My husband and I have decided not to exchange presents for Christmas and instead take a short trip out to Zion and Bryce either in the spring or fall. We haven't been to either park and wondered which season is your favorite and why?? Is one sunnier and/or drier than the other? If we go with a fall trip, which time in the fall is best to view the foliage?

We were thinking of a five night stay and wondered what we might be able to fit in that period of time? We aren't really hikers and prefer to do scenic drives and short hikes. I've been checking the Fodors' site and have seen posters mention Capitol Reef, Antelope Canyon in Page, the north rim of the Grand Canyon (have been to the south rim on a previous trip). Are any of these a day trip away from the Zion area. We were planning to stay at the Desert Pearl Inn and make our treks from there each day.

Any help with our itinerary would be most appreciated!!! Happy holidays to all!!

I like spring and fall in the area. Not sure which months you are thinking of traveling in. Byrce is at a much higher elevation than Zion and will have snow in late fall and early spring.

As Zion as your base here is what you are looking at for miles and driving times for a round trip:

Bryce Canyon out to Rainbow Point: 205 miles & 4 hours driving

Page (Antelope Slot Canyon) 240 miles & 5 hrs driving

Captiol Reef via Hwy 12, 400 miles and at least 10 hrs driving

North Rim Grand Canyon which is open May 15 through mid-October 245 miles round trip & 8 hrs driving

Kolob section of Zion (just off I-15 south of Cedar City) 76 miles & 2 hrs driving.

As you can see, things are not close and these roads are slower than the interstates. With 5 nights and only 4 days, you would be best just doing Bryce and Zion and enjoying the easy walks at both parks.

If you decide to stay longer, then spend a night at a destination like Capitol Reef or the North Rim.

If you do decide to do one of these adventures, then I'd do Hwy 12 as far as Boulder Utah.

Utahtea

We prefer the Fall for our US tours.You get less crowds and the Indian summer.Bryce lies higher than Zion and is dryer.The evenings can be cold due to the altitude.We had to remove ice from the car windows in Sept.In Bryce you should try to do the combination hike-Navajo trail-Queen's garden trail.If I were you I would stay say in Springdale for Zion and near Bryce to visit the park and further visit perhaps Capitol reef from there.Paul

D,

If you visit toward the end of May, you will have wildflowers in Zion. The hanging gardens are gorgeous.

Peak fall colors at Bryce (8,000 ft.) would normally be the first week in October.

Fall colors in Zion, due to much lower elevation, don't happen until November. By then, you could very likely have snow at Bryce.

If these two parks don't encourage you to become a bit of a hiker, then you truly are not a hiker!

Have fun

Thanks for the great input guys! Thanks, also, Utahtea for the travel times and distances. To be honest we live on the east coast and would think nothing of driving 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way to spend the day at the beach, so some of those roundtrip drive times wouldn't scare us off. I guess my question would be of all those mentioned and any other places nearby I haven't thought of, what places impressed you the most and would be worth the daytrip to see them?

If you think we would be spending too much time staying in Springdale, I'm certainly open to any suggestions of how to divide our time more efficiently.

I thank you all for your invaluable help and advice.