The Ultimate 5-Day Itinerary for Zion, Bryce, & Hoover Dam

Headed to Southern Utah for a long weekend and want to make the most of your trip? I spent 5 days in the area and here's how I made the most of my time!

Day 1 - Arrival & Hoover Dam

Friday

FLIGHTS: Flying into Las Vegas is the best option as it's the closest major airport. It is only 2.5 hours from Zion, which is around where our airbnb was located. We were living in Northwest Indiana at the time, so it was best for us to fly out of the Chicago, O'hare airport. We flew out early Friday morning and landed in Las Vegas at 1:30pm.

HOOVER DAM: You can take a guided tour to learn about the dam's history and engineering marvels, however we just walked across the dam and took in the views of the Colorado River below.

The Hoover Dam is around 40 minutes from the airport. Despite being a bit out of the way, we felt compelled to visit due to its proximity.

You could clearly see on the rocks where the water level used to be at one time. It really brought the water crisis to perspective. 

FOOD: We went to Walmart on the way to the airbnb to grab food for the week. We wanted to make sure we had enough time in the parks, so packing our lunches and eating dinner at our airbnb made the most sense.

Day 2 - Zion National Park

Saturday

ZION NATIONAL PARK –  the park was about 40 minutes from our airbnb.

Zion National Park, known for its towering red cliffs and breathtaking hikes. Today, we hiked the Narrows, one of Zion's famous hikes. This is because majority of the hike is spend in the water! It's an experience of a lifetime, but be sure to come prepared! Below are some helpful tips.

HIKE: the Narrows – 16 miles round trip – Strenuous

   

This hike is fantastic. You'll be wading in water most of the time, so make sure to bring appropriate shoes! Many hikers end up tossing their shoes afterwards, but I have wading shoes that are perfect for this trek.

This hike is rated as difficult, but feel free to go at your own pace! It's about 9 miles to the end of the trail. We personally covered about 6-7 miles before heading back to ensure we returned before dark. Don't forget to pack a lunch and take breaks on the way to enjoy the scenery.

Hiking sticks are a crucial tool on this hike. They provide essential balance from the rocks below you.

**It is extremely importantly that you only do this hike on days where there is NO chance of rain. Rain through the canyon can be deadly and quickly wash people away. Do not take the chance!

LOGISTICS: Airbnb is 40 minutes to Zion’s Visitor Center

The park's shuttle is your best friend. You will take that to almost every hike you do at the park. The park makes it so easy to catch a bus. The bus starts at the visitor’s center, then has 9 stops. We found getting to the park early was key as the lines can start forming quickly.

Here is the map of the shuttle: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/zion-canyon-shuttle-system.htm

**We used the Zion Canyon Line Shuttle the entire trip

To get to the Narrows, you have to take a 45 minute shuttle ride from the Visitors Center to the Temple of Sinawava. It is the 9th stop (last stop) on the shuttle. 

Once you get off at the Temple of Sinawava, hike 1 mile on the Riverside Walk trail before getting to the Narrows

Day 3 - Bryce Canyon National Park

Sunday

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK –  the drive was about 2hrs 15mins from our airbnb.

Bryce is famous for its unique hoodoos and stunning rock formations.

LOCATION: Bryce Canyon National Park, UT-63, Bryce Canyon, UT 84764

HIKES:

Navajo Loop Trail – 1.3 miles (Easy)

Start hike at Sunset Point. Most people go left, go right. (You will descend into ram instead of going up.) 

Follow signs to Queen's Garden - 1.8 miles (Easy)

You will only be hiking .5 mile since you will be combining trails

Rim Trail – Extends 5.5 miles (Easy)

If you just do the section from Sunrise point, it is only 1 mile

If you want to do the entire trail, start at Bryce Point

ON YOUR WAY BACK: Go back to Zion, it was on our way back from Bryce.

HIKE: Canyon Overlook Trail – 1 mile (Easy)

East on Route 9 and drive through Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel

Starts near the East Entrance – just before the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel

Trailhead is located the ranger traffic booth on the north side of the road

Day 4 - Zion National Park

Monday

Last full day!

HIKE: Observation Point Trail  – 8 miles

This hike left me in awe. It will consume your entire day with its numerous switchbacks leading up the mountain. This hike is rated as strenuous, and I can see why. You are pretty much going uphill the entire time. I will say, I didn’t find it too difficult. The switch backs make it easier on the legs, and we took breaks to look at views and snack. Now, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t exhausted by the end of it! Going up the mountain is the majority of the hike. I remember thinking once we were up there, “it will take us forever to get down.” However, it’s all downhill so it was less than half the time going down!

I wanted to add that I know there are people out there who don’t love heights. My husband is one of them. We opted for Observation Point over Angels Landing due to this. We never felt unsafe on this hike. Though you’re high up the mountain, there are clear paths no rock scrambles.

Hidden Canyon is half way up this trail.

LOGISTICS: Take shuttle to Weeping Rock – 7th stop on the shuttle

Day 5 - Fly Home

Tuesday 

The airbnb was approximately 2hrs and 16mins from the airport, so we had kind of an early morning.

Remember, LAS is on a different time zone!!

 

MUST HAVES

  • BOOTS
    • These Columbia boots are my absolute favorite boots on long hikes. They are grippy in slippery situations and waterproof. They are also great in colder weather because I am able to wear thicker socks.
    • These are the boots I wore for this trip and they were perfect. Even though they are my second favorite pair of hiking boots, they worked perfect for this trip because they are breathable yet waterproof. I have noticed I am not able to wear very thick socks with these, which is why I usually only wear these in the summer months. These are also grippy for slippery situations.
  • WADING SHOES FOR THE NARROWS
    • The shoes I wore are a closed toed water sandal. Although they worked fine for me, small rocks did get into them as I was wading through the water. I am still linking them because I wear them EVERYWHERE and they are my favorite sandal to do pretty much anything else in.
    • I did not wear these, but based on what I know, these seem like they would be great for the narrows
  • HAT
    • Hats are a must. I pretty much always have one in my backpack. Especially when you're high in altitude, you want to make sure your skin and face is protected.
  • BACKPACK
    • This one is pretty self explanatory. I carry everything I need for a long hike in here. Water, food, hat, hiking sticks, etc. An important thing to do when you buy a hiking pack pack, is to make sure you're not getting anything too heavy or bulky. You'll be carrying this on your pack for several hours.. you don't want anything weighing you down! Also, straps are very helpful! I didn't think they were a big deal, but once you've been hiking for several hours, it really helps relieve some pressure off your shoulders 
  • WATER
    • Making sure that you pack a lot of water when you go hiking can definitely make or break your trip. I have made the mistake of not packing enough water and I was pretty miserable the entire time. I also quickly learned that sticking 6 water bottles in your backpack will weigh you down and also make your trip miserable. I bought one of these a few years ago and they are amazing! You can buy a special backpack for them, but I find that sticking this in my regular hiking backpack works great. Plus, I still have room for snacks and other things I want to bring!
  • PANTS
    • The pants you wear are important on long hikes. You want to make sure you have something that will keep you warm if its cool, but also will let you breath. You will be working up a sweat even if it is cooler outside! Here are some of my favorite hiking pants and shorts:
  • Hiking Stick
    • You definitely want a hiking stick for the Narrows and I also used it a bit on Observation Point. You will regret not bringing one, so don't make that mistake! 

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1 comment

Thanks for this!! Good timing, as we plan to head to Arizona this fall! Will definitely be hitting a few of these spots and using your tips.

Courtney

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