I have a conference in Vegas in late May. My wife is joining me and we plan to head from there to Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks for 5 nights. Here’s what I have planned so far (which isn’t much). Am open to any and all advice and recommendation (btw, we’ve done the Grand Canyon, which is why I haven’t considered that here):
First night at Bryce Canyon Lodge inside the park (they only had one night available, but if a cancellation comes in, I’ll add a second night)
3 or 4 nights at Desert Pearl Inn (just outside Zion Park’s entrance). There’s a 3 night minimum, but I’ll drop one night if Bryce opens up. Or, if Bryce doesn’t, I can drop the last night and get us somewhere closer to Vegas for our 11:00AM flight the last morning. Have considered Red Rock, Mt Charleston, Lake Mead, others??
I’d welcome advice on anything specific that we need to see or do. And while I know restaurants in these more remote areas can be a little lacking, would love any restaurant advice (of course I did have one of my best meals of the trip with 2 dozen fly fishermen at a hole-in-the-wall outside the north approach to the Grand Canyon).
I knew this thread would only have a small minority of the board with interest or information to share. But Wow! It’s pulling in 1 view every 3 hours, and no replies. This thing’s on fire!
(I hereby declare that this thread can not used in the future as an example of the boring topics I post.)
The Pearl is BY FAR the best spot in Springdale, don’t give that up. Bryce is really worth only one day. Bit and Spur is the best Mex place there and other decent food. The town near Bryce had nothing when I was last thru there.
My advice would center of your level of outdoor interest and how much thrill seeking you desire Zion is a wonderful outdoor playground. Feel free to PM me as that may be best.
Chad, do you hike inside canyons etc?
I spent 1 day in Zion, and that was enough time… I know you can spend a lot more if you actually plan to hike INTO the canyon.
Bryce - 1 night is enough… but 2 days is necessary to take it somewhat easy. Also, take a horse ride through the inside of the canyon, it’s pretty fun.
Or if you are a hiker, there’s endless hiking here of course.
So all in i’d say 4 days 3 nights including travel is all it takes…
Chad - As a suggestion if you are coming into Zion from the east on Rte 9 there is a parking lot on the left before you enter a long tunnel into the Park. Stop there and cross the street for a ~ 1 mile easy hike that takes you to a rim overlook of the large valley in Zion NP. Worth the views. Personally the last time I was in both Zion and Bryce(late September 2009) I found Zion was more crowded and thus less appealing to me but still a great NP. When in Bryce I remember a good dinner spot in the town of Tropic but when I just looked into it I didn’t see it listed in the common eatery sites. BTW if you don’t have annual or lifetime NP pass they are worth every penny and are quite cheap especially if when you reach “Senior” status. Enjoy the trip…Gary
For context to better grok what one is seeing in these landscapes, this wiki page has a great block diagram of the “Grand Staircase” – it provides a geological framework that ties the parks together nicely: Grand Staircase - Wikipedia
One of my favorite places in Grand Staircase is Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder but it’s halfway between Bryce & Capitol Reef so probably out of your way. The drive along Hwy 12 has some of the most incredible scenery in the country.
I agree with others that one day in Bryce is enough. If you do a hike I recommend the Wall Street hike which is quite fantastic yet reasonably short. Bear in mind hiking there can be very strenuous as the rim is in the 8000-9000 feet and you hike down first then need to hike back out. In May it can be quite cold.
Zion/Springdale I think will be more friendly weather-wise and IMO deserves more time, so your 3 nights is pretty good, particularly if you plan to do some hikes.
Gary & Robert’s suggestions are excellent and very much worth following.
One of the best guide books for scenery is a photography book by Laurent Martres. Even if you’re not that much into photography this book will let you know all the interesting things to see in the area (which is almost infinite in S. Utah). Photographing the Southwest - Utah
Chad, there is so much to do in both parks it really depends on your schedule. As has already been stated, in Bryce, due to the elevation, the weather can be unpredictable. One year I started in Vegas at 106 in September, and got to Bryce where it was 39, and had to buy a sweatshirt in the lodge to go hiking.
In Bryce, I found the lodge to be fun to eat at, but of course, not spectacular. I will 2nd the Queens’ Garden hike (Wall Street) as you really get to see what Bryce is famous for in one awesome and not too strenuous hike, my daughter did it who was 3 at the time.
In Zion, since you are staying at the Desert Pearl, a mile or so on the way OOT is the Bit and Spur. It is a saloon and a mexican restaurant. It is never going to blow you away, but it is good. As for hikes… depending on your interest and fitness level for strenuous definitely do Angel’s landing or the slightly shorter and easier Hidden Canyon Trail. But if you are just not that into hiking, the signature hike in the park is the Narrows. The Narrows hike is at the end of the road in the valley, and the first mile is paved. After that, it depends on you, bring shoes or rent water hiking shoes from the adventure store across the street from your hotel, and hike in the river. The water will be cold, but the adventure priceless. About 2 hours upriver is a tributary where the walls of the canyon are no farther apart than your outstretched arms.
Hope this helps…
Howard
BTW, on the way back to Vegas, while I cannot recommend a place to stay, you can visit Valley of Fire State Park. Very nice.
Here is another suggestion for getting your head around some of the geology, which is the crux of these parks. This book has something like 70 maps depicting the surface of this part of the earth over hundreds of millions of years. The maps are accompanied by text and photos to tie the existing landscape to the ancient geography. Understanding even the broad outlines of the geologic history that is literally laid bare in this landscape adds another dimension to the visual experience.
The link below is a presentation by Wayne Ranney, the guy who wrote the text in that book, using some of the maps along with photographs of the modern landscape. It’s not half bad. The audience is a bunch of humanities types (tough room – he only gets one laugh), so the talk is not particularly technical. Try it, you might like it. (Note: it is two minutes or so before the opening slide changes. It is not HD…)
I can’t comment too much further on what has already been presented. Good stuff. We were traveling with the dog, so in the National Park system there was only so much to do. Plus, we didn’t have a destination except warm and sunny. However, highway 21 out of Beaver to NV is one of my new favorite roads.
Just saw this thread, and I’m really glad to see the interest in these great parks. I grew up in Utah and have been in Zion and Bryce maybe 15 or 20 times each. I think it’s a little amusing to read reports that either park can be fully experienced in a day, but I suppose it depends on what a visitor wants out of the park experience.
I prefer to hike in the parks, away from the masses. In Bryce, a nice solid 5.5- to 8-mile hike is Fairyland Loop (it is 5.5- to 8-miles depending on whether you take the approximately 3-mile part of the hike across the rim between the two Fairyland trailheads). In Fairyland, you get exposure to a broad range of Bryce’s topography, as well as the full range of color – from white to pink to orange sandstone – on display in Bryce. You won’t have nearly as much company there as you would on the Wall Street hike, which is also impressive because you get right down into the hoodoos. Bryce at dawn and at dusk is tremendous, by the way, so be sure to have a good spot on the rim at sun-up and sundown if you can. Zion has a wide variety of hiking opportunities, many of which do not involve crowds. A spectacular hike in Zion if you have the time and are in good shape is the Observation Point hike – about an 8-mile round-trip with lots of vertical, at the end of which you stand atop a 2,500-foot sheer cliff looking down over the park, about 1,000 feet above Angel’s Landing on the other side of the valley. Come to think of it, the Angel’s Landing hike is shorter and fun (but still a bit strenuous and more crowded) if you don’t mind walking near sheer drop-offs. For something completely different in Zion, you can hike the Virgin River Narrows, during which you walk through the Virgin River up a constantly narrowing canyon. For the first half-mile or so, there are plenty of walkers. After that, much more privacy. These are just a few of the dozens of fantastic hikes each park has to offer.
I also agree with the poster who pointed out that there are excellent slot canyon hiking opportunities all around the parklands. And, if you want total seclusion coupled with tremendous, unique natural beauty, you can take scenic Highway 12 North to Torrey, which is the gateway to what lately has been my favorite park in Utah, Capitol Reef. The little town has a few reasonable hotels and an excellent restaurant, Cafe Diablo.
EDIT: I forgot – if you take scenic highway 12 at least as far as Boulder, you can have a great meal at Hell’s Backbone Grill there (as I now see Larry P. mentioned in his post). I go back and forth between Diablo and Hell’s Backbone.
Heartily agree with the Cafe Diablo recommendation. I had some best ever margaritas there, plus excellent food, some of it grown at an organic farm located not too too far away.
Also heartily agree with Capitol Reef – all of those southern Utah parks/staircases/national monuments/piles of rocks are spectacular. Each very different and unique.
Just wrapping-up our time at Bryce. Hiked Queen’s Garden, Mossy Cave, Bristlecone Pine, part of the Rim Trail and part of Peek a Boo Loop. All different experiences and unique views of this incredible national park. Weather has been fairly cool and, yesterday and today, very windy with gusts up to 35. Saw an incredible sun rise this morning, despite a cloudy sky that subsequently yielded to a light hail (and yes, it decided to start that just as I got to the bottom of the canyon, about a mile from shelter).
The lodge (we stayed in a cabin) is rustic but perfectly fine. Actually better than what I recall from the same set-up at the north rim of the Grand Canyon a few years ago. Restaurant has been fine but nothing wildly outstanding.
Headed to Zion today, where I understand we’ll see some rain, but will leave the hail behind.
I’m glad you enjoyed Bryce. The cabins are pretty great because you can walk to the rim in a minute from your door to enjoy the dawn/sunset. I agree the restaurant at the lodge is nothing to write home about, but there are lots of good options near Zion. I hope you will add an update for the rest of your trip.
An over due follow-up for Zion. Desert Pearl was a great reco from the board, with a riverside room providing privacy and a stunning view of the river and mtns. Best meal was at Whiptail Grill, a quirky and small place with primarily Mexican fare. Bit and Spur was also good and a better atmosphere. Hiked part of the Narrows and some of the trails in the extreme north of the park (back up the interstate, though I can’t recall the name).
I personally enjoyed the more intimate, less crowded, more surreal aspects of Bryce, though lodging and meal choices were much more limited. My wife thought Zion was better, largely due to hotel and restaurants, and despite some crowd and the need to take a bus into the park. I’d certainly recommend and revisit either. Thanks to everyone who provided insight and opinions they really helped make for a better trip!
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Zion is a wonderful outdoor playground. Feel free to PM me as that may be best.