I'm gobsmacked by the accommodations in Bryce. There don't seem to be many that have availability, even for October! And, there are many with not-so-great reviews. Ruby's and Bryce Canyon Grand have nothing, nor does the lodge in the park. What's the max distance from the park you'd recommend staying? I'd appreciate any tips.

Thanks

I was there last October and we stayed in Tropic in some cabins. Just a short drive to the first shuttle stop for the park. The cabins were small but all we needed. There was a nice sheep pasture behind us where we could relax in the evening. There were several restaurants in town . I would stay there again.

Thanks!

Stay at Rubys--it is all basic, you are not going to get to luxury accommodations. If you don't want Rubys, I believe there is a Best Western as well.

Thanks.

The place we stayed is Bryce Country Cabins.

You liked it?

Yes we liked them. As I said, they are quite small but clean and we appreciated being able to sit outside in the evening, drink our wine and watch the grazing sheep. And they have a fire pit but no fire going when we were there.

OP, hope that you sort your accommodations out. Just a quick suggestion here to suggest including Cedar Breaks to your itinerary--far fewer visitors than Bryce. Your October dates may mean that you could witness snow there at CB, a truly magical moment.

I am done. The end.

Do take the phone number for the lodging in the park and call freq uently. They get cancellations from people who made plans a year before then do not take the trip.

In my experience, it seems to be the tour operators who gobble up blocks of rooms at the in park lodging, and they won't release them until the last minute (3d ahead?).... It's definitely worth checking up until that last minute when you can change or cancel your existing reservations.

I can also recommend Bryce Country Cabins.

keep calling bryce for cancellations

Thanks-- I'll check this out!

Thanks to all for these helpful tips!

We really enjoyed our three night stay at The Best Western Grand this past January. I'd just check periodically to see if something becomes available as suggested above.

Daughter and family just got back. At Bryce (or between Zion & Bryce) they stayed in a yurt! They loved it, it was very comfortably appointed with oversized king beds, flatscreen TV, Wireless, MW, heat/ac, sofa, and very roomy for the four of them. It was elevated as there was a deck surrounding it. Second night there was extremely windy, and while they heard it, there was no flapping or wind felt inside it. Very sturdy.

That is so cool!

I just got back from Bryce a couple of weeks ago and spent 2 nights at the Bryce Canyon Resort. Just a little bit past the "Ruby" accommodations at the intersection with Route 12. We stayed in one of the cabins, which looked pretty shabby from the outside but was fine inside and had a fridge, etc. The AC was fine, too. But the second night we had a mouse trying to get into our food! We secured the food but could hear it scratching around most of the night. Somehow I slept through it; my friend did not! Breakfast was pretty boring and basic. The advantage of staying at one of the Ruby's is that you can walk over to the start of the shuttle; however, there is parking there too. Parking in the park gets filled up so the shuttle is great. We drove by the yurts on the way between Zion and Bryce. They definitely looked cool but it depends on whether you're OK with being that far from the park. Trade off may be whether you ant to enjoy the accommodations or the park.

This is helpful, Cindy. Thanks! We’re booked at Ruby’s mostly to have access to the shuttle. Since we aren’t going until mid-October, I’m still hoping we can get into the lodge inside the park. We shall see….