Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park

Two national parks and The Wave over Memorial Day weekend, with a lot of early starts.

The Bryce Canyon amphitheatre and its hoodoos seen from an overlook
How long
4 nights
When
Memorial Day weekend, late May
Who
Four of us
Stayed at
A hotel in Beaver, two nights camping in Kanab, a hotel near Salt Lake City
Good for
Two parks and The Wave in a long weekend, with early starts

The itinerary

  1. Thursday

    Getting there

    Night
    We landed at 10pm and drove straight out, two hours and forty minutes to a hotel in Beaver, getting in around 1:30 in the morning. It is not a glamorous start, but Beaver puts you an hour and twenty from Bryce, so you wake up close enough to be at a trailhead early.

    StayedA hotel in Beaver, Utah

  2. Friday

    Bryce Canyon

    Morning
    We left at 7:45 and drove up to Sunset Point. From there we dropped into the canyon on the Navajo Loop, 1.2 miles, then walked half a mile along the rim to pick up the Queens Garden trail and looped back on that, another 3.1 miles. Doing the two together means you spend the morning down among the hoodoos rather than looking at them from above.
    Afternoon
    Lunch back at Sunset Point where we had left the car, then we drove the scenic road out to the far end of the park, stopping at Bryce Point, Natural Bridge and Rainbow Point along the way.
    Evening
    It is about two hours from Rainbow Point down to Kanab. We stopped at a grocery store on the way for the next day's food, got to the campground in time to enjoy the evening there, and had an early night.

    StayedStarlight Camping, Kanab

    • Three of us walking a trail through the pines at Bryce
    • A tall tree growing up through a narrow slot canyon in Bryce
    • Two hikers in an orange slot canyon in Bryce Canyon
    • Two hikers among the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon
    • Two hikers looking out over the Bryce Canyon amphitheatre
    • Cooking burgers on a camp stove on the tailgate in the parking lot
    • Sitting out in camp chairs at the campsite in Kanab with red rock behind

  3. Saturday

    Zion

    Morning
    Up at 6:10 so we could be at Zion Outfitter for 7am, right as they opened, which is what made sure we actually got gear. We picked up bikes and Narrows kit, rode into the canyon, and spent the morning hiking the Narrows. Eight miles in the river.
    Afternoon
    Back into town for a quick lunch, then out again on the bikes to Lower Emerald Pool, which is only 1.2 miles round trip and an easy thing to add on tired legs.
    Evening
    Dinner in the parking lot, then back to the campground for another early night.

    StayedStarlight Camping, Kanab

    • Cyclists riding the scenic drive through Zion Canyon
    • A cyclist on the road through Zion Canyon
    • Four hikers with walking sticks on the riverbed in the Narrows
    • Two hikers wading through the river in the Narrows at Zion
    • Hikers wading up the river between the canyon walls of the Narrows
    • Two of us on the red rock trail up to Emerald Pools in Zion
    • Looking out from under the overhang at Lower Emerald Pool, water trickling down past the sunlit canyon wall

  4. Sunday

    The Wave

    Morning
    Up early again for the hour's drive to the trailhead. The Wave is 6.4 miles round trip. You cannot just turn up for this one: it is a permit lottery and only something like 3 to 5 percent of applicants get one. We applied a few months ahead and got very lucky.
    Afternoon
    Drove north to a hotel near Salt Lake City so the last morning would not be a rush.

    StayedA hotel near Salt Lake City

    • Swirling sandstone walls on the way out to The Wave
    • Walking through the striped sandstone at The Wave
    • A hiker sitting on the striped sandstone of The Wave at Coyote Buttes
    • Stopping for a snack in the shade on the hike out to The Wave

  5. Monday

    Home

    Morning
    Walked around Salt Lake City and explored for a few hours before anyone had to be anywhere.
    Afternoon
    Airport drop at 2:30 for a 4:30 flight, and the rest of us drove the five hours back to Boise.

Rent the bikes and the Narrows gear. I would recommend this a hundred percent, it was so worth it. We used Zion Outfitter and got there at 7am, right when they open, which is what guaranteed we got everything. Bikes were around $85 and the poles and boots around $35.

Biking beats the shuttle. You go at your own pace, you are not queuing, and the ride up the canyon is one of the best parts of the day.

We flew in without a rental car. A friend drove down from Boise with his car and all the camping gear, which is the only reason we could camp two nights without hauling any of it onto a plane.

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