Zion and Bryce in July
 

Las Vegas - Zion

We just returned from a week's trip to Zion and Bryce. It was our first time to Utah, and it was a lovely trip. I found a lot of useful information from Fodorites, so here are my suggestions based on our experience.

We flew into Las Vegas on a Saturday, since it is the closest airport to the parks. We had a long flight from the East Coast but still arrived about noon. We chose to stay at the Tuscany Suites and Casino - close to the strip, but not on the strip. The rooms were huge and there was a nice pool and fitness room. There was an excellent coffee shop on premises with espresso drinks. It was a pleasant place to stay if you don't mind not being in the middle of the strip.

It was very hot and we were tired, so we rested a bit and then set out for our first glimpse of Las Vegas. It was not a destination any of us would have chosen, but I had picked out a few of the hotels to look at. We decided to drive the 8 minutes to the strip because we were going to be doing a lot of walking between the sights. So we drove over to NY NY. We wanted to start with an early dinner (it was now 5) and I had noticed a burger place there that looked good.

We parked in the garage - there was an event that night and it was $20, which was a little steep but still about the same as you'd pay in Boston anyway. It was great to walk from the garage into the hotel, and we easily found the area that had a multitude of shops and restaurants and the casinos. We had about zero interest in the casinos! I'd picked out Broadway Burger since I'm doing one of the high protein diets and they offer grass fed meat from Uruguay. We all enjoyed the burgers and the service was great. Surprisingly the restaurant did not have too much loud background noise, a common complaint from my husband. So it was a pleasant way to start the evening.

Then we made our way outside to the heat (90's) and the throngs of people on the strip. It was certainly a people watching bonanza. We stopped to look in the Bellaggio hotel, wandering back to the "garden" and then the gelato shop. There was a Chihuly sculpture in the lobby. It was definitely something to see and all very opulent.

Our next and last stop was the Venetian - which was quite a trek down the road. It was fascinating just looking at everything along the way. We passed the Eiffel tower. The Venetian was amazing in its exact replication of St Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace, and the clock tower. Inside was surreal with a ceiling made to look like a starry sky. It was beautiful to look at, although I think the outside was more impressive. The canal inside and the shops looked a bit Disney like.

By that time we were fairly exhausted, and a few miles down the road from our car, so we hopped a taxi to the parking garage then made our way back and to bed feeling grateful that we would next be heading for a more natural destination!

Five nights in Zion

From the information I had checked, it looked like we should spend more time in Zion. Five nights and four whole days worked well for us.

We drove the 2 1/2 hours from Las Vegas to Springdale on a Sunday in the middle of the day. We broke up the drive with a stop in St George for lunch.

We had booked Cable Mountain Lodge, since it is right next to the bridge where you walk into the park. I would not stay anywhere else. It was amazing being able to wake up and be at the shuttle stop within about 10 minutes.

Another advantage of Cable Mountain Lodge is that they offer suites with mini kitchens. We had a wall bed suite which comfortably slept four adults - king bedroom, double wallbed, and sofa sleeper. The sofa sleeper was broken, but my son just slept on the couch. All the beds were made up when we arrived and there was plenty of space to unpack and not feel cramped. Everything in the unit worked well except for the sleeper bed, and there were two deck chairs on a small patio, which we used every day. There is a swimming pool, laundry facilities, a gift shop, a small grocery store, a pub, a cinema, a gear rental shop and a coffee shop all right there. You get a discount at all of those places just by showing your room key. I cannot say enough good things about CML.

Again, the biggest advantage was proximity to the park. The evening we arrived we walked into the park about 5 and did the Watchman hike. I think it took about 90 minutes and was a pleasant hike with a lookout point. The beginning and end are by the river, which was pretty. Some other nights family members who wanted more exercise would come back to do this hike in the evening.

(One other note about location - there is a Lodge in the park, but if you stay there you are pretty much stuck with what they have to offer in terms of food. And you pick up the park shuttle at stop 5. I much preferred having the variety of shops and restaurants in Springdale in the afternoons/evenings and was happy we did not choose to stay in the park itself)

The next morning we got up early - about 7 with a plan to get in the park by 7:45. My husband and I walked to Cafe Soleil, not officially part of the CML complex, but a 3 minute walk, and got breakfast to bring back to our apt. Cafe Soleil did hearty omelettes, breakfast sandwiches and oatmeal. The portions were large and we often got one portion for 2 or 3 of us to share.

A side note on Springdale - it is a strip of shops, art galleries and restaurants. We enjoyed the choices available and did not get bored at all.

In summer in Zion you have to take the park shuttle. The shuttle stop was right next to the visitor center. If we arrived at 7:30 there was no real line. By 8 there was a short line, but you would get on the next shuttle that arrived. By 11 or 12 evert day when we returned back to the visitor center there was always a huge line. So the best advice is to start early!

For our first morning we started with the Emerald Pools hike, one of the Zion classics. It was an easier hike than anticipated, and really just took about 45 minutes to get to the third pool. The pools were not really that big. The third was the nicest and we sat there for about 30 minutes just enjoying the tranquillity. By starting from the shuttle point each day by 8, we really did not encounter many people. The trails seem to fill up more around 9:30 or 10 and later.

We took the Kayenta trail down to the Grotto area, and it was an easy walk with some nice views of the river.

Since the hike had not taken too long, we got off the shuttle a few stops before the visitor center and walked back along the Parus trail which borders the river.

The park was gorgeous with big sandstone cliffs and the river was very pretty. We occasionally saw deer and turkey. The deer are quite tame. In fact there were sometimes deer by the side of the main road in Springdale and on the lawn at Cable Mountain Lodge.

Other hikes we did in Zion: Canyon Overlook was a nice evening hike - about an hour but gorgeous views of the park from the Eastern side. You have to drive about 15 min through the park (not the same road the shuttle takes) and through the Mt Carmel tunnel to get to the trailhead. I would recommend this one.

Angel's Landing - we didn't actually make it to the end, but just to get to Scout's Landing is a good hour long hike one way and very steep and satisfying with great views. Two family members attempted Angel's Landing and climbed up the side of the rock with ropes but got cold feet. Hard to believe lots of people were able to do it with no problem. But we are a little cautious. Even not completing the last part this was a super hike.

Narrows - an unforgettable experience. We were glad we rented the shoes & neoprene socks and sticks. It was much more comfortable. From the shuttle stop it says it is a mile walk, but that walk to me felt really long. It was much more fun once we got in the water. Again, we started early and did not encounter too many hikers going upriver. We hiked about two hours one way - definitely made it to the more spectacular very narrow canyons - and then turned around. On the way back there were hordes of people and even a dog. We were always very happy we started early and the hikes felt very peaceful.

The last day two of us drove to Kolob Terrace Road to do the Northgate Peak hike, which was pretty for the landscape but more of a meander along a path. Not as special as the other hikes we did in the park, but just driving through other sections was very picturesque.

For us four full days worked very well. We relaxed in the afternoons and often did a morning and an evening hike, repeating some.

Restaurants we liked: Brewpub - right next to the visitor's center. Very pleasant with decent food and beer. Can't beat the convenience and you get the CML discount on food. Flying Monkey - good pizza. Whiptail Grill - tasty salads and enchiladas. I think we ate at the Bit & Spur too. Couldn't get in to Spotted Dog - too crowded. All the food we had was pretty good - no complaints.

Zion - Bryce

I had noticed when I was looking for info some people had inquired about the temperatures in July - is it too hot? We found morning temperatures very pleasant. The main heat comes from 12 on. So we had no problems with the July temperatures if we did the hikes between 8-11. In the evening it stayed quite hot until about 6 or so. But the sun sets late, so it is possible to be in the park in Zion until 8 pm hiking.

On a Friday we drove to Bryce from Zion. It was about 2 hours or so. We stopped at Cafe Adobe in Hatch for lunch, and that was a treat. Good service, fresh food, and almost an espresso, but the machine was broken!

We arrived in Bryce and drove into the park, since we had chosen to stay in the park in the Western Cabins. There are not a lot of great options for accommodations near Bryce. In fact the area outside the park has very little to offer. We had booked two nights in Bryce, and this again was perfect.

Since we arrived before checkin time we decided to do the scenic drive - 22 miles to the end and then stop at some lookout points. It was strange at first that we could not see the hoodoos. It just looked like a wooded area. In fact even from some of the lookout points there was a view, but it was too vast. We actually found once we had booked into our cabin and walked the five minutes to the rim, the best views are from right around the lodge. So I wouldn't really even bother with the scenic drive unless you are a bird watcher. Apparently some of the best bird viewing spots can be found at the furthest points along the park road.

After we checked in before going to our cabin we stopped in the pizza restaurant across the parking lot since it was also the coffee shop and we like our coffee. Well, just resign yourself to the fact that you won't get a good cappuccino or espresso in Bryce because coffee is certainly not their specialty. The pizza didn't look good either. Luckily the lodge food was decent.

The cabin was cozy with two queen beds, a bathroom, and a little dressing area with a separate sink. It was a bit tight with four adults, but we managed. There was a fridge and microwave. There was a grocery store about a half mile walk away, nearer the campgrounds, or you could drive. The choices there weren't too appetizing, but we got water and snacks.

Have to run now but I will finish this later! Stay tuned for reflections on hoodoos.

Love the trip report. You've done all of my favorites, including hikes & CML. Could not agree more about the hotel & location.

Sounds like a nice trip. Now you need to plan a trip to Arches and Canyonlands and do the drive along hwy 12.

Thanks for the report

It was fascinating just looking at everything along the way. I really enjoyed reading your article. It is quite interesting. Share more and more articles here.
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Almost forgot to finish this!

2 NIGHTS IN BRYCE.

The evening we arrived we did a short hike down from the rim - I think it was the Queens Garden which starts at sunrise point. We didn't complete the whole hike, just went down to get the feeling for being in the hoodoos.

Once you are at the rim at Bryce (and there are a few parking lots for daytrippers) it's easy to get the feel of being in another world by just hiking down 15- 20 minutes. The second day we did the Navajo Loop in the evening and it only took about an hour or so.

We decided to try something different and signed up for the half day horse ride Saturday morning. You check into the main lodge about 7:15-7:30, then they send you on a short walk down the stables. I had been encouraged by reading the reviews which said you didn't need experience. While I have done trail rides in the distant past, other family members had no horse experience.

At the stables we waited a few minutes for the group to gather (for the 8 am ride), then we were directed to horses, they helped us mount, then they played a safety message over a loudspeaker. There were about 8-10 of us in a line following the wrangler. It was kind of fun, although really I would have been fine with the 2 hour ride. It was very dusty. On the ride we weren't supposed to carry anything, but when you get to the halfway point there were cups of water and toilets.

It was nice changing things up from all our hiking, but the trail seemed to go on and on. It took a little while to get down into the main area from the stables too. And like I said, there was a lot of dust.

I am happy we did the ride, and especially happy we didn't try to do it in the afternoon, when it would have been much too hot, but I think two hours is sufficient. The horses were definitely easy to manage, and the wrangler did a decent job trying to point things out.

At Bryce there is definitely not much to do besides hike or take in the views. It was frustrating with the lack of wifi not even being able to look up the route for our travels the next day or get information. I can handle being off the communication grid, but I love to look things up.

All in all we were very pleased with our timing of 5 nights in Zion, two in Bryce. Could even have just done one in Bryce.

After Bryce we headed towards Salt Lake City, a 4-5 hour drive, because we were meeting up with family.

There is not much at all on the highway between Bryce and Salt Lake, or at least until you hit Provo about 45 min from Salt Lake. Maybe some gas stations and fast food, but we were fixated on getting a good coffee and a sit down lunch. So we stopped in Provo. We learned that on Sundays not many places, even restaurants, are open. But we did find one diner and just about made it before they closed for the afternoon.

In Salt Lake we checked into our airport hotel and had a short stroll around the Mormon Temple areas before meeting some family for dinner in the Grand Hotel America.

The hotel was an oasis of calm and cool. There was a lobby/bar with a pianist. The waitress was lovely and I asked if I could sit there and wait to meet some people, and she not only said it was fine, but brought me out a glass of ice water without asking. (I didn't want to order a drink until dinner).

The food in the Garden restaurant was fabulous - better than many of the restaurants I have been to in Boston. All in all a very pleasant way to end our trip.

That's about all - hope this is helpful for someone!