Bryce Canyon or Zion Natl Park? (Panguitch, Riverside: how much, motels, neighborhood)

[redhead.lala]

in a couple weeks i'll be driving from arizona thru utah, & i'm still deciding which way to go. i've always wanted to visit both Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks. i don't have time to make a detour to see both. which is best to see, being that i'll arrive late afternoon, camp, & spend a few hours exploring in the morning before i hit the road again?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by redhead.lala

in a couple weeks i'll be driving from arizona thru utah, & i'm still deciding which way to go. i've always wanted to visit both Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks. i don't have time to make a detour to see both. which is best to see, being that i'll arrive late afternoon, camp, & spend a few hours exploring in the morning before i hit the road again?

Hi, redhead. It depends on a variety of things, one of which is how much physical activity you actually want to undertake.

Zion is significantly bigger and to really appreciate it, you almost need to take at least one actual hike. You can't take your car very far into the Park, but the park shuttle is an extremely efficient way of getting from one trailhead to the next. If, however, you just take the shuttle from one end of the park to the other and don't get out and hike, you will really kind of miss the Zion experience. Several of the hikes are relatively short, but even the shortest ones take somewhere in the neighborhood of three to four hours round trip if I remember correctly. (I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong about that.)

As I said, Bryce is smaller. You can take it it's incredible beauty very easily from the multiple viewpoints to which you can drive. There are a couple of very short hikes, if you're interested, but they aren't really necessary. Just standing on the rim of the canyon and looking out over the various formations can create an experience you'll never forget.

[InSandy]

You'll need a bare minimum of three hours to say you've been to Zion. But that will not do it any kind of justice. The shuttle takes 90 min round trip from the visitors center. Then you have to account for some time waiting for it (though it is usually only about 10 min, if you get off and on that does add up). There are several hikes that should only take an hour. Emerald Pools to Lower, Riverside Walk, Weeping Rock, and Canyon overlook. To even begin to understand Zion though you would want to take them all. We recently did Weeping Rock, and Emerald Pools plus the shuttle, and stops at Sinewava, Big Bend and the Lodge in about 3 hrs.

Bryce really will need about the same. You could do a short hike down Navaho loop and then if you are in good shape up Queen's Garden in about 3 hrs. That would be a good intro to Bryce.

If you are coming from Page then I understand how hard it is trying to decide which direction to go. They are both great parks, I prefer Zions first, but Bryce is certainly other peoples' favorite. There is construction in Zion. It hasn't affected driving too much, but on the week days the road would be closed coming from the east after 7:30pm.

[lolagranola]

I haven't spent much time in Zion, but my family loves Bryce. It is one of our favorite places. And whenever we have out of town company we take them there.

[pwrslider]

If you only have a few hours..do Bryce! Trying to do Zion will only frustrate you. A few weeks ago...I spent 3 days in Zion and one in Bryce. The time in Bryce was fine...but I really wanted a few more days in Zion.

But then...either one will be spectacular!

[PanTerra]

You might want to think about buying a National Park annual pass. At $25 every time you enter a national park, that $80 for an annual pass can pay for itself pretty quickly, especially when you have so many National parks in that region.

[uli2000]

It's like asking which one of your kids you love more. Of the two, I preffer Zion, but you wont scratch the surface in half a day.

[IdahoMormon]

Depends on whether you like massive rock formations and mountain grandeur or colorful intricacies and spectacular valleys.

I think you can appreciate Zion in a few hours. It's OK to just take a short look and realize there's a lot more back in there. There's a great little overlook hike at the top end of the tunnel. Weeping Rock is another short one. Emerald pool is a bit longer, or you could do Angel's Landing.

[onlycat]

We are planning a trip through Utah/Arizona in mid-March. We would like to visit Bryce and stop at S. Rim Grand Canyon. What can we expect for weather? I'm guessing we will have to take our chances and just go for it? Is it too early in the season for hiking? Any recommendations for lodging near Bryce. We definitely want a pool. An outdoor pool is fine if it is heated and open for use in March.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

The only place close to Bryce is Ruby's Inn. I stayed in Panguitch after visiting Bryce but there aren't any fancy motels, just clean family-run places. I don't think Ruby's has a pool, that is not what people go there for but you can google it.