours are 10 am to 3pm.

Purgatory Clay Sports is the shotgun range within the complex. They have shooters of all different skill levels attend and commit to helping provide the safest and funnest experience shooting shotguns. It is open to the public and is one of the top shotgun venues in the West! The range equipment consists of:

• Two Fully-Automated Sporting Clay Trails
• 5-stands
• Two Skeet Fields
• Four Trap Fields, Equipped with Voice Commands

The Shotgun range is open Wednesdays through Saturdays year round with varying daily hours depending on the season. From Labor Day through Memorial Day, hours are 9 am to 3 pm and Memorial Day through Labor Day, hours are 8 am to 1 pm. Because Purgatory Clay Sports is run by volunteers, they are able to keep their range fees very affordable, at just $4.25 for 25 clays.

While it is open to public use, Southern Utah Practical Shooting Range also hosts between 12-16 practical shooting competitions each month. They host matches mainly for United States Practical Shooting Association.

The specific types of competitions they offer vary greatly. Some of them are dedicated pistol matches, dedicated rifle matches, Three-Gun matches, Two-Gun Competitions (similar to Three-Gun, but without the shotgun), and some dedicated .22lr matches. You can view their full calendar or contact them at 435-625-1745 for any other questions regarding competitions.

That sounds like a lot, but with 28 bays there is always a place for you to come shoot! You can use a standard bay for free or rent a bay with steel targets, tactical targets, or clay throwers for a small fee. The range is open 7 days a week from 9 am to 5 pm.

They also offer a variety of classes offered through the Tactical Performance Center which is based at SUPS Range. The TPC offers courses for shooters of all ages and skill levels, such as Introduction to Handgun, How to Compete, Private Lessons, and more!

I’m sure we have all seen a cowboy western or two at some point and yes those 6 shooter revolvers are a big part of sport shooting. Whether you are wanting to shoot a traditional revolver pistol or an old fashioned rifle, you can visit the Cowboy Action Shooting range for a fun, family-friendly experience. The Cowboy Action Range is where the local Single Action Shooting Society matches are held. SASS was created with the intent of preserving the history of the Old West and keeping the spirit of Cowboy Action Shooting alive! 

The Dixie Desperados are the local chapter of the SASS organization and host two shoots each month. They invite anyone to come and shoot or even just watch. The Cowboy Action Range is open the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month in the morning.

Mountain Men were North American explorers who made a living up in the Rocky Mountains harvesting pelts. They play a vital role in the history of westward expansion in the United States. The Mountain Man Range is designated solely for those that are wanting to practice black powder shooting, like mountain men did back in the day, and to help keep their history alive. 

The range is open on the third Saturday of each month at 10 am during the winter and 9 am during the summer. You can come out and shoot for $9.00 or become a member of their mountain man shooting club and shoot for $7.00. For more information on how to become a member of the High Valley Mountain Men, call (435) 439-5233.

The last section of the Washington Shooting Sport Complex is the archery range. Archery was historically used for hunting and during combat, but has rapidly become more recreational and competitive in nature. The archery range in the Washington Shooting Sport Complex has a range dedicated for those looking to site in their equipment. It consists of seven different targets ranging from 20 to 80 yards. They also offer a field course that consists of 14 targets, spread across different types of terrain. This is a great way to really test your archery skills! 

The range is open to the public on the second and fourth Saturday each month and costs $5.00 to shoot for non-members. If you decide to become a member of the Red Rock Bowmen, you have 24 hour access to the range and shoot for free!

They also host 3D archery competitions once a month. These are open to the public as well and cost $10 for members and $15 for non-members.

Participating in any shooting sport is a great activity for families, larger groups, or just a small group of friends looking for something different to do when visiting Zion National Park, St. George, or southern Utah in general. From small .22 rifles for target practice to shooting clay pigeons with a shotgun, there is something for everyone in sport shooting! There are several more great sport shooting parks and ranges in Southern Utah as well. No matter where you decide to go, you will definitely want to call ahead to check their availability and to make sure it fits your needs.