Suggested Itinerary for Southern UT Trip
 

My husband and I will be flying into Las Vegas the end of June. Not interested in Las Vegas....We are interested in visiting Bryce, Zion, Moab and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab. Activities include sightseeing, white water rafting, biking, kayaking. Any itinerary suggestions as well as places to stay and eat?

Thanks for your help:)

Bryce & Zion are both wonderful. We went to hike, sorry but can't help with rafting, etc. Going to the parks themselves is all the sightseeing you need, although maybe for the little ones the Animal Sanctuary will hold more interest. I'd recommend staying right in the parks rather than outside - well worth any extra $. We stayed at Zion Lodge 2xs. First & best time in a cabin, which had a fireplace and was just a short walk from the main lodge and restaurant. Woke up at dawn to see wild turkeys wandering around our cabin and Ed Begley Jr. (the actor) wandering around the front of the lodge next to his Prius. If you can get the cabins, go for it. Second time we got a room at Zion Lodge, fine but kind of like staying in a basic motel room.The setting is perfect & beautiful. Decent food at the lodge. We also stayed at Bryce Canyon Lodge, right on the rim & stepped out of bed to watch the sun rise over the canyon. It's a beautiful, special place. Have a wonderful time!

Agree that if you can, stay in the park. If they say they are full, for Zion, make a reservation in Springdale that can be cancelled without penalty, then call and keep calling to get in park lodging. People make reservations a year in advance and then cancel when the time gets close and you can cancel your other reservation.

Do the same for Bryce for one of the local places.

Stay "in park" when you can. How many days do you have?

Lots of places besides the National Parks are worth checking out as well.

Do you like adventurous hikes, or milder stuff?

Cateract Canyon for your whitewater is what I would suggest.

If your interests include Zion, Bryce & Moab that's a lot of driving. There are several worthy sights in between to break up the driving.

First important thing is to determine how much time you have.

Probably the easiest route is to either go directly to Kanab from LV and go to Zion on the way back or go to Zion, Kanab, Bryce and on to Moab making stops on the way.

As others have written, always try for inpark lodging and if it's full, call, call & call until you get cancelations.

You will want to call ahead and make a reservation for Best Friends Animal Santuary, if you want a tour not just look at it and buy something in the gift shop. We didn't know this and were told to come back in 4 hours for tour (1st open slot)

After you leave there you will be right by Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is definitely worth a visit. Doesn't take much time, but to see the pink sand dunes. You almost feel like you are looking at the Saharan Desert. We spent less than an hour and didn't feel bad. Kodachrome is beautiful. We wished we would have camped there.

You will definitely and I mean definitely want to drive along Highway 12 through Escalante Nat'l Monument. I could drive it everyday. Breath taking and I am not a fan of red rocks.

Zion is a great place to hike. Definitely want to bring aqua shoes to walk the river up through the narrows. We didn't know and feel cheated on the whole experience. If you are really adventuresome and have a SUV drive the North part of the park through the Kolob Canyons. You will see snow in the upper mountains and see rutted dirt roads, beautiful Aspens--a whole different perspective and opinion of Utah. You will pop out in Cedar City.

If you like beer or margaritas drink them when you find them, they are hard to find. Went to a Mexcian Restaurant for a great meal but no margs. :(

Moab is your headquarters for biking, kayaking and raft trips. There is also a raft trip company in Green River.
Grand Junction, CO and Salt Lake City, UT are both closer to Moab than Las Vegas.

Great advice already given here, but I'll add another itinerary suggestion which you can add easily if the mood strikes: Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. It's less than a 30 min. detour off I-15 as you are headed out of Las Vegas toward Zion.

I like the Valley of Fire as well but only if you get out of Las Vegas early in the morning. If the temp in Las Vegas is over 90 when you leave town you will broil in the Valley of Fire. Pack an ice cooler with plenty of water and sports drinks.
Make sure you have and use sunscreen. Even if it is cloudy, you can get sunburned.