Zion/Bryce - hikers - how to split our time
 

Hi - I am getting ready to make reservations for next Fall at Zion and Bryce. We love to hike and are trying to figure out how to split our time. We will have 7 nights/7 days and are planning to go to Bryce first. How would you recommend we split this time and should we add any side trips or would we be doing too much running around. We will probably hit the Valley of Fire on our way back to Las Vegas. I know there are other things not too far from Zion and bryce, but wasn't sure if we should just spend our times in the parks. It will be at the end of October. Thanks a bunch!!

I hear late October starts getting cooler to cold. We've only been during early Oct. and the weather was nice.

From Bryce you can do a day trip to Kodachrome State Park. On the same day or another day you could do a drive out scenic Hwy 12 Boulder, Utah and back. This would be about 160 miles round trip but it's a beautiful drive. There is hiking at Calf Creek and Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. Here's a great web site to find other things to see and do in the area:

http://www.so-utah.com/hwy12/homepage.html

There are a lot of great hiking trails in both Bryce and Zion but I prefer Zion so if it were me, I would do 3 nights in Bryce and do a day trip on Hwy 12. Then spend 4 nights in Zion and get in as many hiking trails as you can.

BTW, the N. Rim of the Grand Canyon closes Mid-Oct. so that probably won't be an option for you.

Utahtea

I'd start with Bryce, since it wil be getting pretty cold at that time of year. 2 or 3 days at Bryce, and the rest at Zion would make sense, because Zion has more to do.

Cedar Beaks NM and Red Rock SP can be visitred between Bryce and the Kolob section of Zion, which should be very pretty at that time of year.

I agree with Utahtea that Kodachrome State Park is worth a trip. Frankly, I don't think it is really that colorful but it is interesting with the sandpipes sticking up out of the ground. There are both short hikes there and one quite long one that you can go up the mountain shere they used to drive the cattle.

Zion is much larger and offers a greater variety of hikes than Bryce, so if you are planning to stay in the parks, I'd do 4/3 Zion/Bryce, or even 5/2.

Hi Sue, we just got back from 4 days at Zion. I liked Bryce, just spent a long day there hiking, but ADORED Zion. I liked looking up as opposed to looking down as in Bryce. We hiked quite a bit even did a portion of the Narrows. Zion had more variety and was just superb IMO. Stay at the Desert Pearl Inn in Springdale,,,it was wonderful! Judy :-)

Recently spent 3 days hiking in Zion
and wished we'd had more time. Cannot
recommend enough the hike up the Narrows...Zion Adventure Co. will outfit you with the right gear and you'll never feel cold, and will be
able to keep hiking, while other poor
folks who thought they could hike in
their sandals and shorts have to turn
back. The walking stick, which'll prod
the depths of the river, is reason
enough to visit Rick, and the other
kind folks at Z.A.C.--(I promise you,
I'm not on their payroll). The
Upper Emerald Pools shouldn't be
missed and I'd try to go as far as
you can up Angels' Landing....we
would've done Observation Point and
Watchman, too, if we'd had more time.
Zion's a wonderland.
The ghost town of Grafton, outside
Springdale is an interesting mini-excursion, while in the Zion area....
but I'd hike every minute your muscles
can stand.
We only had time for Bryce's Navajo
Loop Trail, but it's one I'll remember forever.
I should say that all my hiking
experiences in Bryce and Zion were
in Spring (April and May) but in Fall you may have different river conditions in the Narrows in Zion and hopefully less mud to contend with on the Navajo Loop!
Valley of Fire is a nice detour, too,
on your way to Vegas....as is Red Rock
Canyon if you have to linger in Vegas
for any reason.
Overall, I'd say plan on devoting the extra time to Zion....but
no matter what, you're going to have a
great time.

If you liked Grafton, you should have seen it 15+ years ago when most of the house were still in good condition.

Actually, Grafton is just outside of Rockville, UT which is just right next to Springdale. Look for Bridge Road. It's the only bridge that crosses the Virgin River. After you cross the bridge make a right and go past the Grafton Cemetery which will be on your left. The church is still in good condtion and with Zion in the back ground makes for wonderful pictures.

I'll have to scan some of my old pictures of this town.

Utahtea

ttt

Too bad you cannot include Capitol Reef NP in your thinking. It is equally spectacular to Zion (more so in my book) and has zillions of remote canyon hikes that take you deep into the same rock formations that you find at Zion.
I much prefer it because you can wander for days in the twisting canyons of the Waterpocket Fold and see exposed some of the most beautiful rock formations in Utah.

Otherwise, there are plenty of miles of trails to hike on in Bryce. I like the one that loops from near Sunset Point to Tower Bridge and then comes back up to the rim. If you hike all the way back to the starting point you will have a full day.
The formations are beautiful.