Navigating Bryce Canyon
 

During a 2 week road trip, my husband and I will depart Sundance, Utah the morning of June 30th and will need to arrive in Lake Powell that evening for hotel reservations. We are very interested in seeing Bryce canyon. How should we go about doing this?

My ideal would be to somehow drive down to Lake Powell 'through' the canyon. Is that even possible? Or do we have to enter the canyon on the west side and drive up highway 12, turn around and drive back down 12 to shoot us out right where we came in and then forge on to Lake Powell?

Ideally, I would drive down Hwy. 89 to wherever it intersects with Hwy. 12, then go to the park.

There is only one way into the park, so you drive through, turn around at the end, and go back to the entrance. Check the park map link here: http://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm

If you leave early in the morning, you'll have some time to see Bryce Canyon and get to Lake Powell before it gets dark.

Lee Ann

Bryce Canyon is a large semicircle shaped amphitheater, not a single canyon with a river running through it like many other canyons such as GC or Zion.

As Lee Ann stated, you enter from the west into the park. You can drive along the rim of the canyon, and also hike or horseback ride down into the canyon through the hoodoos from various starting points. It is definitely worthwhile to do both.

Which end of Lake Powell are you needing to be to? I'm assuming Page since hotels at Bullfrog are limited, (like there is one), but it would certainly make a difference in the answer I provided.

SO, assuming you mean Page, then yes. You would need to make the 23 mile detour (one way ) into the park from Hwy 89 and then return to Hwy 89 the same way to continue on to Page. You'll want at least half a day for your visit, and yes, it would be worth it.