Red Cliffs, Slot Light & a Canyon Full of Hoodoos
Zion's sheer red walls rise straight off the canyon floor while, two hours east, Bryce's amphitheater fills with thousands of wind-carved hoodoos that glow pink at sunrise. Two of the desert Southwest's most photographed parks, a short drive apart.
Switchbacks up Walter's Wiggins lead to a knife-edge final half mile with chains bolted into the sandstone, 1,488 feet above the canyon floor. A permit won in a seasonal lottery is required for the chained section.
A paved lower trail passes behind a dripping waterfall before the Kayenta Trail continues to the upper pool tucked under sandstone cliffs; the middle pool spur remains closed indefinitely after landslide damage.
A short, exposed mile from a pullout east of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel climbs slickrock to a railed ledge looking straight down Pine Creek Canyon and out over the lower canyon.
Reached by its own entrance off I-15, the Kolob Canyons road ends at a short trail onto a ridge overlooking the red finger canyons of the park's uncrowded northwest corner.
Bryce's signature descent drops through Wall Street's narrow slot switchbacks and climbs back past Thor's Hammer and the Queen Victoria formation. Wall Street opens only mid-May to mid-fall and closes some mornings for trail work; the Two Bridges side stays open as a detour.
An 8-mile loop from Fairyland Point weaves among hoodoos with far fewer crowds than the main amphitheater trails, passing the balanced formation known as Tower Bridge.
An easy half-mile walk on Bryce's east side, outside the main entrance, reaches a small waterfall and a dripping alcove cave, fed by a Mormon pioneer irrigation ditch.
A paved, gently rolling path follows the Virgin River from the visitor center into the canyon, the only trail in Zion open to bikes and leashed pets. Rent a cruiser in Springdale.
A small museum just past the south entrance covers the canyon's Southern Paiute, Mormon pioneer and park history, with a porch view straight up at the Towers of the Virgin.
The shuttle-only road threads the canyon past Sentinel, the Sentinel and Court of the Patriarchs viewpoints and the Great White Throne, the easiest way to see Zion's full sweep in an afternoon.
A handful of restored 1860s Mormon settler buildings sit in a quiet cottonwood grove a short drive from Springdale, one of the best-preserved ghost towns in the Southwest and a filming location for classic Westerns.
Guided rides from a corral near Bryce Canyon Lodge lead down into the amphitheater on the same red-dirt switchbacks as the hiking trails, carrying on a horseback tradition nearly as old as the park; the current concessioner has run the route since 1973.
A flat, paved stretch of the Rim Trail links the amphitheater's two busiest viewpoints, with hoodoos crowding the rim the entire way and no elevation loss required.
The country's largest no-kill animal sanctuary sprawls across Angel Canyon outside Kanab, with free tours and public trails through the red-rock property that shelters thousands of rescued animals.
A moderate climb from the visitor center switchbacks to a bench looking straight at The Watchman peak, best timed for the last hour of light when the west-facing cliffs turn deep red.
Free 45-minute talks on geology, condors or canyon ecology run most evenings from April through September at the Watchman Campground amphitheater or Zion Lodge auditorium, posted daily at the visitor centers.
Springdale's longtime local favorite serves Southwest-Mexican plates and margaritas on a patio a few blocks from the park entrance, the after-hike table locals actually recommend.
The amphitheater's highest overlook catches the last light raking across thousands of hoodoos, turning the whole basin shades of orange and pink before the rim goes cold and quiet.
Rangers lead a ranger's-choice walk on the rim or below it on the night of each month's full moon, offered nearly year-round; tickets are free but limited and now booked on recreation.gov, released in two batches before each date.
A genuine small-town rodeo runs Wednesday through Saturday nights at the Ruby's Inn grounds from late May to late August, with bull riding, bronc riding and barrel racing, a local counterpoint to the two parks.
Kanab's best table occupies a century-old sandstone building, its eclectic slow-food menu of steaks, pasta and vegan plates paired with a local art gallery upstairs. About 40 minutes from Canyon Point.
A garden resort on the Virgin River a five-minute walk from the park's south entrance, with river-view rooms, a heated pool and grounds shaded by cottonwoods.
The only lodging inside Zion Canyon, a rebuilt 1966 lodge with a lawn framed by the canyon's cliffs; cabins and rooms book out months ahead for the shuttle-stop location alone.
A 1925 National Historic Landmark lodge a short walk from the rim, with stone-and-log suites and cabins that are the only in-park option and sell out furthest in advance.
A concrete-and-glass resort poured into the mesa itself, its 34-metre pool wrapped around a slab of sandstone; the region's world-famous luxury address and one of the most photographed hotels on earth.
Rates change — check the live price.
Photography shows the dishes and cuisine — representative, not from the restaurants themselves.
Springdale's long-running favorite for Southwest-Mexican cooking, cold margaritas and a patio a short walk from the park entrance, packed most evenings in season.
The pre-hike breakfast spot in town, known for huge portions of huevos rancheros and biscuits and gravy before an early Angels Landing start.
A 1960s Texaco station converted into a Mexican-fusion cantina, seating spread through the old service garage and under the original pump-island awning outside.
The area's biggest and most reliable dinner table, a Western-themed steakhouse and buffet inside Ruby's Inn that has fed Bryce visitors for decades.
The only sit-down restaurant inside the park, in a 1920s log-and-stone lodge, with a rim-adjacent dining room serving trout and Utah lamb; reservations advised in peak season.
A century-old sandstone storefront on Kanab's main street serving steaks, pasta and vegan plates with a local-art gallery upstairs; the best sit-down table within reach of Canyon Point.
Since 2022 the chained section is lottery-only: enter the day-before or seasonal advance lottery through recreation.gov; rangers check permits at the chains and turn back anyone without one.
Private cars are banned on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive from roughly early spring through late fall; the free park shuttle is the only way in, running from the visitor center and from Springdale.
The rim is noticeably colder and thinner-aired than Zion's canyon floor an hour and a half away; pack real layers even in summer, and expect snow to linger into May some years.
Zion Lodge and The Lodge at Bryce Canyon are each the only hotel inside their park and routinely sell out six to thirteen months ahead for spring and autumn dates.
Bryce's free ranger-led full moon hikes run monthly, near year-round, but tickets moved online in 2024: 15 release 14 days ahead and 10 more release 5 days ahead — no longer a same-day visitor-center line.
