Late May trip to Zion & Bryce
 

Girls trip of 7 days. Tentative plan to fly into Salt Lake City. Spend one day (2 nights). Rent a car and drive to Zion & Bryce NP. Don't know how long to spend there. Then fly out of Las Vegas. Is this a workable plan? Need suggestions.

Stay in Springdale if you can get reservations and take the shuttle into Zion. Angels Landing is supposed to be the best hike but park rangers can tell which trail would be appropriate for your abilities and interests. Someone once posted: "The hikes are great, and the canyoneering in Zion is world-class. If you want to do a canyoneering trip, just do it, its super fun."

I’d fly in/out of the same city. I would pick Las Vegas.

Here is some advice already provided on an earlier thread https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...parks-1720564/

Unless you really need to visit SLC, I'd also fly in/out of Las Vegas. SLC to Springdale is close to a five hour drive whereas Vegas to Springdale is less than 2.5 hours.

If you are serious hikers then a week at Zion would not be too long. If an hour or two trek is your limit then 3 days is plenty.

same for Bryce, but only 3-4 days if you will hike 10-12 miles a day. Shorter walks only then 1-2 days.

I also agree about flying in and out of Las Vegas. Not only are flights usually easier to find, SLC is out of the way. Although I normally drive to Zion and Bryce, I will often break the first day up by staying in Mesquite, which is a little bit closer. Have done the Eureka Hotel a few times, rooms have double queens and the casino is in a different building. Fewer add on fees than most LV hotels.

Springdale is where you want to stay for Zion Many options there for lodging and dining. Last few times we stayed at the La Quinta Inn & Suites which is one of the few that provides any breakfast, and has queen beds. Some of the rooms at the Best Western are nice, too.

Bryce has fewer (and usually more expensive) choices. I've stayed at the Lodge there so we could stumble to the rim for sunrise.

Lots of options to stay in Springdale. My go to place is Cable Mtn lodge which is right at the pedestrian entrance to the park. Staying there you avoid having to wait for the Springdale town shuttle which takes you to that same park entrance. All visitors ( except those that have rooms at Zion Lodge in the park) need to ride the NPS shuttle which starts just inside the park entrance.

I live in Salt Lake and drive to St George, Bryce, Zion etc-easy peasy. If you click on my user name you will find trip reports for both parks--trip reports are with kids but the hikes covered are still good. In Bryce, with just adults, I would do the Queens Garden trail or other trail below the rim. My reports have recommendations for lodging and dining as well.

In Springdale there is a grocery store on the main drag. They also have a good deli where you can get sandwiches and snacks for your day trips.

There's also a smaller grocery store right next to the park entrance/Cable Mtn Lodge. The one in town on the main drag has more selection, including a salad bar which I like. Prices at both are higher than your home town big supermarket - to be expected given the transportation costs....

If you want more groceries, there are 3 or more bigger supermarkets in the town of Hurricane which is the last bigger town on the route from Vegas. We'll usually stop there en-route and get drinks, breakfast & snack foods, etc, then use that store in Springdale for sandwiches or salad bar, or to-go meals when we don't want to go to a restaurant.