5 Days in Zion and Bryce Canyon

The Zion Canyon road has been closed to private cars for most of the year since the shuttle started in the year 2000, after the traffic jams of the 1990s. The rule is simple: when the shuttle runs, you ride it. The Zion Canyon Line has nine stops from the Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the road, it needs no ticket or reservation, and in a park this size it works well. A second free line, the Springdale Line, runs through town to the pedestrian entrance, so if you sleep in Springdale you can leave the car at the hotel.

Timing is the trap. The first canyon shuttle leaves the Visitor Center at 7:00am in autumn, and the last bus back down leaves the Temple of Sinawava in the early evening. The NPS itself says not to wait for it, so be on an earlier bus. The Visitor Center lot can fill by mid-morning, so park in Springdale instead. Board the first bus, go straight to the last stop, and start at the top.

The Riverside Walk starts at the Temple of Sinawava, the last shuttle stop, and follows the Virgin River upstream for 1 mile on a paved path, with 154 feet of gentle climbing. The canyon walls close in, hanging gardens drip from the rock, and in autumn the cottonwoods can turn yellow. It's the easiest good walk in Zion, and the only part of the Narrows hike that doesn't need wet feet.

The path ends where the river fills the canyon floor, which is the start of the wade. If you came for a stroll, go to the end anyway: the sight of people disappearing into the river in rented waders is half the point. Winter ice can close parts of the path.

The Narrows is the narrowest part of Zion Canyon, where the Virgin River fills the whole floor. The bottom-up hike needs no permit: you walk from the end of the Riverside Walk up the river itself, wading and sometimes swimming, for as far as you like, in the water for at least 60 percent of the way. The full route to Big Spring is up to 4.7 miles each way (9.4 out and back), but nobody needs that. Go as far as the light and your legs allow, then turn around. The first mile or two are the most beautiful.

The park sells and rents no gear, so rent from an outfitter in Springdale the night before: sturdy closed-toe boots or canyoneering shoes, neoprene socks and a walking stick, and in cold months a wetsuit or drysuit. Never go in sandals. Check the flash flood rating before you go. The Narrows closes when the river flow passes 150 cubic feet per second, or whenever the National Weather Service issues a Flash Flood Warning, and the signs of trouble are muddy water, floating debris and a roar upstream. Climb to high ground and wait. A closed Narrows is a normal Zion day.

The Emerald Pools are a set of three pools reached by trails from Zion Lodge (shuttle stop 5): a short walk to the Lower Pool, a longer climb to the Middle, and a harder one to the Upper. They suit the afternoon, when the Narrows is done and you want something dry. The Lower Pool is a short walk to a waterfall that drips over a rock overhang; in dry months it's more of a trickle.

Honest verdict: go for the walk and the canyon views rather than for the water, and treat the Upper Pool as optional. Closures change and trails can be icy in winter, so ask at the Visitor Center which pool trails are open.

On the way back down the canyon, get off the shuttle at the Court of the Patriarchs stop and walk a few steps to the viewpoint, where three tall sandstone peaks stand over the road. The park began as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909, a name John Wesley Powell had recorded as Paiute, and became Zion, a name from the Mormon settlers, when it was enlarged into a national park in 1919.

It's a quick stop, and the best place to see how big the cliffs really are. In the late afternoon the sun turns the faces of the peaks gold. Then ride the shuttle down to Springdale.

Oscar's is a Springdale cafe on Zion Park Boulevard that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner: pancakes, omelets and breakfast burritos in the morning, burgers and Mexican plates later. Come for dinner after the Narrows, when a big plate is what you want.

Springdale is small and walkable, so if Oscar's is full, there are other places on the same street. Zion Canyon Brewing is the beer stop of day 2.

Angels Landing is a 1,488-foot rock fin in the middle of Zion Canyon, reached by a trail cut into the rock in 1926. The trail climbs from the Grotto shuttle stop through a long series of switchbacks, then up Walter's Wiggles, 21 steep turns named for Zion's first superintendent, to Scout Lookout. From there, the last half mile runs along a narrow ridge with chains to hold, a drop on both sides, and a permit requirement.

Scout Lookout is one of the best viewpoints in the park, and you don't need a permit for it. The hike from the Grotto is about 2.25 miles and roughly 1,000 feet of climbing. Many people stop here, look at the line of people on the chains, and decide that was the right place to turn around. If you do want the summit, you need a permit from recreation.gov: either the seasonal lottery or the day-before lottery.

Zion Lodge (shuttle stop 5) is the only hotel inside the canyon, and it has a restaurant and a lawn under big cottonwoods, which is a fine picnic spot. Guests with an overnight reservation may drive up to the Lodge itself, and only to the Lodge, which is the one real reason to stay here instead of in Springdale.

For the rest of us, it's a lunch break: sit on the lawn with a sandwich from Springdale and look up at the walls.

The small museum near the south end of the canyon (shuttle stop 2) shows artifacts from the park's own collections, with exhibits on geology, plants, animals and the people who settled here, and a park film.

The east side of Zion is reached by State Route 9, the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, which opened in 1930 after three years of work and climbs in switchbacks up the cliff face before running through a tunnel with windows cut through the rock. Private cars may use it all year, even when the shuttle runs, and it's the best drive in the park: you go from green river valley to slickrock plateau in a few minutes.

One rule matters. Vehicles over 7 feet 10 inches wide or 11 feet 4 inches high, or longer than 35 feet 9 inches (50 feet with a trailer), can't use the stretch between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance in the normal way. They need a permit and an escort, and traffic runs one way while they pass, which causes long waits. A rental RV is the usual problem: measure it.

Just east of the tunnel is a small parking lot and one of the best short hikes in Zion. The Canyon Overlook Trail is about a mile round trip, with a few stairs and rock ledges above a narrow slot canyon, and it ends at a fenced edge looking down at the main canyon and the switchbacks you just drove. Allow an hour.

The lot holds only a few cars and fills fast, and the NPS tells visitors to be ready to try more than once. Late afternoon is best, when the canyon is in shadow and the cliffs on the other side glow. The trail has drop-offs, so keep a hand on small children.

The Zion Canyon Brewery brew pub sits at the entrance of the park in Springdale and is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with house beers, made-from-scratch pub food and live music. It's an easy place to end the day with a Utah-brewed beer and dinner.

Utah's beer laws are stricter than in most states, so don't expect strong draft beer in every bar.

Kolob Canyons is a separate section of Zion in the northwest corner of the park, about 40 miles from Zion Canyon and a quick exit off Interstate 15 (exit 40). It was its own national monument from 1937 and became part of the park in 1956. The scenic drive is 5 miles long, climbs through red cliffs, and ends at a viewpoint over a row of finger canyons.

There are far fewer visitors than in Zion Canyon and no shuttle, so you drive yourself and stop where you like. Your Zion entry pass covers it, so show your receipt at the visitor center.

The Timber Creek Overlook Trail starts at the end of the Kolob Canyons road and is the easy walk of the area: a short trail along a ridge with a view over the finger canyons. It's a good leg-stretcher before two hours in the car. Ask at the Kolob visitor center for the trail's current length and condition.

Cedar City is a university town of about 35,000 people, home of Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the best place to stop for lunch and fuel between Kolob and Bryce. Eat something in town, buy a picnic for the evening, and fill the tank. The quick route from here to Bryce goes back up Interstate 15, then east on Utah 20 and US-89 to Panguitch and along Highway 12, about 90 miles and an hour and 45 minutes.

Plan the route with UDOT traffic the morning you leave: the plateau roads are high and can be icy from late autumn, and your navigation app may offer a shorter mountain road that is closed in winter.

Arrive at Bryce Canyon in the late afternoon, check in, and walk to Sunset Point, a short stroll from Bryce Canyon Lodge. This first look is a good one, even though the best light comes in the morning: the air is thin and cold, and the first sight of thousands of spires dropping away is something photos don't prepare you for.

Don't try to walk into the canyon tonight. Just look, get cold, and go to bed early, because tomorrow starts before dawn. Dress in layers, even in summer: the evenings drop fast at this height.

The historic lodge is the park's sit-down option: its restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the lodge's own list adds a pizzeria and coffee shop and a food truck for sandwiches to go. A dinner here puts you on the rim in minutes, which is useful after a long drive and a cold night ahead.

Check the season and hours before a winter or shoulder-season trip. If the dining room is closed, eat in Bryce Canyon City, just outside the park.

Bryce was named an International Dark Sky Park in 2019, and the rangers run about 100 astronomy programs a year. On a clear moonless night the Milky Way crosses the sky from one horizon to the other. Come the week of the new moon or the week before it, and give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust.

Full Moon Hikes need tickets from recreation.gov: 15 tickets go on sale 14 days before the hike and 10 more 5 days before, at 8am Mountain Time, six tickets per booking. White flashlights and headlamps are banned on the hike (red light is allowed), and you need lug-sole boots. Programs are cancelled in storms and in winter wind chills of 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

Bryce's amphitheater faces east, so the first light of the day hits the hoodoos and sets them glowing orange, pink and white. Sunrise Point and Sunset Point are connected by a paved path, so you can walk between them. Despite the names, sunrise is the show at both.

The hoodoos form from frost and water on the soft rock of the plateau edge: ice wedges into cracks, melts, and refreezes, and the rain does the rest. Hoodoos are fragile, and so is the whole landscape. One Paiute name for them is Anka-ku-was-a-wits, the red painted faces. Go early, bring a hat in winter, and watch the colors change over about half an hour.

The best way to see hoodoos is to walk among them. Queen's Garden Trail starts at Sunrise Point (1.8 miles, 450 feet down) and is the least difficult trail into the canyon. Navajo Loop starts at Sunset Point (1.3 miles, 515 feet of descent and climb) and passes Thor's Hammer and a narrow slot called Wall Street. The two trails join at the bottom, and the Queen's Garden and Navajo combination is the classic walk: down one, along the floor, and up the other.

The climb out is harder than the walk in, at 8,000 feet, so go slowly and carry water. In winter the Navajo Loop isn't a loop: use Two Bridges for the combination, wear traction devices, and check conditions at the visitor center.

The Rim Trail runs along the edge of the amphitheater for up to 11 miles one way, but the best section is the paved stretch between Sunrise and Sunset Points, which is easy, mostly level and has constant views. Pets are allowed on this paved section. It works for limited time or mobility, in any season.

Walk it between the two hikes or after. In winter, check for ice.

Ruby's Inn sits a little over a mile from the park entrance and is still run by the family that built it. Today the resort has restaurants, a general store, a large gift shop and a shuttle stop. It isn't fine dining, but after a morning in the canyon you'll want a big lunch, and this is the closest place to get it.

Burgers and sandwiches are the safe choice. The general store has picnic supplies, the place to stock up before Rainbow Point. Fill the tank in town: there is no fuel in the park.

The main park road runs 18 miles south from the visitor center along the Paunsaugunt Plateau to Rainbow Point, the highest point in the park at 9,105 feet, passing a string of viewpoints on the way. On a clear day you can see about 90 miles from there, as far as Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab Plateau in Arizona.

Do it in the afternoon, when the morning's hikes are done. The drive takes about 35 minutes without stops, and most people take 1.5 hours with viewpoints. In winter the road can close in storms: ask at the visitor center. The shuttle doesn't cover this drive, so use your car.

The Bristlecone Loop is a 1-mile, 200-foot trail at the end of the road, from Rainbow Point to Yovimpa Point, through spruce and fir forest with bristlecone pines and wide views.

It's a quiet walk at the highest point of the park. Allow time for the cold.

Finish the day at Bryce Point, which has the widest view of the amphitheater, from the south end of the rim. The hoodoos are mostly in shade by now, so come for the width of the view and the sky, with the sunrise crowd long gone. Then drive or shuttle back, have dinner and look up.

The Mossy Cave trailhead is on Highway 12, about 4 miles east of the main park road, and the trail is 0.8 mile round trip with 150 feet of climbing. It follows a small creek to a waterfall and an overhang where ice hangs in winter and moss grows in summer.

It's crowded: the NPS recommends not visiting between 10am and 6pm, so go first thing and have breakfast in Tropic afterward.

Tropic is a small town on Highway 12 east of the park, and a quieter base than Bryce Canyon City. Have a slow breakfast at a local cafe: eggs, pancakes or a breakfast burrito, the basic ranch breakfast of rural Utah.

Ask at your lodging where the locals eat: the cafes are small and the hours are the trap in winter.

Kodachrome Basin is a Utah state park about 22 miles and 45 minutes from Bryce Canyon City, reached by a paved road from Cannonville. A National Geographic expedition photographed it in 1948 and named it after Kodak's color film, and it became a state park in 1962. The draw is the sandstone spires and chimneys and the 67 sand pipes (stone columns of hardened sand) the park has counted, with short trails and a fraction of Bryce's crowd.

Check the opening hours and the day-use fee on the Utah State Parks site before you go. The real cost is time: it's 31 miles and nearly an hour on to Red Canyon, so the detour adds about 1.5 hours.

Red Canyon is the red-rock gateway to the Bryce area, a short stretch of Highway 12 where the road passes through two tunnels cut through bright red rock. There's a visitor center and short walks, and a paved bike trail. It's the best "last look" on the way out.

Highway 12 meets US-89 just south of Panguitch, a short drive on.

Panguitch is a small town on US-89 whose whole center is a National Register historic district, with rose-colored brick houses. Its name is a Southern Paiute word usually translated as "big fish", for the trout lakes nearby, and it was first settled in March 1864. The town still tells the Quilt Walk story, in which men crossed deep snow for food by laying quilts down. It's the natural late lunch, and the junction where both drives home begin: north through town, then west on Utah 20 to Interstate 15. Look for a diner with fruit pie on the counter, in the Utah tradition.

Fill up on fuel here, because the drive to either city is long: Las Vegas is about 258 miles and 4.5 hours from Bryce Canyon City, Salt Lake City 267 miles and 4.75 hours.