Hi all! My husband and I are trying to plan a trip to Utah. I am struggling with itinerary. We fly into slc on Sunday, have 5 days and have to be in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon. Do we see Bryce and Zion and possibly escalate, etc in the south? Or, do we go to Moab and arches and then maybe just see Bryce OR Zion ? We have hotel reservations in Springdale but need some input from people who know. We love 1-4 mile hikes and viewing wildlife.

Since you have only 5 days and need to head towards Vegas, my $0.02 would be to go for Zion via Capital Reef. Both have 1-4 mile hikes and wildlife galore in my (somewhat limited) experience.

Thank you!

I have never been to Capital Reef so can't comment. Your route from there would take you by Bryce, and Zion. I can (and would again) spend a full week at Zion as there is so much varied terrain to explore - some of which involves longer hikes though... You can also do some 1-4 mile hikes that include a LOT of eleveation gain - eg straight up to Observation Point, or ditto to Scout's Lookout....

I also love Bryce as it's sooooo different from any other place on earth I've ever been. So my recommendation would be 3 nights in Springdale to give you time to enjoy being there, 1 night in Bryce before that as a stop by, and fit in whatever else makes sense at the front end for a day or whatever you have....

Other than loads of mule deer and squirrels I don't recall seeing a lot of wildlife at Zion. And nothing at Bryce except some mules with riders....

Prong-horns and Prairie Dogs on our way from Bryce to Zion.

I haven’t been to Capitol Reef, but Bryce and Zion are wonderful. Do a minimum of 2 nights at each.

I'd devote 2 or 3 nights to Zion for sure. There is the possibility of snow at Bryce Canyon in mid October.

Ditto that. I threw in Capitol Reef above just to put it on your radar, but upon reflection my $0.02 is just stick with the original Bryce / Zion plan. Near Springdale check out Grafton Ghost Town, where the bicycle scene in Butch Cassidy was filmed.

Have a great trip.

On your way to Vegas loop through Valley of Fire state park.

Thank you so much for input. I wish I could be there for 2 weeks… but I’m sure we will be back. Re your suggestion… we would land and drive straight to Springdale and stay all 5 nights and spend the days between Bryce and Zion … or do we try to spend a night or 2 inside the parks? Assuming we can still get reservations…

I would not use Springdale as a base for Bryce. Stay near Bryce when you visit that park.

If you click on my user name, you will see trip reports for Bryce, Zion, and Capital Reef. At this point, I doubt that you are going to get lodging in Bryce or Zion. You are also bumping up against Fall Break for all Utah schools, (October 21 and 22 this year), when the parks are PACKED with people. Make all reservations now! Also--search this forum. There are so many people who have done your exact trip and you will see detailed itineraries, answers to questions, and trip reports.

Springdale works great for Zion. As far as Bryce, it can be difficult to get in much closer but I'd try. You never know.

you could try Ruby's Best Western for Bryce Park

My son just came back from Zion. At Angel's Landing they saw California Condors! Also at Bryce they saw Utah Prairie Dogs.

I hope that you are not paying a drop fee to leave your SLC rental car in Las Vegas. This trip can easily be done as a round trip from SLC or LAS. Las Vegas rental cars are a little cheaper in my experience.
Is the "have to be" in Las Vegas Friday afternoon just for a flight out? If you have the time, see Valley of Fire and maybe Lake Mead and Hoover Dam before getting into Las Vegas.
East of Capital Reef you could also visit Goblin Valley State park to see the hoodoos.

Bookmark - we’re headed there 10/8. Hotel reservations made but want to reread for other tips