Thinking of seeing Southern Utah? Zion National Park? Bryce Canyon? Capital Reef National Park? This has been one of our best and CHEAPEST trips yet. Here’s how we did it and the stops we made along the way during our Utah National Parks road trip.
Flying?
The airport nearest to Zion is Las Vegas.
Getting Around- the Van
If you’ve done much research into “van camping” you know that there are several commercial camper van companies you can rent from. These companies are a great option; however, can be a bit pricey. Kyle and I always rent Dodge Grand Caravans from Alamo.
Select the “mini-van” option when choosing your rental car from Alamo and you should get the option to choose from either the Grand Caravan or the Chrysler Pacifica at the time of pick-up. Choose the Grand Caravan. It has full stow n go seats in the back meaning that all seats fold in leaving a flat surface in the van behind the two front seats. This will give you plenty of room for supplies and sleeping pads. Before you drive away with your van, make sure that all the seats can be folded down in this manner.
Supplies You’ll Need
Here are things that we pack and fly with:
- Sleeping pads- we use Klymit Sleeping pads and we each have our own.
- Sleeping Bag
- Pillows
- Jet Boil
- Utensils (we each have our own plastic spork that we rinse off and reuse throughout the trip)
- Plates
- Several camping dinners – Adventure Meals has several good options
- Flashlight
- Headlamp
- Portable Chargers
- Car converter for charging laptops and batteries
- Optional: LED String Lights that you can hang up in the van and turn on to provide some light
Here are things we grab at Walmart when we arrive into town (on this trip we stopped at Walmart in Las Vegas) :
- Cooler
- Ice
- Snacks
- Several gallons of water
- Gas Cannister for attaching to the Jet Boil
- Lighter
- Sandwich supplies
- Noodles/ easy camping dinners
- Beer 🙂
- Toilet paper
- Oatmeal cups
- Instant Coffee
- Baby Wipes
Where to Go?
#1 Zion National Park
Where to camp in Zion?
Watchmen Campground is just outside the entrance to the park. Reserve ahead of time to secure either a tent space or an RV space. There is a central restroom with sink and toilets but no shower. Great location. There are sometimes a few spaces available first come first serve but you must get them early.
Camp for Free:
For a more “off the beaten path” camping experience, you can camp for free at Sheep Bridge Road about 30 minutes drive from the park entrance. Sheep Bridge Road is part of the greater Hurricane Cliffs Recreation Area run by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), located between State Highways 9 & 59, just south Virgin, UT. This is bare bones land and there are no restrooms or fire pits. There are little camping spaces available but there’s nothing there but a small dirt space on which to park your vehicle. We slept in the van and felt safe and comfortable here.
What to do at Zion?
1. Angel’s Landing Hike
- 4.4 miles total
- 1604 feet elevation
- “Hard”
- Not for those afraid of heights.. the hike takes you on a narrow path sometimes right next to precipitous cliffsides. Steep in places with chain ropes to hold on to. Not recommended if it’s icy
- Link to All Trails: Angels Landing Trail – Utah | AllTrails
2. Hike the Narrows
- This hike is through the river
- Starting from the bottom at the Riverside Walk area at the back of the park, you can walk up the path for as far as you’d like then turn around and come back. The entire length of the trail is 15 miles one way
- The other option is to have a the shuttle drop you off at the “top” of the trail and walk the 15 miles down the river to Riverside Walk area
- Link to All Trails – Top Down Hike: The Narrows (Top Down) – Utah | AllTrails
- Bottom up trail: Zion Narrows Bottom Up to Big Springs – Utah | AllTrails
Gear Needed for the Narrows:
- Either way these hikes are considered “hard” and walking through the river requires a solid shoe with good grip because the rocks in the water are very slick.
- Walking sticks are recommended for balance and can be rented from Zion Outfitter just outside the park. You can also rent waders and boots here. Waders are a must if you’re doing the hike during cold weather
3. Bird Watch: Condors
- There are only about 400 condors in the wild
- 2 live in Zion
- They are frequently seen in Zion perched on or soaring above Angels Landing, and on the Kolob Terrace Road near Lava Point
- We spotted one condor from afar and waited for a long time to hopefully watch him soar away but he never did. He was perched in a hole on the side of Angel’s Landing
Drive to Canyon Overlook Panorama for Sunset
- The drive itself it worth it even if you don’t hike the trail
- Zion Canyon Overlook Trail – Utah | AllTrails
Where to eat at Zion?
- I always recommend bringing snacks, sandwiches, and camping dinners on a trip like this but there are several restaurants outside of Zion National Park in the city of Springdale
- We ate dinner at Zion Brew Pub one night and grabbed coffee at Deep Creek Coffee Company one morning. Both were exceptional
#2 Bryce Canyon National Park
Where to stay at Bryce?
On this particular trip, campsites were closed in Bryce and we didn’t attempt to find land to camp on since it was 10 degrees at night. We stayed at Best Western Plus outside the park and loved it – especially the hot tub.
What to do at Bryce?
Hike Navajo Loop Trail to Peekaboo Loop
- 5 miles total
- 1407 feet elevation gain
- “Moderate”
- This hike will show you all of the best views at the park
Sunrise at Sunset Point
- Not a hike
- Park in the parking lot next to Sunset point and you’re there
Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive
- 20.6 miles One Way
- 2,375 feet of elevation
- Bryce Canyon NP Scenic Drive – Utah | AllTrails
- The drive ends at Rainbow Point which is at 9115 feet of elevation and has the most insane view of the park from above
- Stop at “Natural Bridge” along the way
#3 Kodachrome Basin State Park
- 45 minutes from Bryce Canyon
- On the way to Capitol Reef
- Absolute hidden gem- we were the ONLY PEOPLE at the park when we stopped in
- Fun Fact- the park was named by National Geographic Photographers when they first visited in 1949. The original name was Kodachrome Flats after the trade name of Kodak’s color film
- There are several hiking trails at the park but we just drove the mini van around and took in all the views
#4 Drive Scenic Byway 12/ Route 12
Drive route 12 from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef. There is a faster route… but it’s not as fun. You’ll not only pass Kodachrome Basin State Park as listed above but you’ll drive on one of the most gorgeous roads in the country. Passing by Dixie National Forest, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area you will not be disappointed. There are endless adventures to be had at Grand Staircase- Escalante and unfortunately we didn’t have time for a hike, but we pulled over plenty of times to enjoy the views.
#5 Bowns Reservoir
Bowns Reservior is a place I had never heard of prior to our trip. From afar we saw a body of water – the only body of water we had seen the entire trip – so we decided to drive towards it. After off-roading the mini van a little bit down dirt paths, we ended up next to a frozen and glistening body of water. We were THE ONLY PEOPLE HERE. It was peaceful, albeit, slightly eerie as all of the campsites around the water were completely empty. We had a beer by the water and relaxed before finishing the drive to Capitol Reef.
#6 Capitol Reef National Park
Where to stay at Capitol Reef?
Again due to the freezing temperatures, we stayed at a hotel instead of camping. There aren’t many options around Capitol Reef.. it’s quite desolate; however, we found a great spot called Capitol Reef Resort which is right outside the park entrance. The room was cozy with red rock views off the back porch. There was also a hot tub where we made some lovely friends and tried to keep warm. The hotel has a restaurant which we enjoyed for dinner one night.
What to do?
Hike the Capitol Gorge to Tanks Trail
- 2.4 miles total
- “Easy”
- Link to All Trails: Capitol Gorge to Tanks Trail – Utah | AllTrails
- Located at the very back of the park, we enjoyed the drive we took to get to the trail head
What to expect on the Capitol Gorge to Tanks Trail
- This hike is known for the petroglyphs carved in the cliffside near the start of the trail. The petroglyphs date back to 600 AD and were carved by the Fremont People who inhabited the region from 600 – 1300 AD. Their history is abundant in the park and endlessly fascinating
- My favorite part of the hike was walking through the narrow canyon walls. Although we were walking on sand, the hike had a feeling similar to “The Narrows” in Zion
- The hike culminates with larger than life “tanks” or huge holes that fill with water during rainy season. They were, of course, completely empty when we visited in December
Hike Hickman Bridge Trail
- 1.8 miles total
- “Moderate”
- 442 feet elevation
- Hickman Bridge Trail – Utah | AllTrails
- You can continue onto the Rim Overlook Trail from here for an additional 500 feet of elevation and an additional 2 miles total
- Rim Overlook Trail – Utah | AllTrails
Hike to Cassidy Arch
- 3.1 miles total
- 666 feet total
- “Moderate”
- Cassidy Arch Trail – Utah | AllTrails
Watch sunrise from Sunset Point Overlook
- Hike is 2.5 miles total
- “Easy”
- 544 feet of elevation
- Goosenecks & Sunset Point – Utah | AllTrails
- I do not recommend doing this if it is 10 degrees outside… we learned the hard way
After we finished up at Capitol Reef, we hit the road for a long 5 hour drive back to Las Vegas. On our drive to Vegas we passed Butch Cassidy’s childhood home as well as some men on horses who I am convinced are real cowboys. Utah is a strange, beautiful place. Which brings me to my next point … you should visit Utah.
Hopefully this guide helps you make your plans! If you have a little more time on your hands I’d buy a one way flight to Vegas and book your return flight from Denver. This way you can continue on from Capitol Reef to Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park and hit all 5 parks before also enjoying some time in Western Colorado.
Some Take-Aways:
- Zion is VERY busy. The shuttles weren’t running at this time of year (December) so only a select number of cars were permitted to enter. We got to the park before 7am each day for entry. We saw hundreds of people walking miles into the park because the park had reached max car capacity. Thankfully we had all our things in the van so we never had to leave the park/lose our spot. If we left during the afternoon, we wouldn’t be able to get back in
- Bryce Canyon was my favorite. The hoodoos are enchanting and the sunset was one of the best I’ve ever witnessed
- Capitol Reef is extremely underrated. Like, extremely. This place was mind-blowing. I sort of hope it stays the little hidden gem that it is. We were able to enjoy it without too many others around us
- Utah is cold in December
- Cowboys and bandits are real
Cheers!
-Alanna