Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Trip Recommendations

[Uncle]

Hello, I've read past posts on these parks, but hoping to get recommendations specific to our trip. In early June, my DW and teen daughters are going to fly into Vegas for a week and rent a car and drive to:
1. Grand Canyon, south rim (~1-2 days)
2. Antelope Canyon (1 day, guide is already booked)
3. Zion (2 days)
4. Bryce (2 days)

I am wondering about lodging. Usually we prefer vacation rentals vs. hotels. We will go to the Grand Canyon south rim area for the first and second night. After that we are debating if we just book one place as a home base for the remaining 5 days in between Zion and Bryce (Duck Creek Village, etc.) or if we opt to get a place by Zion for 2 days and then move to a place closer to Bryce for 2 days.

We would love to do the full "Mighty Five" tour but decided to focus on these areas since we only have a week.

Also... we don't know that area at all. So based on our general itinerary, I'd love to know about any can't-miss sights, county/state parks, great places to eat in the area, or just general advice.

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[Ronstar]

We stayed at the El Tovar at the GC south rim, Hampton Inn in Page for Antelope Canyon, Hampton inn in Springdale near Zion, and a cabin in Tropic near Bryce.

I can’t remember any restaurants, but the food at the El Tovar was pretty good.

As for hiking, Rim trail at GC is easy and scenic and can get on a shuttle bus at stops on the rim. And Bright Angel trail to descend down (or part way) into the canyon. It’s steep.

In Zion, most people want to hike Angel’s Landing (crowded), but we hiked The Narrows in the river. Got waterproof shoes from an outfitter.

Try to go to both lower and upper Antelope Canyon. And Horseshoe Bend if you can put up with crowds.

Bryce hiking is great. - iMO the most scenic of these parks.

My advice would be to line up accommodations asap. These parks are very crowded in the summer.

 

[DrRoy]

Plenty of options in Page. For the parks, we always stay at the in park lodge, but generally book a year in advance for availability. It is also on the expensive side, but worth it to us to be close- convenient and saves time. Otherwise, just search nearby lodging.

 

[ivinsfan]

Ronstar..hiking Angels in Zion now requires a permit. That's how crowded it now is.



OP do you have a 7 day trip..or do you have 7 days to see the parks?

 

[Ian S]

At the Grand Canyon, I suggest a stay at one of the lodges right on the rim: El Tovar, Bright Angel, Kachina or Thunderbird. The latter two are more modern, the first two are more historic. There is a lengthy rim trail (really a paved path) that is great for walking and has beautiful vistas. You can hike a portion of the Bright Angel trail but I'd not recommend going too far into the canyon: it's fairly steep and the climb out at an elevation of over 7000' requires you to be in very good physical shape.

 

[Uncle]

OP do you have a 7 day trip..or do you have 7 days to see the parks?

It is a 7 day trip. Well, Saturday-to-Saturday. Day 1 we should be able to arrive at the Grand Canyon by dinner. The following Saturday we'll start driving back to the airport after brunch. So six full days.


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[Sunset]

We stayed on the rim overnight.
It was a last minute type reservation so the motel type place we stayed in was small, and like a crappy motel, but location is everything there.
Allowed us to see the canyon all afternoon and evening.
It was really great going out at night away from the lights to see all the stars.
It was so dark, I realized I could easily have walked into the wall along the edge and fallen over.

 

[ivinsfan]

Well IMHO you've got too much crammed in there. I'm not sure you have accounted for the exceeding large crowds you will be running into. Especially at Zion where you have to shuttle the entire park. Just standing in line to board the shuttle at the visitors center can take up to an hour during busy times. They do shuttle from Springdale now so if you stay in Springdale you can try and board the first morning shuttle to the park.



If I was planning this trip I would do the AZ stops..hop on hiway 89 go thru Page, see the dam and Lake Powell drive thru the Grand Staircase, which is beautiful and then go to Kanab. Kanab is not a bad base for Zion/Bryce either.



Park visits have gotten really complicated and extremely busy so good luck...

 

[Sunset]

Beware of the timezone change for Bryce Canyon. We didn't know and missed the last shuttle.

Had to walk back in the dark, hitch-hike to the shuttle parking lot which is miles from the canyon, and then break out of the parking lot.

Our car was the only car in the parking lot, and nobody looked for lost/dead hikers! And the emergency phone number and video cameras at the shuttle parking don't work/summon help.

 

[Octogirl]

We have done the Utah parks and Grand Canyon. They are very busy and if you are going in early June, you want to arrive at each park by 8-9am. For example, We arrived at Arches by 10 am in October and it was closed for volume of visitors until noon.
We drove into Zion from the east but it was so crowded (1 + hours just to get on the shuttle) that we decided to go back after Thanksgiving 2023.
It was lovely then because the crowds were gone and we could drive ourselves everywhere. There is an interesting hotel option outside Zion in Virgin UT named AutoCamp. Stay in an Airstream trailer with beautiful views of the mountains.

Bryce was one of our favorite parks ! Just breathtaking !
We had lunch at Ruby's - pretty good food and you can get buffet food.

Enjoy your trip !

 

[qwerty3656]

thinking outside the box, Lake Powell is pretty cool and you can rent a houseboat or a cabin there.

 

[walkinwood]

We were in Bryce, Page & the Grand Canyon last October.

I would suggest staying close to Bryce & Zion instead of driving between them. Bryce, in particular, is spectacular at sunrise (and before) and sunset (and after). Zion, with its red rocks is also spectacular in the late evening & early morning light - also less crowded early.

For Antelope canyon, if you can afford it, take a trip that includes more than one canyon. In addition to seeing different kinds of canyons, you're likely to have a smaller group.

We thought the Hampton Inn in Page was very good. Newish hotel. We loved the Italian food at Bonkers. Make time to see Horseshoe Bend & the visitor center at the dam.


We were not thrilled with our accommodations near Bryce (Bryce View Lodge) or Grand Canyon (Holiday Inn).


Edit: My original post had the Goulding's Lodge instead of Bryce View Lodge. The Goulding's Lodge in Monument Valley is pretty good.

Driving between Bryce & Page, take 89A. It is slightly longer, but goes along the spectacular Vermillion cliffs and you can stop off at Lee's Crossing & the Navajo bridge.


At Bryce, if you have the time, drive Rt 12 to Boulder UT. Spectacular scenery. The BBQ place in Tropic is family run & good. I would also look at Tropic for a place to stay.

The area is simply spectacular (I need more adjectives). I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[Ian S]

We were not thrilled with our accommodations near Bryce (Goulding's Lodge) or Grand Canyon (Holiday Inn).

I know there's a Goulding's Lodge near Monument Valley. Is there one near Bryce too?

 

[walkinwood]

Oops. My mistake. The Goulding's Lodge at Monument was quite good & we liked the Indian Tacos at their restaurant.


At Bryce we stayed at the Bryce View Lodge - pretty dismal.

 

[grasshopper]

For Zion look in Springdale we liked Desert Pearl Inn. Walking to breakfast and dinner Oscar's and Spotted Dog.

Bryce we stayed and ate at the lodge, one dinner at Bryce Canyon Pines.

Grand Canyon south only ever stayed at El Tovar, rustic.

Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim

In Page we liked Grand Canyon Brewing great food and fun.

 

[DuluthGA]

Are crowds lower late April/earlyMay?

 

[Montecfo]

We did the Mighty Five (plus North Rim GC, Monument Valley & Mesa Verde) in May last year.

For Zion I would definitely recommend staying at a hotel on the shuttle route. We stayed at the Montclair and it was very convenient to just hop on the shuttle in front of hotel and avoid all of the parking and line at the visitors' center. More expensive but worth it.

Elsewhere we stayed at cheaper places since we just needed a place to sleep-out of the room all day and no need to pay for views which you could get for free.

We did not find a hotel that seemed great and available in Bryce Canyon, UT so we stayed in nearby Panquitch which worked well and was a charming small town. Easy drive to the park.

We never tried to get to parks first thing. Instead we usually went a bit later as we found a lot of early birds kind of overwhelmed the worm.

We did all of our trip planning about two weeks out that was for a slower time. But is also allowed some changes on the fly.

We have the same suggestions as everyone else on south Rim GC-stay in the park if you can but I am going to bet there are not slots available now unless you camp.

You definitely should see Horseshoe Bend since you will be right there in Page. Otherwise I think you want to avoid the temptation to try to do too much.

Time zones get a little confusing so double and triple check time and location. The Navajo Indian Reservation is on Mountain Daylight Time even in Arizona, which does not follow DST. Utah is also Mountain Daylight time. Nevada is Pacific Daylight time. Arizona is Mountain Standard Time which is same as Pacific Daylight time during summer.

If anyone qualifies for Golden Eagle National Park pass, that is money well spent and will save both money and time. Does not work at Navajo Nation. The annual pass for $20 pays for itself at the first park.

My wife recommends using the National Park app.

On travel routes I think you have gotten some good ideas above. Do hurry and get something booked. If you did not see the thread from last April/May there are other ideas there.

Sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!

 

[Montecfo]

Just as an aside, as great as Grand Canyon south rim is, you could go to the North Rim instead of South and gain back some time and possibly more convenient accommodations.

It is a different experience.

 

[jrgators]

when we did those 3 parks we stayed onsite. Not 'luxurious' but save a lot of time from having to drive into the park each day. They fill up fast so i'm thinking they are probably all booked for the summer but doesnt hurt to check

 

[Montecfo]

Are crowds lower late April/earlyMay?

much

 

[ivinsfan]

much

If it's not Easter,or Spring break week,or Mother's Day or a,nice sunny weekend..and shuttle service starts in April...if you want a really quiet park go after Thanksgiving and before Christmas...early January is OK depending in weather

 

[audreyh1]

We will also stay south rim late April. 4 nights. I made reservations last November.

Before that almost a week in Sedona.

 

[sengsational]

thinking outside the box, Lake Powell is pretty cool and you can rent a houseboat or a cabin there.

There's a dinner cruise on Lake Powell that's something to do. Not overly expensive and Olive Gardenish food.

 

[Trailwalker]

If it's not Easter,or Spring break week,or Mother's Day or a,nice sunny weekend..and shuttle service starts in April...if you want a really quiet park go after Thanksgiving and before Christmas...early January is OK depending in weather

And the weather is highly variable in the shoulder seasons/different elevations. We went in mid- October. Zion's weather was beautiful, but a few days earlier we had snow/freezing temps at Bryce.

 

[simple girl]

And the weather is highly variable in the shoulder seasons/different elevations. We went in mid- October. Zion's weather was beautiful, but a few days earlier we had snow/freezing temps at Bryce.

Eeeks! We are planning to go the first two weeks of October. I surely hope we don't get snow! Bryce is higher elevation, per my reading, so I'm betting that played a factor. We will be bringing layers for sure!