- Estimated Cost: $200
- Deposit: $100
- Max Trip Size: 5 people
Wade through the Narrows in Zion and marvel at the Ampitheater in Bryce Canyon! This will be an 8-day trip (including travel time) filled with day hikes to see the best of these two national parks in southern Utah. Plan on hiking 5-10 miles per day and staying in car campsites. The group is limited to 5 people, so this trip will fill up fast!
Weather
Zion typically sees a daily high temperature of 78 F and a low of 49 in October. It typically gets 1″ of rain that month. More information: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/weather-and-climate.htm
Bryce Canyon typically sees a daily high temperature of 58 F and a low of 32 in October. It normally gets 2″ of rain that month. More info: https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/weather.htm
Cost
Shared costs (car rental, gas, campsite, park pass) are estimated at $110 per person. This doesn’t include airfare, wader rental (for hiking the Narrows), food, or other costs to be paid by each attendee. All shared costs (car rental, gas, campsites, etc) would be split evenly among attendees. Each attendee needs to book their own flight.
Schedule
Saturday, 10/19: Fly from MSP to LAS (Las Vegas), meet at vehicle rental desk in late morning (exact time and location TBD). Rent vehicle, drive 3 hours to Zion National Park, check in to campsite.
10/20-10/22: Hike Zion
10/23: Check out of Zion. Drive 2 hours from Zion to Bryce Canyon, check in if needed (depending on where we camp).
10/24-10/25: Hike Bryce Canyon
Saturday, 10/26: Drive back to LAS, fly back to MSP
Hikes
Zion: Definitely The Narrows and Angel’s Landing. Other hikes can be decided upon by the group. See Zion’s trail page for details: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/zion-canyon-trail-descriptions.htm
Bryce Canyon: Bryce Ampitheater is a must. Other hikes to be decided upon by the group. See Bryce Canyon’s trail page for details: https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/day-hikes.htm
Camping
I reserved campsite F010 in the Watchman campground in Zion from 10/20-10/23 to ensure somewhere to stay for the majority of the nights, as sites fill up fast. The night of 10/19 we can either stay in the South campground or get a group campsite in Watchman. https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/watchman-campground.htm
Due to construction, all campsites in Bryce Canyon are first-come, first-serve. Backcountry camping as well as the nearby national forest are also options: https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
Meals
TBD. Typical trail food would be the default, but we may be able to cook real food at the campsite.