A Visit to Zion and Bryce National Parks
By Neala Schwartzberg McCarten
Set in southern Utah’s landscape of stunning state parks, national monuments, All-American roads, and national forests, Zion National Park and Bryce National Park stand out for their inspiring beauty and unique vistas.
The mountains of Zion National Park can quite literally glow in the sunlight, the product of tricks of light on the different strata of reds, oranges, creams, and greys. Treks can take visitors up cling-by-your-fingertips paths or along-the-river strolls. Trees and shrubs paint pictures on sheer cliffs.
The Hoodoos of Bryce are not only the largest assemblage of these magical towers in the world, but the cliffside paths make the views accessible to everyone.
Zion National Park
One of the most popular of the national parks, Zion covers almost 230 miles of canyons, rivers, and peaks. The most popular section is Zion Canyon, located just outside of the town of Springdale on Route 9.
Take the Shuttle. Unless you’re staying within the park, don’t plan on taking your car into Zion National Park. There’s a free shuttle service from the tiny and charming town of Springdale to the Visitors Center where you can pick up another comfortable and free shuttle bus that provides a narrated trip to the trailheads. Save gasoline, noise, and pollution and learn tidbits about the park all at the same time.
Birders. Offering habitats from evergreen woodlands to grassy canyon bottoms, Zion National Park lists 288 bird species that make this park their home. Bring your binoculars and search for Peregrine falcons, California condors, and bald eagles, as well as the much more commonly seen red-tailed hawk and several species of chickadees.
Trails. Start with the Zion Canyon Visitor Center (the end of the line for the town-to-park shuttle), and pick up their trail guide. Zion offers every conceivable type of trail, and the guide describes each of them.
The easiest is the Riverside Walk. Take the shuttle to the last stop, the Temple of Sinawava, to reach this fully paved path that follows the Virgin River. The trail is generally flat, although a few sections have a gentle but noticeable incline.
One of the most popular and scenic trails is to the Emerald Pools. The hike to the first pool is easy and considered wheelchair accessible. The trail to the next pool is steeper (considered moderate difficulty) and will require scrambling over rocks. There's a waterfall at the second pool, and even after a dry spell, there’s a delightful mist from the water trickling down the rocks. The third pool is truly lovely, and there’s a crescent of soft sand with a cool rocky cove.
Since the hike is not a loop, you’ll take the same path down, unless you switch to the Kayenta Grotto trail for a descent that offers a completely different set of views. The grotto itself no longer exists—it is now a picnic area.
Kolob Canyons
Kolob Canyons is at the far north end of Zion National Park and is reached by taking I-15 to exit 40 to the Visitor Center. Kolob Canyons offers only a few trails, ranging from 1 mile round trip to 14 miles of serious elevation gain. In your car, you can take the ten mile roundtrip journey along the Kolob Canyons Scenic Drive.
Ranger Programs. From April to November, visitors can take a guided hike and learn about the geology of the park, its plants and animals, and the humans who lived there. Visitors who prefer to ride the shuttle can take a ranger-led shuttle tour starting at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. But you will have to plan this in advance. Reservations may be made, in person, 24 hours in advance at the information desk at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center.
Lodging. Zion Lodge offers in-park lodging, and their Red Rock Grill is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, there is a seasonal snack bar serving basic but tasty staples. The park also has three campgrounds. The town of Springdale is very much a tourist town, but one with quite a bit of charm. It has a variety of lodging options and plenty of restaurants and shops. The La Quinta is new, well-located, and well-furnished.
When leaving Zion, take Route 9 along the gorgeous Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. Pull-offs along the road let drivers enjoy these Technicolor mountain peaks.
Bryce Canyon National Park
It was a complicated bit of geological prestidigitation that turned limestone sediment into hoodoos. It took millennia to create these narrow pillars, but today the wonder is there, and the process continues, slowly, millimeter by millimeter, making these columns even more spectacular.
Trails. Bryce Amphitheater is the largest trail in the park and offers an impressive vista of these “trees of stone.” Walk along the Rim Trail from one overlook to another for a stream of gorgeous panoramas, or drive from one to the other.
To walk among the hoodoos, the easiest trail down is the paved Queens Garden Trail. You can pick it up at Sunrise Point. The trail is still a bit steep, and if you’re not used to the altitude, the hike back up may tax your breathing. Bryce is at a higher elevation than Zion, sitting at over 7,000 feet above sea level. Be prepared to take breaks along the 1.8 mile round trip. Pick up a Trail Guide at the Visitor Center for a description of all the trails in the park.
Scenic Drive. For a fuller look at Bryce Canyon National Park, drive to Rainbow Point stopping at several (or all) of the 13 viewpoints. This is not a loop, so you’ll have to take the same road back, but the overlooks provide a different set of views of the hoodoos and amphitheater.
Ranger Programs. Enjoy a free half-hour ranger-led geology talk held throughout most of the year at one of the overlooks. For a “moving” talk, take the Rim Walk, which goes along the edge of the amphitheater and covers a range of Bryce-related topics (geology, culture, botany, etc.).
Specialty Programs. There are also specialty programs, such as snowshoe hikes in winter and astronomy talks. Bryce is a dark site with no light pollution, and star-gazing is one of the lures of the park.
Lodging. If you’re a night sky person, you’ll want to stay in the park. Forever Resorts, LLC operates the Bryce Canyon Lodge. There’s a dining room open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are also two campgrounds within the park. Just outside of the park, the town of Bryce Canyon City offers several lodging choices. The Best Western Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel is a good choice for an outside-the-park stay.
Whether you visit Zion National Park, Kolob Canyons, or Bryce National Park, you are sure to be awed and amazed by the color, variety, and natural beauty of Southern Utah.