My husband and I are thinking of taking a trip to a National Park, probably in the fall. What I know about Zion/Bryce NP's is just what I have read here. It seems that it is still pretty hot in early September and a better time to go is late Sept/early Oct. Is that right? I also want to be able to avoid crowds. Also, how many days is advisable to spend in Zion / Bryce and what are some other places close enough that won't require much car travel? Also, we will be flying from NYC, and I think I read that the closest airport is pretty far away -is that true and how far? Oh, and is there a comprehensive guide to all the National Parks that someone can recommend? Sorry for the bombardment of questions, I am sure you are tired of answering them all the time. I do appreciate your advice and info. Thanks

I would get started with nps.gov (the National Parks website) & Fodor's geographical portions of their website (by State).

Late September, early October will be nice for weather and the crowds will have thinned out.

The closest major airport will be Las Vegas but it's a nice drive. St. George Utah and Page, AZ have small airports that some of the major airlines fly into.

Las Vegas to Zion and Bryce is about 500 miles round trip. If you add in the N. Rim of the Grand Canyon it's about 680 miles OR if you add the S. Rim of the Grand Canyon instead, then it's about 820 miles but you get the bonus of also seeing Lake Powell and your driving time won't be that much longer because the roads to the N. Rim take longer to drive.

I don't know how much time you have. I would spend 2 - 3 nights in Zion, 1 - 2 nights in Bryce, 1 - 2 nights at either the N. or S. Rim of the Grand Canyon and if you can squeeze in a night at Page, AZ to explore Lake Powell.

Thanks Utahtea! Those are some great suggestions. I think if I visit this region I will want to add Capitol Reef NP. It sounds beautiful and less travelled than the others. So, my best bet would be to fly into Las Vegas and then drive up? Generally we only take a week for vacation but I think I am going to try to extend it an extra few days since there is so much driving involved. I know there is so much to see in this region and I want to make the most of my time. If I do add Capitol Reef, how many days should I spend there and where should I stay? Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions, and from what I read, you are the one to see about all this!

idauria,

Capitol Reef is one of the undiscovered jewels of the Utah National Parks. From Bryce make sure you drive up scenic Hwy 12 to Torrey, Utah.

We always camp, but there are plenty of new motels in Torrey which is only a few miles from the park. With two nights in Torrey, that will give you one full day to explore the park and maybe do a hike or two. There are two very easy hikes, Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge.

BTW, I would double back on Hwy 12 to get back to Las Vegas. It's such a scenic route and you get different views going both ways.

Utahtea

Thanks Utahtea! I will definitely take your suggestions to heart if we decide to travel here this year. You really are a wealth of knowledge!

Knowing the parks you are interested in seeing, I recommend that you consider staying in Kanab, Utah the entire time and making day trips to the following places:

Grand Canyon North Rim
Lake Powell
Bryce
Zion
Capitol Reef

Once you've done that (we did that on our first trip to the area), you can decide upon the attractions that are most appealing to you for future trips.

Spending nights in Kanab the entire time has the disadvantage of having to spend time to get to and from the more distant attractions (Lake Powell, Grand Canyon and Capitol Reef.) However, it's not as if the areas you travel through to get to those places aren't beautiful. Staying in Kanab has the advantage of allowing you to settle in for the week, negating the need to pack and unpack at various hotels/motels. Alternatively, in the event that you like Zion and Bryce so much that you decide not to try the other attractions, you are reasonably close to both for the entire time.

With help from these boards (particularly Utahtea) my husband and I took what was probably my favorite trip ever in early September 2003. We flew into Vegas and drove to the south rim of Grand Canyon, where we camped for 2 nights. On the way to the Grand Canyon we stopped at the Hoover Dam. Being that we were in our NY clothes, it was REALLY REALLY HOT! We then spent 2 nights in Bryce camping (my favorite part of the trip) and the 2 nights at Zion staying at the Desert Pearl Inn (which we found on this board and was absolutely fabulous). Then it was back to Vegas for 2 nights at Treasure Island -- what a change!

In terms of timing, we were really happy with our choice. There were no kids (what parent would take their kids out of school during the first week of school), pretty much no crowds, and, other than the afternoon at the Hoover Dam (and waiting for our car at the Vegas Airport where we thought we'd die from the heat), the weather was great. I'd heard that GC and Bryce would be colder as you're at a higher elevation -- you go down into the GC and Bryce when you hike -- than Zion, and it was true. We wore pants each day, with tshirts and a windbreaker, which was usually off by 10:00 am. It was a bit hot for our hike into the GC, we left at 8 a.m. -- we should have left at 7. It was a bit cool when we woke up before the sunrise at Bryce. But generally we were really happy with the weather and the crowds. Zion in particular was great as we did get a little hot during the day but the Desert Pearl has a pretty pool with a nice view of Watchman.

Interestingly, on our recommendation, friends of mine just returned from Bryce and Zion. They were there early April. They are wearing pants, shirts and fleece in the pictures and look a little cold. Also, there still was some snow at Bryce, which made for some beautiful pictures.

In response to your question about timing -- we felt like 2 days at each was enough. Though I loved Bryce and would have liked to have stayed there longer for the hikes and beauty, there really was no town; nothing much to do at night. There is more in Zion.

Finally, on our way back to Vegas we, on a whim, stopped at the Valley of the Fire, a Utah state park. It was really cool. The rock formations were even more orange than Bryce. I enjoyed it but it was 100 degrees!

Have fun. I'm jealous. Right now my husband and I are planning a trip to Portland and Sattle with stops at Mt. St. Helens and Olympic. I'm excited but part of me just wants to go back to Bryce and Zion!

Wow!! Thanks everybody for the suggestions. It is so much to take in. Since we probably won't be going anywhere until September I have time to decide where I want to go and plan accordingly. Though, after speaking to my husband, I think he wants to go to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina this year instead of Utah. But, there's always next year, right!!