Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon National Parks Roadtrip
I received a lot of questions about this road trip when I returned! This is pretty easy to do if you’re coming from Los Angeles. The longest days will be the first and last day with all the driving.
When I went:
Late December to early January
Itinerary:
Day 1: Drive from Los Angeles to Zion National Park (6.5-7.5 hours)
Day 2 & 3: Zion National Park
Zion Canyon to Bryce Canyon (2 hours)
Day 4 & 5: Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce to Antelope Canyon/Horseshoe Bend (2 hours, 40 minutes)
Day 6: Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, then drive to Grand Canyon National Park
Antelope Canyon/Horseshoe Bend to Grand Canyon (2 hours, 30 minutes)
Day 7: Grand Canyon National Park
Day 8: Drive back to Los Angeles (7.5-8 hours)
How long:
8 days/7 nights
Notes (things you should know before going):
We went the day after Christmas, and boy was it busy!! We heard a ranger say that any time school is out, the parks get busier.
The government shutdown was only a few days in, so we were lucky to be able to still see the parks.
If you going during peak times (Christmas/New Years), summertime, any holidays, etc., you might have to take a shuttle to get around to all the stops. I went to Zion in March one year and did not have to deal with them. I went in December a few years later and there were massive lines for them.
How I got there:
We drove from our home in Los Angeles to La Verkin, Utah. It was 30 minutes west of the park, but easy to get to since there is only one main road.
We encountered bad traffic going through Las Vegas (day after Christmas), but once we got past that, it was fine. I want to say the trip took 10 hours, but we should’ve gotten here in 7.5 hours normally.
Zion National Park (2 days)
Zion National Park is beautiful, but also fairly small so you can see a lot of it in 2-3 days. This is a shuttle map of all the stops.
If you are going during peak season, get there early!! You don't want to have to wait in long shuttle lines.
Accommodations:
We stayed at La Quinta Inn & Suites La Verkin-Gateway to Zion in La Verkin. It was nice and clean and had a free breakfast in the mornings. It’s not far from gas, a grocery store, and it’s right next to River Rock Roasters, a drive thru coffee shop with a delicious cinnamon roll (those are hard to find!)
Activities/Sights To See:
Hiking is the thing to do at Zion! If you do not want to do something too intense, then there are easier walks. The Narrows is the most popular hike here and requires you to get wet. If you go in the winter, you will also need special equipment to keep you dry and warm. There are rental places near the park.
Angels Landing (4.1 miles RT)
As mentioned earlier, I went in March 2015 too, so this was not my first time there. I did Angels Landing with some friends and it was quite a trek! I had also recovered from pneumonia a couple weeks prior and this was the first big physical challenge I had, and it was a struggle.
I remember it being uphill most of the way minus some flat parts here and there. I’ll be honest and say I did not get to the absolute top, but I got very close.
There is a point where you have to hold onto a chain on a rock to get through. Then once you’re there, you see a sign that tells you how many people have died on this hike. This is where I stopped lol. The rest of the way looked even sketchier and I was not about to attempt it. Those in our group who went made it back fine though, so if you want to do it, be careful and go for it!
NOTE: When I went in March, I do not remember taking a shuttle. I think maybe we were able to drive to the start of the trail. However, in busy seasons you will have to take the shuttle because roads might be closed to all vehicles without permits. In that case, you’ll want to take it to stop #6 for The Grotto
The Riverside Walk / Gateway to the Narrows (2 miles RT)
This is the walk leading up to the Narrows. It’s pretty easy and short. It was pleasant and cool to see the beginning of the popular hike.
Shuttle - go to the very last stop, #9 Temple of Sinawava. If the shuttles are busy, I recommend going to this first then working your way back down. Otherwise it could be hard to find space on the shuttle.
Canyon Overlook Trail (1 mile RT)
I wouldn’t really call this a hike. It starts with a steepish incline, but it’s all flat from there. It’s alongside the cliff, so it could be a little nerve-racking if you’re not into heights. I think it’s generally fine though. This has a really nice overview of part of the canyon.
You will need a car to get here. It’s an easy drive up with some switchbacks and tunnels. You can find parking along the road. This is also on the way to Bryce Canyon if you are going there. We saw some mountain goats hanging out right before the trailhead!
Emerald Pools Trail (1-3 miles RT)
It’s divided into Lower and Upper. It’s an easy walk on the trail. We were going to go to Upper, but it was very icy and closed off because of fallen rocks.
This was not a very eventful trail from what I saw, but I didn’t get to go all the way so I’m not sure what I missed. However, I took my favorite pic of the trip at the entrance of the trail.
Shuttle - You will want to get off at #5 Zion Lodge. It is right across the road from the lodge.
The Watchman Trail (2 miles RT)
I’ll start off my saying we started this later in the day and we did not go all the way because it was going to be dark by the time we went back down. They say this is a good stop for sunsets though.
We had a bit of trouble finding the start of the trail, but you want to start from the Visitors Center.
It is a steady incline all the way up with some flat parts. Not steep and not really hard, but you’ll feel those quads working. From what we saw, it was a nice trail!
Pa’rus Trail (3.4 miles RT)
We stumbled upon this by accident. We had to park in an overflow lot cause the Visitors Center was packed. It was our first trail when we got to Zion.
It’s more of a leisurely walk, but it’s very beautiful. We got on it around stop #2 (The Museum) and we took it all the way down to shuttle stop #3, Canyon Junction.
It starts at the Visitors Center and is open for bikes and pets.
Food
MeMe’s Cafe - I remember going here both in 2015 and 2018. It has a lot of good reviews. We got a savory crepe and burger, and both were good.
Rosita’s Santa Fe Kitchen - little further away from the Zion entrance. I had tacos and they were good!
River Rock Roasters - this was in La Verkin, 30 minutes west of the Zion entrance. It’s a drive thru coffee stop that was right next to our hotel. I got a tea and a delicious cinnamon roll.
Bumbleberry Gift Shop & Bakery - I went here in 2015, so it’s hard for me to describe what bumbleberry tastes like, but I was intrigued by berries I have never had before. However! I just looked it up and bumbleberry is actually a mix of berries and some other fruits. They sell slices of bumbleberry pie, jam, etc.
Enough time?
If you want do a lot of hikes, 3-4 days would be a good amount. If you want to do some, but aren’t as avid of a hiker, 2-3 days is probably enough.
Bryce Canyon National Park (2 days)
Bryce Canyon is less than 2 hours away from Zion. There was a lot more snow on the ground once we got there. This area is also pretty small and there isn’t much to do other than go to the national park. There aren’t as many hotel and restaurant options compared to Zion.
The hoodoos were unlike anything I had really seen before. I enjoyed seeing the contrast of red/orange rocks and the snow. Although I had never been here before prior to this trip, I think going in the winter makes it look even cooler (no pun intended).
Accommodations:
As I mentioned before, there aren’t too many places to stay in the area. We stayed at Bryce Canyon Pines, a small motel less than 10 minutes outside of the park. It was pretty cheap, clean, and had a heater (we really needed it on this trip!). There were also not many dining options, but this place has a restaurant next door.
Activities/Sights To See:
Hiking is also the thing to do here. Part of the park was closed when we got there, but we were able to do a few trails.
Sunset Point & Sunrise Point (1.1 miles RT)
These two points are not far from each other and it’s a 1.1 mile round trip. These points are good photo stops and they are along the rim. You can also bring your dogs on the trail. This is more of a leisurely walk than a hike.
Inspiration Point (2.2 miles RT)
We started from Sunset Point and went to Inspiration Point, which was around 2.2 miles. It’s a mix of flat ground and steady inclines. If you’re going in the winter and there is snow on the ground, you should get some traction cleats for your shoes. It was really rough without them. So many people were doing it without them, but they were moving pretty slowly and cautiously.
Navajo Loop & Queen’s Garden Trail (2.6 miles)
This trail was really cool cause you went down into the hoodoos and got a new perspective on the canyon. We started from Sunset Point and worked our way down. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you start from Sunset Point instead of Sunrise Point. Near the beginning of starting at Sunset Point, you start going down a lot of switchbacks. People were struggling to get up it, especially in the snow. Walking up to Sunrise Point was much easier and the incline was more drawn out.
Starting from Sunset Point is all downhill. Eventually you are walking on flat land or small steady inclines until you reach Queen’s Garden. Working our way towards Sunrise Point seems infinitely easier than if we did the reverse.
Enough time?
I think 1-1.5 full days is enough. We might’ve been able to really fill our 2 days had the full park been open, but it’s still a very small national park. There is not a lot to do once the sun goes down though. If you’re stopping here along the way to Zion, you could even get here early in the morning and drive to Zion once the sun sets and see what we saw.
Antelope Canyon
This has been on my bucket list for awhile. Everyone has seen that one majestic picture of the light beam going through the slot canyon. We were told that only happens in the summer in the afternoon. When we went, it was cloudy and snowing a tad, but I thought it was still fine.
Antelope Canyon is 2 hours and 40 minutes away from Bryce and is on the way to the Grand Canyon.
You have to book a tour! There is no way to see it yourself. We went with Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours and did the Guided Sightseer’s Tour. If you’re more into photography, the photography tour is an option. They drive you in an open truck for 10 minutes or so to the beginning of the canyon. Once you reach the beginning, each group starts in waves.
It was very cool to see in real life, BUT there are a lot of people on these tours. If you go during non-peak season, you might have more wiggle room. We did end up being able to get some photos without people in it, but I wasn’t necessarily leisurely cause of all the people.
My sister did upper and lower canyon and said upper was better, but I’m sure both are good.
Horseshoe Bend
This was also on my bucket list! This is about a 10 minute drive max from Antelope Canyon.
You don’t have to pay and it’s really close to the side of the road, BUT we had to pay for parking. There were cops near the entrance that were ready to write tickets for those who dared to park their car along the road. Parking was $20…woof. They have shuttles that take you to the entrance, but we opted to walk since we had been driving a lot that day and it wasn’t that far of a walk.
A couple weeks prior to us being there, there was an article about how a teenage girl had fell to her death while visiting. I definitely made sure to keep a safe distance from the edge. There are no rails aside from one small portion. It’s about a 5-7 minute way down to the bend from the start.
This was pretty trippy to see in real life, but also really cool. It’s hard to get a great angle of the whole bend, so you have to get as close as safely possible. I recommend bringing a selfie stick if you have one. There’s not a great way to get you and the bend in there unless it’s from a high angle.
Grand Canyon National Park (1 day)
We ran into some pretty bad snow in January 2019, which caused for the closest road to the Grand Canyon to be shut down. It made us take a 2 hour detour by going down south, then west and north. See if you can find out weather conditions if it’s snowy so you don’t drive too far just to turn back around.
I’m not going to write too much about the Grand Canyon since we only spent a day here in 2019 and the other time I went here in 2014, is a bit spotty too.
This was my second time to the Grand Canyon, both times in winter. There was snow on the ground in January 2019, and it snowed a bit overnight. In February 2014, it wasn’t very snowy. It was cold at night, but pretty warm during the day. You will want traction cleats if it’s been snowing and if you want to do some trails that go downhill.
I have only done one hike that went into the canyon, but albeit not that far into it. My sister has though and gone rafting at the base and loves it. Since I haven’t gone too far inside the canyon, it’s hard to distinguish differences if you’re just walking around the rim. It’s impressive, but harder to grasp the sheer size of it all. One day I’ll take a deeper dive and go to the base!
Activities/Sights To See:
We mostly did some easier walks/hikes while here. We might’ve done some other ones I cannot recall back in 2014, but here are the ones I do remember.
South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point (1.8 miles RT)
I did this in 2014 when there wasn’t much snow on the ground. It was in February, but I did not need any traction cleats. This is straight downhill into the canyon, so therefore the tough part is on the way back. You can keep going further, but this is a nice in-between if you don’t want to hike too far, but you want to go down from the rim. I remember sharing the path with some mules a couple of times.
Rim Trail (5.4 miles)
We started this somewhere near the Visitors Center to the Bright Angel Trailhead. The trail is extremely easy and leisurely. It’s walking right alongside the rim. Towards the end, you will pass El Tovar hotel, some food, and Lookout Studios. You can keep going even further, but we opted to stop a little past the start of Bright Angel.
Enough time?
We only did one day for the trip we did in January because we had both been there before. I don’t think I am the best judge to accurately say how many days you need, but since it’s so big, 3-4 days is probably good especially if you want to go further down the canyon.
