holly

I have been reading past postings about Zion National Park and they all have been very helpful but since I haven't been there yet, I am a little confused whether I have enough time to see half of what others have seen. I arrive in LV on the 7th and have to be on my back to NY by the 11th. Which leaves me the remaining hours of the 7th, the entire days of the 8th, 9th and 10th. I can always take the red eye flight back on the 11th out of LV. Are these days enough? I am planning my itinerary right now. Thanks you guys!!!

kenneth

You have time, yes, but you'll end up just getting frustrated because you just travelled thousand of miles to see the tip of a huge iceberg. But three days is better than nothing, no?

OliveOyl

I think Ken's iceberg must cover Zion, Bryce and some of the other canyons in the area, not just Zion, which is all you are trying to see this trip and 3 days plus a portion of the 4th should do it just fine.

You will have the same number of days in Zion we did. Maybe we missed a lot, but if so, we were blissfully unaware of it, and left thrilled with everything we did and saw. We started early and hiked most of the day every day, covering a portion of the Narrows (too cold in Nov to go too far in), all the Weeping Rock/Emerald Pools trails, Hidden Canyon Trail and Angels Landing (only 2 of the 5 of us made the last scary ascent all the way to the top. I probably did half the distance between Walters Wiggles and the very top, then made the mistake of looking back and down over my shoulder...to nothingness below me and had to turn back...gulp). The only thing we didn't have time for that I would have liked to have seen was the Kolob Canyon area, but basically I feel we saw as much or more as anyone who visits. There are plenty who never venture any further than the drive in and the easy Riverside Walk.

You won't have time for Bryce, but it's not going anywhere either. Have a great trip.

holly

Olive Oyl.....you are heaven sent!!! Thank you!!!!!

lena

I think you might be OK timewise. We spent 2 nights and 1 full day in Zion in May. We went on Angel's Landing hike in aroung 8:30 a.m., it was actually cold in the morning. It took about 3 1/2 hours RT. The hike is not a problem if you don't have fear of height. There were lots of families with kids going up. If you do decide to do it go early while it's cool, I think if we went later I would've just turned back. In late afternoon we went on Riverside walk, it was my favorite, it's very enjoyable. Next day we drove through the Park to Mt Carmel junction stopping at various overlook along the way. We also hiked a Canyon Overlook Trail, it took about an hour, I highly recommend it. Zion to Bryce took about 2 hours, and it's a very beautiful road, especially going through Red Rock park. I think Bryce doesn't really need that much time, it is spectacular but not very diverse. You can spend 8th and 9th in Zion, go to Bryce on the 10th, and then drive back to Las Vegas on 11th

holly

Thanks Lena and Olive....one last question....in some of the old postings, someone said that wearing hiking boots are a must. This past weekend, I was reading an old issue of Outside magazine and the author said that cross trainers will do excellently. I have those and really don't want purchase a pr of boots for zion. Given that you all have been there, how would I fare if I just brought a pr of good cross trainers and pr of tevas? Thanks Ladies!!

OliveOyl

I've always used hiking boots...bought them for our first trip to the Grand Canyon and have used them yearly since. If you enjoy hiking, they'll get plenty of use for years to come. My old Gortex friends have accompanied me to the Grand Canyon a couple of times, Sedona, Zion, Bryce, Wyoming, and the Lake District in England. Good purchase!

Their tread is much deeper than cross trainers, plus the additional ankle support is welcome in rocky terrain. We hiked as far in on the Hidden Canyon trail as you can go, and the last portion required some scrambling where any extra tread helps. Likewise, if you complete the Angel's Landing hike past Walter's Wiggles, and up the chains to the top, you will be glad for the extra foothold!

Certainly the easier hikes you'd be fine with good cross trainers, but I think you'll find the majority of the hikers wearing hiking boots. If you have an REI near you, they are very knowledgeable about proper fit. You need to be sure that when you stand facing down an incline, your toes aren't hitting the toe of the boots. They've got a little ramp (at least in their Dallas store) for trying them out, and I'd highly recommend doing it that way. We bought my husband's online and had to return them once for a larger size, just because of the toe issue.

Hope you will write after your trip and let us know which trails you hiked and how you liked it!

lena

I wore a pair of Hilfiger sneakers that had good treading and it was fine. Running type sneakers with a relatively smooth sole would be too slippery. If you want to continue walking in the river on Riverside walk you may want to bring water shoes or some other foot wear that you don't mind getting thoroughly wet.

Connie

My trip: My 2 cents:
Sun - landed in Las Vegas at 10:00am, rented car,stop for lunch, reached Bryce by 5:00 (lost an hour to time change) - followed Rim Trail, did Navajo Trail and Queen's Garden Trail - about 3 miles - Glorious Sunset!
Mon - Sunrise Point for 6:05 Sunrise, breakfast, 3.5 horse ride through Peek-aboo canyon, lunch, 18 mile scenic drive with stop-offs and Bristlecone Loop Trail - 1 mile.
Tues - Drove to Page Arizona - visited Antelope Canyon, spend night
Wed - Head to Zion, Canyon overlook Trail - 1 mile loop, lower, middle and upper emerald pools - about 3 miles
Thurs - Hidden canyon about 3 miles, River Walk and then up the Narrows. If we had more time, we felt ready for Angel's Landing. But we had to head home to NY.
So if you skip Antelope Canyon, you can accomplish a lot in a few days in Bryce and Zion and it's really worth it.