This year, our kids’ school calendar included something I had never seen before: a weeklong fall break in early October. I immediately perked up and told my husband to request the time off, and I did the same. What better time to travel with fewer crowds, the possibility of early fall colors, and more moderate weather? Not to mention that we could avoid the overinflated airfares of peak summer and holiday travel seasons—times of year that families are usually saddled with because of school schedules. But where to?
Somewhere that required a short, inexpensive flight (there are four of us, after all: two adults and two kids, ages five and eight) and somewhere we could spend time hiking in nature.
We quickly zeroed in on Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, destinations that had long been on our wish list but that we had worried would be too crowded and too hot to comfortably visit with children. The major gateway for a fly-and-drive itinerary into southern Utah’s canyon country is Las Vegas (you can also fly into Salt Lake City, but that requires more driving). The advantage of Vegas is that there’s ample service from numerous hubs throughout the country, and it’s a 90-minute flight from our home in Northern California, followed by a 2.5-hour drive to Zion, or 4-hour drive to Bryce (depending on which park you start with). We were sold.
With the destination locked in, we needed to craft our Bryce and Zion road trip. This ended up being one of our favorite family trips ever because of the incredible beauty we encountered in the parks; the trails that pushed us physically (this was the first time we were able to hike two to three miles without anyone needing to be carried); and the restorative digital detox of being in the great outdoors (there’s no better elixir to combat the allure of our all-consuming screens).
But, as with so many family travel adventures, there were plenty of hits and a few misses. If you have your heart set on visiting this part of the country, here are some pitfalls to avoid to take your trip to the next level.
Don’t slip up on the rental car details
Unfortunately, this is where we stumbled in our planning. I assumed that Harry Reid International Airport, with its massive car rental center, had plenty of reliable rental cars available, and I booked a vehicle quickly, without paying much attention to the location. All car rentals are located off-site at Harry Reid, requiring a shuttle ride from the airport to the car rental center. But a couple of companies require yet another shuttle ride or walk from there, which was what I accidentally booked (facepalm). We decided to ditch our reserved car and try to get an on-demand car from the main rental center, but only one agency had any cars left. Consequently, the line snaked endlessly, and we finally secured a vehicle three hours (and countless rounds of Uno) after landing.
I will never again be so flippant about a car rental, especially when we still had a few hours to drive to get to our first destination. Thankfully, our rental was a nice Infiniti QX80 Pure four-wheel drive (for a little more than $700 for six days of driving), and I was glad we had it when we encountered rocky, uneven roads, especially at the glamping hotels where we stayed.
With almost no advance planning, the writer and her family tackled the three-mile Emerald Pools Trail in the heart of Zion National Park, which is only accessible via the shuttle.
Photos by Jonathan Baran
Don’t be intimidated by Zion’s crowds and shuttle system
In researching our trip to Zion, I quickly became a bit overwhelmed by Zion’s intricate shuttle system and the inability to drive your car directly to some of the most popular areas of the park. I’m a very visual learner, and even after reading several articles and the national park website about how it all works, I could not fully grasp the system. I knew we would have to just go for it and figure it out through trial by error, which made me a bit uneasy. And you know what? It was fine.
We didn’t have a set plan; we just followed the cars to wherever they were parking. (You don’t do this?) We found a spot in the town of Springdale outside of Zion, where the first shuttle brings you into the park; we grabbed our sunscreen, hats, water bottles, and snacks and headed for the shuttle stop. Further complicating matters is that there are two shuttles. One takes you to the visitor center from Springdale, and one travels from the visitor center to popular trailheads and attractions within the park. (Deep breaths, friends.)
The shuttles were still busy in early October (there was about a 20-minute wait for both by midmorning). But we persevered. We managed to do an amazing hike along the three-mile Emerald Pools Trail (that my husband quickly found on the AllTrails app while waiting for the shuttle—hey, sometimes those wait times are key last-minute planning opportunities). Huge shout-out to all the meticulous planners out there; I aspire to be you someday. For those of us out here winging it day by day, I’m here to tell you, we are going to be OK.
A huge win in Zion National Park is the lesser-known Kolob Canyons, with its striking red-rock formations and a small fraction of the visitors compared to central Zion.
Photo by Jonathan Baran
Don’t overlook less popular trails and areas of Zion National Park (no shuttle required)
What we also learned, thanks to some pro tips I scored from the fine folks at Visit Utah was that some amazing sections of Zion do not require shuttle access and see fewer crowds. The shuttle has access to a central thoroughfare in the park that is closed off to cars, but you can enter the park with a car and drive on other roads that access other areas of the park. So, to be clear, you can enter Zion with a car.
For some great hiking and views minus the shuttle, head to the one-mile Canyon Overlook Trail. The drive to and from the trailhead is highly scenic (if trafficky—hey, you can’t win ’em all), and the trail itself winds through and along cool caves and jagged rocky cliffs, ending with a sweeping, breathtaking look at Zion’s iconic, soaring rust-colored peaks.
Our favorite uncrowded spot in Zion was Kolob Canyons. It has its own entrance on the western edge of the park and is conveniently on the way to Bryce Canyon National Park, so it’s a perfect stop and hiking venue for the drive between the two parks. And, wow—there were almost no people here, so we were practically alone with red peaks that towered above us.
For our family, access to a posthiking pool (and to fun Airstream trailer accommodations) was clutch to keeping the kids motivated and less meltdown-y.
Photo by Michelle Baran
Don’t sacrifice hotel amenities that suit your needs
Given the popularity of Bryce and Zion, there is no shortage of comfortable lodging options in the region, ranging from super luxe to a bit more rugged. While in Zion, we decided to stay at AutoCamp Zion for two reasons: We knew that staying in an Airstream trailer would be fun for the kids, and there is a pool. On family adventures, it really is all about balance, and we knew that we needed to provide some relaxing downtime after strenuous hikes and heat. So, for our crew, a pool was key in Zion. For others, it might be more important to be closer to the trails with a stay at Zion Lodge in the heart of the park, for instance. We were fine with a short drive to and from Springdale since our goal was just one hike per day.
In Bryce, we stayed at the newly opened Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon and this was another hit. Tucked into an 80-acre canyon, it was 15 minutes from the entrance to Bryce but felt as if it were a world away. We all loved the novelty of staying in a glass-dome room—a unique stay for our family. Again, the fun and relaxing aspect of our hotel, which also offered lawn games, hosted kids activities (like rock painting), and guided stargazing, offered a nice counterpoint to those moments during the day when we pushed ourselves physically to complete our hikes. On our last night we spotted the northern lights dancing above Clear Sky’s bubble structure, proving to the next generation of travelers that nature is infinitely more impressive than Netflix or Brawl Stars could ever hope to be.
A culinary highlight of the trip was this fully loaded Greek salad with shrimp from Wild Thyme Cafe at Trees Ranch in Springdale, Utah.
Photo by Michelle Baran
Find the right balance when it comes to groceries versus eating out
One area I wish we had given a bit more thought to was planning our meals. Our accommodations both had a fridge, microwave, and an outdoor firepit, which gave us some options for basic storage and cooking. Our kids are picky eaters, so I don’t love spending money on eating out only to have them shun what we’ve ordered. Given that, I was excited to stock up on groceries and have on hand a lot of the foods I’m more certain they will eat, such as Cheerios for breakfast and hot dogs for dinner. But I went totally overboard at the local grocery store without considering that we would ultimately be flying back home not driving, so we couldn’t bring huge packs of leftover food with us. Lesson learned.
And while I was glad we had a lot of easy grab-and-go snacks and meals on hand, we were pleasantly surprised with several of the options for eating out in and around Bryce and Zion. In Zion, our favorites included Desert Ice (for a refreshing posthike Italian ice); Wild Thyme Cafe at Trees Ranch (for a perfect Greek salad and pork loin, plus kids menu items both our kids actually ate); the Zion Lodge for lunch (you cannot beat the location); and Cross Country Diner in nearby Hurricane, Utah (you cannot beat the kitschy-ness).
In Bryce, we had several delicious breakfasts and dinners at the Sky Nova Café Bar & Grill, the on-site restaurant at Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon. I particularly enjoyed the breakfast quesadilla, and my daughter can vouch for the head-size pancakes. At dinner, the grilled trout with lemon-cream sauce hit just the right notes of savory without being too heavy. And we were extremely stoked to find great coffee at Bristlecone in Cedar City, Utah, en route from Zion to Bryce.
Mossy Cave Trail, a hidden-gem hike outside the main entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park (but within the park’s borders).
Photo by Michelle Baran
Don’t forget to embrace the national parks’ resources and knowledgeable rangers
As very last-minute planners, we basically showed up at both Bryce and Zion not knowing exactly what we were going to do each day. So, our first stop was always the visitor center, where the helpful and friendly park rangers reliably pointed us in the right direction based on the amount of time we had and the difficulty level we were looking for when it came to hikes. (Easy was the name of the game with our rookie crew.) This is how we picked the Emerald Pools Trail in Zion. And in Bryce, we were tipped off to sticking with the Rim Trail, which is nowhere near as challenging as descending into the canyon and offers amazing views of those orange-hued hoodoos all along the way. You can make this hike as short or as long as you want by hopping onto the complementary shuttle whenever you run out of steam. (Unlike Zion, you can also drive to any of the parking areas throughout Bryce.) There’s also the lesser-known Mossy Cave Trail outside of the main entrance; it features an enchanting waterfall and creek that was probably our favorite hike in the area.
Family fun at Bryce Canyon National Park thanks to great tips on hiking and junior ranger activity guides provided by the park’s rangers.
Photo by Jonathan Baran
At the visitor centers, the parks offer activities to help engage the kids in park stewardship and get them excited about hiking, preservation, wildlife, and the miracles of the natural world. Last year, we got both of our kids national park passport booklets, which make for a great start to any national park visit. We always head straight to the stamping station in the visitor center first and make sure we have secured our proof of attendance. Then, there is the Junior Rangers’ program. At Bryce, they provide kids with a fun and engaging activity book that includes items like identifying different plants and animal prints, or drawing and naming your own hoodoo. At the end of your time in the park, you bring the book back to the visitor center (the older you are, the more activities you need to have completed), and they verify you’ve done your “homework” ; you then make a heartwarming pledge to be a park steward and obtain a Junior Ranger badge. I cannot emphasize enough how much this can elevate the experience and help turn an outdoor hiking adventure into a very fun and educational opportunity.
