Zion, Bryce, Coral Pink Sand Dunes and Escalante

Canyons of the Southwest

(Please keep in mind that we went during June 2020. I’m not sure what the parks are like during a “normal” summer.)

Ready for a little southwest adventure? Whether on a budget or wanting to splurge, there is something for everyone within Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and Escalante State Park. The scenic drives between the parks is just an added bonus. While these parks do require a little advance planning, their natural beauty and otherworldliness make them bucket list items on most travel lists. These parks are yet another reminder that you don’t have to leave the US for adventure and natural splendor!

Logistics:

We flew into McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. If you stay a night here, check out the Hoover Dam with a private tour (30 minutes away) or drive down the strip. As far as I know, the Four Seasons, Delano, and Waldorf are the only non-smoking hotels on the strip, but this might have changed in recent years. This was a great starting point before heading northeast to Zion, Utah’s national park closest to Las Vegas.

It’s a 3-hour drive to Zion from Vegas, and recommended to travel during the day as it’s a beautifully scenic drive. 700 Degree Artisan Pizza in St. George is a great place to break up the trip, where you can find good pizza, salads, wine, and craft beer along with clean restrooms. Other great options in St. George are George’s Corner Restaurant & Pub and The Painted Pony Restaurant.

There have been a lot of big changes since my summer 2020 trip to Zion National Park. The shuttles were not running at all during my trip. Now, shuttles and bikes are the only way to navigate the park’s scenic areas during the busy summer months. All visitors are required to use the shuttle to travel around the six-mile Zion Canyon Scenic drive. Shuttles only run during certain dates during the winter months. When shuttles are not available, visitors can drive to the various trailheads on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. You can still drive the main park road to access lodging on the eastern edge of the park and to access Bryce Canyon National Park.

Lodging:

If you are only visiting Zion, I highly recommend the Desert Pearl in Springdale that runs alongside the Virgin River. Under Canvas is another option, but it can get really hot there during the day in the warmer months. Under Canvas is close to a great canyoneering experience for beginners. It’s my understanding that Under Canvas is not private unless you rent out the whole property.

If you want to stay within the park, consider Zion National Park Lodge. It makes parking easier and there is a shuttle stop right in front of the lodge. Immediate access to nature preserves and hiking trails make this a very convenient place to stay when visiting Zion. Wi-fi is pretty minimal within the lodge. If you are trying to work remotely while traveling, I would look at other lodging options.

If you are visiting Zion, Bryce, Coral Pink Sand Dunes and/or Escalante, I highly recommend Zion Mountain Ranch. It’s available horseback riding tours (the sunset ride is the most popular), jeep tours, canyoneering, and guided hikes are top-notch. We rented a 3-bedroom cabin with views overlooking a buffalo preserve. It was roughly $400/night and was hands-down the nicest lodging in the area. The full kitchen and wi-fi were nice to have! If you don’t want to cook while on vacation, make a reservation at Cordwood, Zion Mountain Ranch’s on-site restaurant, for locally-sourced food, craft beer, and an extensive wine list.

Zion Mountain Ranch is on the Eastern side of Zion and you must drive through the park to get there from Vegas and Springdale. It takes about 40 minutes to drive through the park (and it’s a gorgeous drive). It’s best to get a National Park pass in advance (available at REI for about $75).

It has yet to open, but if luxury within the wilderness is what you crave, check out Spirit at Zion. Covering 1,110 acres along the Clear Creek Mountains, Spirit is the newest retreat set to open in the Zion area.

Tours:

Zion Guru in Springdale is a great place to rent neoprene socks and water boots for hiking the Narrows. They also offer private guides and shuttle service to Zion from Springdale (public shuttles can be challenging if the park is crowded and they max out quickly). Also, we went the week before public shuttles opened, so the park wasn’t at full capacity, but it was still crowded. It helps to be early birds and the guides really help you navigate the do’s and don’ts (they also are great about taking family pictures!)

We also used Zion Guru to take us canyoneering. Caleb was a little nervous, and our excellent guide Bryce did a great job making sure his fear didn’t morph into terror. He was great with the kids, and we felt safe yet always challenged.

If you want to hike the famous Angel’s Landing, please note that permits are now required. Angel’s Landing is one of the most popular destinations in Zion National Park. In response to concerns about crowding and congestion on the trail, everyone who hikes Angel’s Landing now needs to have a permit.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes:

If you visit the Coral Pink Sand Dunes (30-minute drive from Zion Mountain Ranch), I highly recommend an ATV tour if you are comfortable on a 4-wheeler. You can pay in advance, but you will need $10 cash to enter the park. Our tour included time to watch the sunset while sandboarding and sledding down the dunes.

This was one of our trip highlights! You can’t go during the day because the sand is just too hot, but they offer morning and evening tours. I highly recommend the 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm tour. Be sure to wear long pants on this one and make sure your kids take their shoes off outside before going back in the room (so, so much sand in our little cabin after that)!

Escalante:

In Escalante, I would check out Kiva Coffeehouse/Kiva Cottage for a unique experience. It is a very obscure coffee house with amazing views in between Bryce and Capitol Reef National Park. It was literally minutes away from the Calf Creek Falls hike in Escalante and a 30 minute drive from the Devil’s Garden.

Devil’s Garden is a desert playground of hoodoos and arches. There is no specific trail to follow, and the kids can climb all over the rock formations. We glamped in Escalante off of Hole-In-the-Rock Road (set up through EXP Journeys) which was fun, but challenging due to the loose, sandy soil and high winds. There was red dust everywhere! The campsite was a 10-minute drive from Peek-a-Boo Slots and Spooky Gulch. One more lodging option is Boulder Mountain Lodge (home to Hell’s Backbone Grill).

We set almost everything up through a Brownell Agent and EXP Journeys, but you could do it on your own if you are willing to spend the time coordinating everything. It was nice for us to set goals and boundaries and then have someone else do all the heavy lifting. 

Gear:

Bring disposable earbuds (flapping canvas is loud if you are glamping in the wind!), shower shoes, lightweight neck gaiters, day packs, synthetic warm weather socks (Coolmax), snacks for hikes, sunscreen, water bottles, headlamps if you glamp, Ziploc bags for wet clothes/snacks/trash, hats, sunglasses, trail shoes, and pants or leggings for canyoneering and ATV touring. It is hot in the summer, and to prevent sunburn we all wore long-sleeved dri fit shirts most days. It gets cool at night and in the early morning and you might want to bring a fleece. I always bring my nice camera, and without fail I will leave it in the hotel room or tent every trip because it is just too easy not to use an iPhone! We also had to bring a fair amount of cash to tip EXP guides, Zion Guru guides, and tour guides. 

Normally I would suggest no cotton clothing while hiking, but in the desert, it gets so hot in the summer that it’s not necessarily a bad thing for your clothing to hold onto moisture a little bit. A 100% cotton shirt isn’t a good idea, but a cotton blend is probably fine.

Lastly, if you forget anything, there is an outdoor store in Springdale, but the selection is limited, and they don’t carry a kid’s line. 

Recommended Reading:

Zion and Bryce by W.C. McRae and Judy Jewell (I didn’t read it until the last day, but had I been on my A-game and read the book on the way there instead of the beach read I devoured, I would have been more informed!)

We didn’t have any problems purchasing alcohol, although we had heard that it can be an issue in southern Utah due to the heavy Mormon influence. 

Reasons I want to come back: 

Moab: so many locals raved that their favorite place in Utah was Moab. Labeled the recreational capital of southeastern Utah, it’s a great destination for outdoor activities like mountain biking, rafting, and four-wheel driving. It’s also known for its social scene and restaurants and is situated just outside Arches National Park.

Grand Canyon: this was the bucket-list item that inspired our whole trip, and we couldn’t see it due to a wildfire in the area. We finally made it back to the Grand Canyon in 2021. See our full write-up here!

This post was updated on December 4th, 2022.