Travel Answers

I am planning an overnight trip from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon in early June. I already booked the lodging in Bryce Canyon for the night. I am making the trip with my elderly mother and am the only driver. I am arriving from overseas to take her to Bryce and Zion and a couple of days in Vegas. A friend heard that I was planning to drive on my own and contacted me that she thought it wasnt a good idea. she said I could drive for hours and not see another car on the road and when she did it years ago, there was no cell reception for good parts of the way. I was planning on driving from Vegas to Bryce, sleeping over and then seeing Zion the next day on the way back from Vegas. should I re-think this and take an organized tour. I am a good driver.

I have booked a car (convertible, do it in "style" without the heat) and will be driving from LA, then to Las Vegas, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Monument Valley NP, Grand Canyon NP and back to Las Vegas. I noticed to get to Monument Valley from Bryce Canyon, I can take a scenic route via the road UT-12 and Highway 95 South via Escalante and Boulder. Of course, we will stop somewhere overnight so we're not rushed. I cannot find any information if roads are closed during the colder months (as opposed to Yosemite NP in California, where many roads are announced closed and I adjusted my plans). It appears not much precipitation develops around southern Utah as opposed to other high country areas in the World. Is it safe to drive in March? Your assistance is appreciated. Cheers, Joseph. :)

My husband and I are planning a trip in early September, starting in Vegas and taking in the Grand Canyon (probably north rim), Zion, Bryce, then on to Yosemite and ending in San Francisco. I don't want to spend all my time in the car driving past sites, so wondered what a good time frame would be to really see these 4 national parks. Also, is it advisable to make hotel reservations ahead of time for outside the park, or do we just wing it and find a place when we decide where we want to be? OR, would making reservations in a town that is within driving distance of GC, Zion and Bryce be the best way to go and then do day trips to whichever park we want to visit? I am allowing us about 2 weeks before we get to SF to take in these 4 parks.

Do you think we will be able to find a hotel close to Bryce Canyon for one night on march 8th?? Also, what is the approx travel time to Park City, Utah from Bryce Canyon?

my last post should have said we are travelling early to mid december

--- would it be wise to stay at a place like st george to do bryce and zion and tht way just park ourselves near both for a couple of nights and just travel to both ? (or anpther suggestion?) also from bryce/zion we will be traveling to yosemite and onto san fran -- any travelling tips -- we are now happy not to do death valley(though if some were included that would be good) -- so i guess up the western side of the mountain range -- how far can we get from thebryce/zion NPs to that side -- where are some nice places to stay /places of interest etc we would hope to stay one night on the way and then onto yosemite and onto San fran for the next night or maybe we need another night in thaere somewhere -- once again so happy for any input.

we are thinking of driving to bryce canyon from moab -- is that doable in a day and also will the weather affect us -- we will be going early dec. once in bryce is it better to get accommodation for a couple of nights in bryce and just travel to zion if we have the time /if the weather allows ? heard the grand staircase is the best drive to do -- will that be okay in winter ?

I will be leaving Bryce with a room booked in Monument Valley at the end of the day. How would you recommend I drive from Bryce to Monument Valley and what should I see along the way? I only have the day, and would obviously love for my drive to be a nice one. It doesn't have to be the quickest route as long as I like what I see. Thanks!

Okay, I have read about Bryce and Zion National Parks. I will be home based at the Grand Chateau Marriott in Vegas. I think I can scoot back and forth to Zion. I guess the question I have is, can I go to Bryce and see enough in one day, including the sunset, and then head back to Vegas? Or should I plan on staying in Bryce overnight and then maybe hitting Zion on the way back? Also is Cedar Breaks worth a trip while heading to Zion? And would going to Zion and Bryce for a two day trip be the best bet? Just looking for itineraries from those of you who have made Vegas the home base. As you may know the Grand Chateau is grand; I have a three bedroom unit and will want to put stakes down there. Any advice is appreciated. I have read other postings from those who are more "on the road" than I might be. Weather in September in Vegas and Canyons? Is it very hot still? And, if any of you have stayed at Grand Chateau in a three bedroom, how easy would it be to rent out the one bedroom? It is separate and full functioning with kitchen. September 17-24 are dates. I have never even considered this option before and am not sure where to start.

Hi We will be spending 2 days in Utah, with our base in Tropic UT- nestled between Bryce & Zion parks. We will reach Tropic bet 6-7 PM & we have the whole day next day followed by few hours in the morning the day after. My wife has bad knees and cant walk for long. I want to make best use of the time to see all the good stuff. We will be driving down from Jackson Hole and I presume we could see some enchanting stuff on our way. What is the best route from Jackson Hole to go thru the scenic spots. What is the best way to see both the parks or is it better to focus on only one & if yes, which one. Can we see all the places just driving. I appreciate any & all tips, suggestions and links to Information sites. Thanks in advance Kiko

Hi, My wife and I visiting the area from Australia in June on a photography trip and are visiting Bryce Canyon from Vegas and then on to the Grand Canyon North Rim. We will have an afternoon and an evening on the day we get there and then a morning the next day. Our aim is to capture the landscape variety as much as possible in the time we have (including night photography). I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out in deciding which are the must see spots for Sunset / Sunrise and Night and which loop trail would be best? Thanks in advance for your help Cheers Aaron

We (myself, my wife, and two kids .... 19 and 21) have one day in Bryce. We plan getting up for the sunset, what else is a must see? I know there are many.

Is there a bus or shuttle between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon?

Would someone kindly give me some info abt the showers and laundry facilities? Good/Not so? Cost etc. Thanks much jim

If you only had time to see one which would you see?

Mapquest shows driving time from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon as 4 1/2 hours. Is this acccurate? How long does it take to drive to all 13 viewing points within the park, stopping for 10 minutes at each point?

We are planning to visit Bryce NP end of March. From the net I know it can be snowing and the question is if the driving in the park is safe (rv 32 feet witout previos exp. in driving rv)

What time does the sunset in Bryce Canyon in June?

We will be in Vegas June 8-11 and plan to go to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park via one of the tours from Vegas. We found two: Incredible Adventures and All Las Vegas Tours. They are similar -- any suggestions or experience with either of these full day tours or others to both sites? We're not looking to hike excessively, mostly just take in the sites and shoot lots of photos. Thanks very much.

We will travel to Bryce Canyon in July of 08. Our youngest son will be too young to ride the horses into the canyon. My husband and I took the trail ride before kids and loved it. We are looking for other adventures in Bryce Canyon. My boys are good hikers and we would like information on 1/2 day hikes rated no more than "moderate". Thank you! DT89 from Cape Cod

As per the web, Bryce has one of the top three darkest skies in the US. I was wondering if anyone has tried star trail photography at Bryce? I am planning to be there for a couple of nights the 4th of July week. Though it is not a moonless night (moonrise is just around midnight), would anyone have recommendations for north facing (Pole star facing) views that would look nice with star trails? Furthermore, since I would be aiming for a 2 hour exposure around 10 PM, are there things I should be concerned about in the dark (mountain lions, scorpions, any critters I am not exposed to in the cold north east :-) I plan to set up the camera, hop back to the car, and then pick up the camera 2 hours later... but I may try a few experimental shots at ISO1600 before the 2 hour shot, to see what the exposure looks like! Thanks! John

I am travelling to the US with my wife in May.we plan to leave las vegas on 18th morning by 9 am. in may.we want to visit bryce canyon, grand canyon north rim and zion and be back in vegas the next day.19th by evening. is it possible to do it? where should we go first? stay overnight where? please help us in planning. whow will we know if route 67 is open or not? dhananjay

I posted this in the N. America forum and now I can't find it! We have ten days starting Oct 14th to drive from Las Vegas around Grand Canyon, Bryce, Monument Valley, Lake Powell and back into LV. I don't know what to expect weather-wise. I'm assuming that summer-holiday clothes will be OK for LV, but others have said that I could get rain (rain? In a desert???!) and it can get quite cool in the national parks because of the altitude. So for walking around the national parks : jeans or shorts? Cagoule? Fleece? Vest? Sweaters/sweatshirt? T-shirt and light cardigan? PS We are 50, not 18!

Hi all, My wife and I will be visitng the week of April 10th. Just wondering if we need to pre-book lodging, or is it possible to find vacancies easily this time of year? We're not looking for anything fancy/specific, just a place to stay. Our plan is Zion-Bryce-Monument Valley and will probably stay around Bryce or Torrey, and Mexican Hat or Kayenta. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Hi we planned a trip from Vegas to Grand -Canyon from Dec14 until Dec 19 , we rent a car but I would like to make sure roads especially between Zion-Bryce and Grand Canyon are ok to drive usually ? Could you tell me if some are closed because of the snow or anything? If someone can give me information I would really appreciate it thanksss

We have 1 day in SW Utah in early May. We want to go to either Zion or Bryce Canyon, ( the Pink Coral Desetrt (?) is also a definite stop) which one should we chose? Also if there are suggestions to see something culturally interesting to complement just seeing scenery, that would be great too. Ghost town? Schlocky roadside atraction etc. Thanks! Mike

In June I will be camping in the Bryce/Zion area for 2 nights. I would like to see as much as possible in those two days. I am looking for a campground with full hook ups that does not have treacherous mountain road entry which is also close to both parks . We thought about KOA in Cedar City but apppears to be too far from Bryce. Have also looked at a new campground on the Virgin River but does anyone know about roadway to the river? I think the name of that campground is RV Resort .

We will be spending 2 full days in Bryce coming July. We are travelling with two kids (9 and 11). We would like your suggestions how to spend these two days in Bryce. We like hiking (not too long, as it will be hot). We also want to do the junior ranger program. What are the things we must do ?? Thanks for your help. Wendy

WE go to Las Vegas about every other month, and like to break up the trip with side trips. I would like to see Zion, Bryce and maybe go on up to Grand Canyon. Are motel reservations recommended at that time of year? We will be driving from LV and could spend 2 or even 3 days on this side trip. Any suggestions would be appreciated? Thanks, Rich

Is early April a good or bad time to visit? Looking for longer day hikes. Will snow/ice be a problem and prevent me from the 'total' experience? Thanks for replies!