Zion to Grand Canyon
 

Hi Everyone,
We are driving from Las Vegas around noon, to Zion Nat park, staying at Zion lodge one Monday night.
We have a booking at South rim Grand Canyon on Wednesday.
Would love some advice on how long we should plan to look at Zion, what to see on the way to Grand Canyon south rim, and where to stay (town, hotel) the Tuesday night.

The distance from Zion to the South Rim of the GC is about 250-260 miles depending on your destination. The estimated time is about 5 hours, but that can vary.

As for what to see, there is Pipesprings National Monument along the way.

The road to the North Rim will also branch off of your route on US 89.
The distance from Jacob Lake to the rim itself is about 45 miles, again depending on where you are going.

You are asking about Tuesday night.
There are not a lot of places out there to stay. Fredonia, Arizons might be an option, but it is a small town. There are perhaps 3 motels there.

There is not much at Jacob Lake.
Kanab, Utah, is another little town with 4 motels and a couple of smaller lodges.

I doubt if you could get a reservation at this late date at the North Rim of the GC. It fills up fast.

I would not hesitate to make a reservation for Tuesday night.

You have devoted very little time for these two parks. Therefore I suggest you find a place that is not off of your route.

How long to look at Zion? Are you going to do any hiking? I have spent a couple of days there, but we took a hike up the side of the canyon each day.

A lot will depend on what kind of trip you are interested in. Do you want just a glimps of Zion and other areas or do you want more quality time to explore the Zion.

You could spend Tuesday night in Zion to really see and hike in the park or you could go to Bryce or Lake Powell to spend Tuesday night. This will not give you much more than a glimps at each park.

There's is just so much to see and do in this area that one night doesn't give you much time.

Utahtea

Thanks for the replies, Bob and Utahtea.
"Therefore I suggest you find a place that is not off of your route."
I'll look at the places you suggested. Any motels/hotels you could suggest that are decent and take 3 people ?
We will do some short hikes at Zion.
Bob, we've decided not to go to the north rim as well as the South rim, we will be staying in a lodge on the south rim for 2 nights, Wed and Thurs so can see the Grand Canyon from there.
Utahtea, thanks for the suggestions too. Guess we could stay close to Zion on Tuesday night (can't get the Lodge that night) so we could spend more time there, and skip Bryce and Lake Powell.
We are going next month, and I was told to book all accommodation as it gets busy. This does mean you have to plan everything beforehand and can't just roll up and find somewhere to stay each night, so you have to plan what you're going to see each day as well.

I think you can see the canyon better from the South Rim. When I am out in that part of the country, I take a chance on the Best Westerns along the way. They are usually good quality. I have rarely been in a bad one in Utah and Arizona.

The Best Western Red Hills is in Kanab.
It is close to Fredonia.

I have never used any of the motels in Fredonia. Between Jacob Lake and Marble Canyon, I don;t think you will find very much. I just recently drove that route and don't remember seeing anything.

The Jacob Lake Inn does not meet AAA standards. It is listed for information only. I never stayed there either.

We always camp, but Springdale, Utah is right at the entrance to Zion National Park and you have scenic views of Zion from town. They have free shuttles from town to the park.

Utahtea

Thanks Bob and Utahtea for suggestions.
I'll look into Kanab best western and also see what's in Springdale.
I appreciate the help, it will probably be busy that time of year.