Our 4-day Zion and Bryce Inn-based Tour is an opportunity to explore the highlights of Utah's two most famous national parks over what amounts to a long weekend. We pack in the hiking so you can make the most of your vacation, visiting landmark Canyon Country features by day and enjoying cozy lodging and wonderful meals in the evenings. Our hikes take us to stunning views of ancient canyons, polished narrows sculpted by water and ice over millions of years, soaring sandstone towers, eight fascinating geologic layers, spring-fed creeks, a maze of "Hoo Doo" masterpieces in Bryce, and more!
We begin this tour in St. George, Utah and head directly to Zion National Park for two days of spectacular hiking and sight-seeing. Our accommodations are cozy cabins on a bison ranch just outside the Park. After Zion we move on to Bryce for the second half of the tour, and explore its labyrinths of other-worldly rock formations. Enjoy your night in Bryce in a historic lodge at the top of the Colorado Plateau. Conclude your trip with a visit to Zion’s majestic and seldom-seen Kolob Canyon.
*This trip has an orientation the night before and times will be provided to you by Wildland Trekking at time of booking and in trip notes. Usual time is between 5-6pm local time.
What is included in the tour
- Accommodation
- Private Guide
- Meals
- Transport
What is NOT included in the tour
- Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Hiking tour of Zion and Bryce begins in St. George
- Tour of Virgin River
- Thrilling trek is complete with fantastic drop offs and awe-inspiring scenery
- Hike one of the lesser-traveled trails in Bryce
Day 1: Zion Narrows
Shuttle to trailhead: 1.5-hour drive from St. George, Utah Hiking Mileage: 5 miles Difficulty: easy to moderate Accommodations: Zion Mountain Ranch or Cliffrose Lodge This Inn-based hiking tour of Zion and Bryce begins in St. George, Utah where we shuttle directly to Zion National Park. After arriving in Zion we’ll make our way to the first day’s hike. Starting at the Temple of Sinawava, we’ll hike up the Riverside Walk trail and then continue hiking up the river to see some of the best “narrows” sections of the North Fork of the Virgin River. We’ll come prepared to get wet, as the hike up the Narrows is entirely in the water. Your afternoon will be filled with the towering walls of Zion, crystal clear spring water, brilliant red sandstone and rocks polished over tens of thousands of years. After our hike we’ll check-in to our cabins at Zion Mountain Ranch and settle down for a great dinner, a possible evening hike for those interested and a good night’s sleep.
Please note: in the event of high water, the Virgin River Narrows hike will be rerouted to a different trail in Zion. The Park is full of unforgettable hiking and scenery, so it’s easy to find an excellent substitute
Day 2: Incredible Canyon Views
Hiking Mileage: 8 miles Difficulty: moderate to strenuous Accommodations: Zion Mountain Ranch or Cliffrose Lodge Day 2 features a hike you’ll never forget! We’ll make our way up a mountainside to one of the best viewpoints offered in Zion. This challenging, thrilling trek is complete with fantastic drop offs and awe-inspiring scenery looking down into Zion Canyon. Our route – on a maintained trail – switchbacks its way up through red Navajo sandstone before cutting into Echo Canyon, a picturesque gorge filled with sandstone pockets. Beyond Echo Canyon the walls drop sharply, allowing truly breathtaking views. Finally at the top, looking down into Zion Canyon at a spectacular scene of stone sculptures contrasted by blue skies, you’ll likely feel that your hard work has never been rewarded this richly!
Important Note: due to rock fall damage and temporary consequential trail closure, for the foreseeeable future the hike of Observation Point (described above) will be rerouted to a combination of Scouts Lookout and the Watchman. These alternate hikes provide comparable elevation gain and distance, and incredible views of both the upper and lower Zion Canyon.
Day 3: Fairyland Hoodoos
Shuttle to Bryce NP: 3-hour drive from Zion Hiking Mileage: 5.5 miles Difficulty: moderate to strenuous Accommodations: Bryce Canyon Lodge
On Day 3 we’ll make our way to the Bryce Canyon. We’ll hike one of the lesser-traveled trails in Bryce, but one that offers some of the most impressive scenery in the Park. We’ll be in the northern part of Bryce, where we’ll enjoy superb vistas of Boat Mesa, the Sinking Ship formation, Tower Bridge, China Wall, Fairyland Canyon and other amazing rock structures. After our hike we’ll settle into our historic lodging and enjoy a wonderful meal at a local Canyon Country restaurant
Day 4: Bryce and Kolob Canyons
Hiking Mileage: 6 miles Difficulty: moderate Shuttle Time: 4.5 hours On our last morning we’ll eat breakfast, check out of the lodge, and head back into Bryce for another exceptionally memorable hike. We’ll explore a labyrinth of sedimentary hoodoos, fins and spires and spend several hours hiking through this truly remarkable landscape. The hoodoos, which are the most characteristic of Bryce’s natural rock features, range in height from 5 feet to more than 10 stories high and are a vibrant combination of horizontally layered oranges, reds, browns and yellows. Formed 30 to 40 million years ago from deposits at the bottom of an ancient lake, Bryce Canyon features some of the youngest and most iconographic rocks of the region. After descending through geologic time on our hike into the canyon, we’ll enjoy a relaxing picnic lunch before beginning our drive back to St. George. But the wonder is not over yet!
On our journey back to St. George, we’ll stop-off for a special visit to the incredible Kolob Canyon – one of Zion’s hidden gems. Here, we’ll take the opportunity to celebrate our trip with a brief, invigorating hike to an incredible overlook straddling the western edge of the Colorado Plateau – a fitting conclusion to our 4 fantastic days in Canyon Country!
