The Queen’s Chronicles – Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park

A girls trip with my daughters was a great way to jump back into traveling! Carly Jo had dance nationals in Las Vegas and I was determined to do something more than just settle into sin city for a week. We headed out a few days early and decided to make the drive to Utah for a visit to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park! I’m sharing pictures from our visit today along with a few tips if this trip is on your list.

We flew into Vegas late on Friday night and were lucky to grab our rental car and a shower before getting a few hours of sleep. Remember a few weeks ago when I had some mismanaged expectations? Well, I redeemed myself (mostly) on this trip! Saturday morning we didn’t set an alarm but instead got dressed at a leisurley pace and stopped to grab breafast at a place we saw driving to our hotel. If you are ever in Vegas, Bagelmania is AMAZING with the best service and cutest little restaurant.

One thing the girls and I share is car sickness unfortunately. Both girls had their dramamine and we set out on the first leg of the drive to Bryce Canyon. The drive is just about 4 hours to Bryce but what I didn’t know was there is also a time change! We live in Texas so driving 4 hours to get somewhere is no big deal but losing that hour and not really realizing it kind of made us feel like we had been in the car alot longer.

I purchased an America the Beautiful National Parks pass for $80 which covers the entrance fee for one vehicle or up to 4 people. In just this one trip to Bryce and Zion it has just about paid for itself so I consider it worth it. If you have someone who loves to travel then I really think a parks pass for national or state parks should be on your list! We drove right into the park, stopped for a bathroom break and then followed the road to the farthest point.

Even though this is a busy time of year for the parks, we did not encounter any issues with parking. Maybe arriving later in the day was the reason but it ended up being just perfect for us. Everything I read ahead of time noted the scenic turnouts were on the return side of the road so we drove straight through to the farthest point enjoying the views. Once at the top we parked and took in the scenery. This was also when I realized I had my camera but a dead camera battery! #travelfail

We made our way down and stopped at each scenic turnout with no issues finding parking. Many people stop, take a look at the different views and then head on their way. The scenery is just breathtaking and honestly pictures just do not do it justice.

We had enough time for one hike and knew the Navajo Trail was the one we wanted to explore. This hike can be made longer by starting at Sunrise Point and heading through the Queen’s Gardens but we chose to stick with Sunset Point and started by heading through Wallstreet. Above shows the trail that decends into the canyon. It was not difficult and the paths were wide enough to not feel scary at all.

Once at the bottom you can see we were literally surrounded by huge rocks! We made our way through and then the trail opened up for a nice 1.5 mile loop.

Of course, as we all know, what goes down must come back up! It was definitely more challenging making our way back up this steep trail and we may have stopped a few times to catch our breath. I’m going to blame it on the altitude change!

Once we arrived at the top, however, our breath was taken away again as we were rewarded with beautiful views of the hoodoos. To the left in the picture below you can see what is referred to as Thors Hammer. The sun was in a great spot for us to grab some beautiful pictures and just soak it all in.

We were dirty and sweaty and Carly had some really gnarly blisters but we were so glad we made the day happen! It was about an hour and half drive from Bryce to Zion and we set out towards our hotel and to look for some food. Some friends who were also at Zion told us they had stopped in Mt. Carmel at the Thunderbird Restaurant and it was about halfway so we grabbed burgers. Literally the sign read ‘home of the ho-made pies’. Ummm…okay.

So, the drive between these two parks is most likely a beautiful one, but I will tell you making it in the dark was a little nerve wracking. We had to drive down the mountain to get to our hotel and it was a winding road full of switchbacks and a couple of tunnels that were just plain eery in the dark. I definitely recommend driving in the daylight! Although we did encounter quite a few vehicles out stargazing.

We got a little earlier start for day 2 as Zion was packed with people and a shuttle is the only way to get in and out of the park. Our hotel was just across from the city shuttle stop and we hopped on with our friends around 8am. Once we got into Zion we hopped off one shuttle, entered the park and stood in line again for the park shuttle service. The ride up to the top was about 35 minutes but full of beautiful views.

To hike the narrows you start off on Rivierside walk which is about a 1 mile walk down to the gorge. Once there you begin your trek up the Virigin river! My girls and the friends we were hiking with all chose to wear Chaca sandals. I had read ahead of time that wasn’t the best choice so I chose to wear my hiking shoes and I really still feel this was the best choice.

The Narrows is definitely a different experience from any hike I’ve ever done. While it isn’t so strenous as going up big inclines, it is a challenge navigating over river rocks and in up to waist deep water at times. The water is really cold which is nice when it’s hot. Our goal was to make it 2 miles in to the section known as Wallstreet. This hike will actually take you all day if you continue the trip to what is known as Big Spring about 5 miles in. It took us most of the day to make the round trip 6 miles and by the time we were coming back the sun had come out and the temps were in the upper 90s if not reaching 100 degrees.

If I had it to do over again, the only thing I would change would be one more hike early on Monday morning. We had an ATV experience planned which ended up having to cancel on us and I could not get the girls excited about getting up at the crack of dawn. Jordan and I tried to head out about 8:30 but all the shuttles were flying past us already full and I knew there was no way we would be back in time for checkout.

Bryce and Zion should be on everyone’s bucket list! They are beautiful and, though not too far apart, completely different experiences. I would still contend a day is enough for Bryce Canyon but would definitely say at least two full days at Zion would give you plenty of time to explore. Avoiding the super busy season, starting your day super early and going when the temps are not in the 100s would be my recommendation! Other than that all you need is water and some snacks and you are good to go enjoy some of God’s handiwork!