Zion and Bryce Canyon NP Winter Trip!
First time visiting with our 8 yo and 11yo-
Absolutely breathtaking and worth the 7 hr drive from LA.
We stayed at the brand new Bungalows at Zion- #5 Sundrop one bedroom with a loft and sofa sleeper with balcony. Highly recommend for a stay- ask for a bungalow not adjacent to the road if you like to sleep in or are a light sleeper.
Day 1- Weeping Rock and Riverside Trail were easy and gorgeous. There was snow and falling ice on both trails. Icicles we’re everywhere.
Riverside trail ends where the Narrows begins- can’t wait to come back in Fall to hike it.
Day 2- Bryce Canyon. Couldn’t find parking at Sunset Point so we parked at Inspiration Point and hiked along the breathtaking view of the Hoodoos in about 2 feet of snow. So memorable!! Bring snow and hiking gear
We hiked Two Bridges- definitely needed ice spikes for the shoes. People were sliding around everywhere in their tennis shoes. Wall Street was closed.
Found a hill to go sledding in Red Canyon outside Bryce.
Day-3 Canyon Overlook Trail was our favorite trail. It was warm but crowded. Good luck finding parking (we were there on president’s day weekend) please watch young kids on this trail. Ours did fine but it still gave me chills. Not for those that are afraid of heights.
Back to Zion Scenic loop and hiked the Emerald Middle Pool Hike. Steep at first, then muddy! About half a foot deep in mud in some places. Beautiful at the top where the pool is.
FYI- huge storm planned the next few days and I’m sure a lot of the roads and trails will be closed.
Planning to come back in the spring or fall!! Waited way too long to come.
We did a day trip from Las Vegas (about 2 1/2 hrs drive) in the winter. No real snow, but the advantage was that we did not need a reservation and did not need to ride the shuttle. We could drive all the way into the park ourselves and decide when to stop and hike. Downside was that there was a lot of ice and therefore a couple of the hikes were too icy for us, even with hiking boots. The views were spectacular and we enjoyed seeing the wildlife (deer, etc) in a natural setting (and not our backyard). It was definitely worth the drive. Also, talk with the park rangers in the Visitor Center to find out what is happening that day. Good to know when sunset is etc.
No words can describe the beauty and massive structures you will witness here. The self drive in winter is the best way to see the park as the summer crowds require shuttles and lots of people. Unbelievable
We knew ahead of time that we were going to have to take a shuttle through the park. You can catch a town shuttle near most accommodations that will take you to the park Visitors Center in Springdale. Of course you can also drive to the Visitor's Center.
At the park entrance, you get on a shuttle that is solely for seeing the Park. You cannot drive through the park on your own. Understandably, this is to preserve the park.
There are several stops that are made through the park where you can get off the shuttle and use trails for walking. There is really only one trail in our experience that is good for mobility challenged people, and my husband falls into that category.
We tried another recommended labeled "Easy" trail, but it has a couple areas that are definitely dicey and I don't recommend it for anyone who has challenges walking. That trail was The Grotto Trail. It is deceiving at first, seemingly an alright dirt path.
Then once you're committed half way through, you run into a couple places where we didn't even know if my husband could make it with me helping him, or whether we should turn back. The trail ends at the next shuttle stop. We did make it over those two sections because I was able to hold onto him, but he is a lot bigger than me, so it was very difficult. I would never recommend this trail to anyone with walking or balance issues.
The other trail advertised as "Easy" that we tried is the Riverside Walk, and it is definitely doable with one caveat that there are not places to sit down, but it is paved. It is very beautiful with towering rock mountains above you.
The problem is there was only one cement bench along the way. Many physically challenged people need to rest for 5 minutes or so in order to keep walking. So my husband sat on rocks when possible but there aren't very many of those that are good for sitting down. They have either been removed or are way too low for a physically challenged person to get back up again.
We eventually had to turn back since there were so few places to sit down. Otherwise my husband could have gone on walking. If you do the Riverside Walk trail and are like my husband, I suggest taking a cane with a seat. A walker with a seat would also work for those who use them. I have added photos of the Riverside Walk to this review.
A person might think they could just ride the shuttle and see plenty of the park. But that's not actually true. The windows were very dirty (brown) on the outside of the shuttles when looking from the inside, so even taking photos was not an option. They are also darkly tinted. And the windows only open sideways about 2 1/2 inches at the most, so it's impossible to get a photo from the inside of the shuttle.
We were able to get off at any stop because my husband can walk using a cane. But I felt bad for people who were not that agile and had to stay on the shuttle. You're only going to get the barest of a gist of the park from the shuttle. Bathrooms were fairly available at most stops.
The saving grace was that the drive to Springdale on 89 and 9 from the north and west, takes you through the park, and we liked Springdale itself a lot. 89 and 9 are the only way to get to Springdale from the north or west and it is tremendous for views.
The driver must be very engaged since ther are long tunnels through the mountains, curves, and drop offs. It is just absolutely stunning and much more exciting than the park itself for those who can't truly hike.
I hope my review helps people who are physically challenged to be prepared to see this park. :)
Beautiful national park! If you want to hike, be sure to stop by the visitors center first and take the tram into the closed areas (not all were open to private cars when we were there).
If you just want to drive through, it will take about 30-60 minutes - depending on traffic.
We entered via the south entrance after staying in the little town of Springdale for the night.
