Bryce/ Zion and ?
 

Ten days in late Sept and early Oct. I have never been to this area before and know very little about it. Hoping we will be missing some of the crowds. We will fly into Las Vegas and hopefully rent a car.
I would appreciate info on lodging and itinerary Do we have time to do 3 parks in 10 days? Any and all advice appreciated.
We do like to do short hikes- like 3 miles or so.

I did a similar trip a few years ago (9 days flying into Utah) and also went to Capitol reef NP and the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
Check out Goblin valley, ceder breaks, red rock canyon, Paige AZ, or the Hoover dam.

We have done similar trips from Vegas. Just a couple of suggestions :

It is usually much less expensive to for rental cars to be returned to the same place site they came from, so plan a loop. Loops can be done in either direction.

If your style is to hit the best views and move on you could do a big loop - Vegaas to Zion to Bryce to Moab for Arches and Canyonlands to Page for Antelope Canyon to Grand Canyon South rim then back to Vegas via Hoover dam or the same loop in the opposite direction.
If your style is to spend longer in each area then Vegas to Zion to Bryce to Grand Canyon north rim then back to Vegas via Valley of Fire State Park or the same loop in the opposite direction. If the north rim is closed, then Vegas to Hoover Dam to Grand Canyon south rim to Bryce to Zion to Vegas.

If your flight gets into Vegas later in the day then look for lodging on the side of town that is closer to the first site you plan to visit to avoid congestion when leaving in the morning.

Fill your gas tank any time it gets to half when you are away from cities as the stations are not always open/available in the more remote areas.

Try to avoid driving after dark in the more remote areas, elk, mule deer, cattle, etc. may be on the roads.

If you want to stay in the parks, call and if they are full, keep calling as people make plans then cancel. You can also make cancellable reservations outside the park and do the same.

North Rim Grand Canyon if you can get accommodations. There's only one lodge inside the park which is open until mid-October and located on the rim. The next closest accommodation is about an hour from the rim. We were able to find a cabin in the park one October by constantly checking for cancellations.

Cedar Breaks can be easily combined with Zion/Bryce.

And Capitol Reef if you're willing to drive farther. Hwy 12 between Bryce and Capitol Reef is gorgeous in the fall.

I would expect Zion Canyon to still be fairly busy at that time of year but there are other parts of Zion like Kolob Canyons and Kolob Terrace Rd that will be much quieter and there are some nice short hikes in both sections.

That area (Zion and Moab/Capital Reef) can be busy in late September/October, since it can be hot earlier in the year.

So book your stays now. As long as they are refundable/changeable.

With ten days you can do the whole loop LV-Zion-Bryce-Escalante-Capitol Reef-Arches-LV.

Search this forum--there are a number of queries and trip reports from folks who have done this same trip. If you click on my user name, you will find trip reports for all of the National Parks in Utah.

Thanks for advice everyone. So much to learn.
Recommendations for lodging outside of Zion?

Be aware that they are limiting the number of people entering these parks. You will likely need reservations to insure you get in. Not sure that going in fall will be any less crowded.

Springdale is a good location for Zion, my last trip I liked the La Quinta Inn and Suites.

I think you will be suprised to find a lot of places sold out already on the third party websites such as Expedia. If not sold out, prices are about double what you might have paid two years ago.

If you are going to continue to Bryce and are having trouble finding lodging at Bryce and Springdale, try Kanab.

For Capitol Reef, Torrey is a good location.

My go-to location at Zion is Cable Mountain Lodge, immediately outside the park pedestrian entrance.

Just a comment - your timeframe of late September/early October are usually very busy times. By all means, be sure to have reservations and patience.

If you've never visited Angel Canyon/Best Friends Sanctuary in Kanab, we really enjoyed it. Especially the overnight in one of the onsite cottage units.

You can also drive through the canyon on your own, or schedule a tour or volunteer shift

https://bestfriends.org/sanctuary/plan-your-visit

https://bestfriends.org/sanctuary/pl...it/places-stay

We have combined Bryce and Zion with the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Bryce is my favorite.

I would also try for cancellations at the lodge inside Zion https://www.zionlodge.com/ if you plan to spend time in Zion Canyon. They did away with shuttle reservations and now it's first come, first served with long waits depending on the time of day.

Best Friends is great. The setting is beautiful, the tours are interesting and there are a few short hiking trails.

I agree with Patty to check for a cancellation at the Lodge. People book months / a year ahead and plans change /cancellations happen. With the shuttle reservations ended and it being a very busy time in the park it would be great to stay right on the canyon floor at the Lodge. The popular places in Springdale may be booked up already too. I'd book what you can get in Springdale as long as it is cancellable and then try every day between now and your travel dates for a cancellation at Zion Lodge (try by phone because there is often a lag between a cancellation and it being available on the website)

The only thing staying inside Zion gets you is entry and parking at the Lodge. You still have to take the shuttle unless you plan on walking or biking everywhere.

The downside is you have no dining options other than Xanterra :L.

If you were hoping to miss crowds this is not the right time of year for that.

I would opt for Capitol Reef over Cedar Breaks, as the latter is very similar to Bryce.

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There are some short trails accessible from Zion Lodge but yes to go between the Lodge and the farthest point in the canyon still requires a shuttle https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvis...-Final-Web.pdf I don't know how long the waits inside the park are but there are reports of 2+ hour lines starting from the visitor center in the morning this year. You can drive to Springdale to eat.

Zion was hit with flash flood a couple of days ago. It and Springdale were hurt pretty bad.