Zion - Bryce How much time to spend?
 

We’re planning on going to Zion and Bryce in early October. Probably about 5 days. (Depends on times of flights) It seems from what I’ve read here that one full day at Bryce is enougth?

2 or 3 days at Zion?

What else is necessary?

We are middle aged . Plan short easy - moderate hikes. And one ATV tour.
Thanks
Valerie

We, too, are "middle-aged." We're both in our mid-40s, love to hike (moderate to somewhat difficult trails mostly) and were in both Bryce and Zion last summer as part of our goal to see all the National Parks. If you ask me, I could have spent several days in Bryce alone but we were able to manage to see a representative part of the park in a day and a half. Half of one day was a hike to the bottom of the canyon which I highly recommend. Same scenario for Zion. We only had a day and a half to spend and really should have allowed more time for hiking and exploring the park. In both instances, I feel like we only scratched the surface. Fortunately, the two parks are only about 2-3 hours apart so you really could see quite a bit in five days. Have a great time, we did. Bryce has now become my favorite NP.

With the parks being so close, I'd spend two nights and one full day at Bryce. Then next day you can spend most of the day in Bryce before driving the two hours to Zion. This should give you 3 nights and 2 full days.


Utahtea

utahtea, do you think just one day in Zion is enough? I know that the shuttle will take you around the park and drop you off at the highlights, but what about allowing some time for hiking. I agree with your Bryce itinerary but what about an extra night in Zion so you have a little more time to explore.

Chladyg, if you're staying in Zion, please look into staying at the Desert Pearl Inn. The rooms are amazing, all the trim, floors, cabinetry and beams are made from reclaimed redwood and douglas fir that was used in building the Lucin Cutoff railroad trestle that once spanned the Great Salt Lake. Our hosts were great and Springdale itself is a quaint small town with unique restaurants and cute little shops.

cdauphin,

Cyladyg said they had 5 days.

Day 1 drive to Bryce (via Zion so you can get an idea of what the park is like...it's on the way from Las Vegas which I assume they will be flying to & spend night at Bryce.
Day 2 Bryce
Day 3 Bryce till mid afternoon if they want or the can leave early morning and drive to Zion to spend night at Zion.
Day 4 Zion
Day 5 Zion in the morning and drive to Las Vegas just 3 hours away. This gives them almost 2 days at both locations.

Utahtea

As usual utahtea gives great advice.

Another day at eac park would be great but, given the time available her's looks like the best plan.

Once you know when you flights arrive and leave then you can fine tune te trip.

Thanks so much for all your input. I hadn't thought about going to Bryce first but that is a great idea. Then only 2-3 hours back to Vegas to head home.
Valerie