We were able to book a room in the park at Bryce for May. They then said we need to make dinner reservations at the Lodge around April 1. I don't feel comfortable booking something we know nothing about - is the food superior or the only place in the park to eat dinner, what about prices?
Also, does anyone know if outdoor swimming pools at any of the motels are practical in May around the national parks? Sounds like Bryce area may be on the chilly side at this time of year?

I only ate one meal there and it was AWFUL.

The restaurant at Bryce is decent enough in my opinion. It is not a 5 star restaurant, of course.

If you don't eat at Bryce, where will you eat?

Ruby's Motel is not far from the park gate, and you can look up comments about it on this board. In the last two or three weeks we have considerable discussion about accommodations at Bryce and vicinity. Try a search on Ruby's Inn.

Other than that, you can drive back into Panguitch or down the plateau to Tropic. I don't think you will find anything much better down there or back in Panguitch.

Swimming pools in May? Not sure.

The average high temperature at
Bryce in May in 66 degrees.

Would you go swiming at a pool in your home town if the temperature was 75 degrees?

And 75 is more likely in June than in May.

It will be much warmer at Zion.
You may be able to swim there because the normal max in May is 83 degrees.

I had breakfast and dinner at the Bryce Lodge and it was fine and as the previous poster pointed out you don't have many options. Stick with something that is simple and try the chocolate peanut butter pie.

It is worth staying at the Lodge for the location. The stars are amazing at night since you are so far from populated areas and you are able to walk right to the trails.

I think it would be too cold to be concerned about swimming at Bryce. If you are going to Zion you could stay at the Desert Pearl in Springdale. The Inn is close to the park and has a very nice pool.

We had lunch at Bryce Lodge last August - as indicated above, basic OK food - stick with usual standard American food and it should be fine. Look for dining elegance and adventure on some other trip. (Would also recommend Hoodoo Restaurant in Tropic, UT - also basic American food but good quality - we had local trout that was great)

Thanks everyone for your comments. Everyone is always so helpful in this forum. I think we will just appreciate the beauty of staying in Bryce and not be concerned about the cuisine or the swimming!

The relative isolation of Bryce is one reason the lodge and the dining room are full much of the time after April 30. You run into the same problem in Yellowstone.

Oddly enough, the restaurant at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which really is isolated, was very good the last time I was there.

The problem is that it fills, too. We showed up without reservations and we were seated after 9 PM and finished after 10. Next time I will call 3 weeks ahead, at least.

Don't give up on the swimming.
Zion and Springdale should be warm enough. The Best Western New Western Motel in Panguitch has a heated pool.
It is one of the better motels in that part of the state.

Panguitch is not THAT far away from Bryce. It takes a few minutes to drive it, but the route is mostly free of traffic lights.

The food wasn't five star gourmet, but much better than I expected from a Parks restaurant. If I remember correctly, the trout was delicious and my husband's steak was just fine. You can see the menus on Xanterra.com.

I was about to say the same thing as trvlgrl. My trout was actually outstanding. We ate there both nights and it was OK to good (compared to other NP lodges we've stayed in. The big question is, what is your alternative? I found it infinitely better than dinner at Ruby's the first time we went to Bryce!! I think people who go there and then act like it should be a five star restaurant with hovering service and wonderful creative cuisine are missing the entire point of the place.

My sentiments are with Patrick

Go to a wonderful national park with exquisite scenery. See the sunrise, go hiking or horseback riding to get a real hands on outdoor experience, enjoy the flora and fauna surrounding the canyon. Take a bunch of pictures.

Wipe the grime of the day off...I'm very content with almost any dinner.

I ate here last summer and thought it was very nice (too nice??) for the environment. Sheeesh, they have real linen, multiple (real) glasses and more than one fork, servers who carry corkscrews and everything!

I am also with trvlgrl. We had lunch there once and it was absolutely heavenly. Well, it surely felt that way after much abuse from Ruby's Inn. (Please do you best to stay away from Ruby's.) Our waitress was outstanding and we still talk about the moose track icecream till this day. The price for lunch was in the $6-7 range. The quality was definitely above what you'd expect from a national park.