This post is a bit delayed but it’s because I’ve been just trying to be in the moment and enjoy where I am. Right after Arizona, we drove to Utah to go to two national parks. Dillon and I didn’t stay too long in Utah because we were mainly in the southern part of the state near the border. For this post, I’m going to talk about going to Bryce National Park and Zion National Park during our road trip to Utah.
Bryce National Park
Our first stop in Utah was Bryce National Park. We arrived on the afternoon of a Saturday. Dillon has been to Bryce when he was younger but it was my first time. He said the trail descending down was interesting. We chose to do the Queen’s Garden Trail because that one descended down with a great view of the hoodoos around you. If you don’t know what hoodoos are, don’t worry, I had no idea either. But basically they are the tall tower of rocks that have the rare looking formation. You can see what they look like in my pictures below.
We also had in mind that when we reached the crossroads, we would finish our hike at the Navajo Loop Trail. According to the park’s website, the Queen’s Garden to Navajo Loop is the most popular trail! The hike was pretty easy. I would say Queen’s Garden was much easier than the Navajo Loop. The Navajo Loop ascended with some switchbacks if you were coming from the Queen’s Garden Trail. However, I believe you can actually start at Navajo Loop and descend down to make it easier on your legs. The full hike is about 2.9 miles total and you gain about 600 feet in elevation.
After finishing the hike, Dillon and I were ready to eat! We headed to Ruby’s Inn Cowboy Buffet which is about 5 minutes away from the park. It was convenient and the food was yummy! The buffet itself is part of the Ruby’s Inn hotel so if you’re staying there, you can just walk over to the restaurant. They had plenty of options for the dinner buffet. We liked it so much we did the breakfast buffet the next morning!
Other options you can do is stay at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon. It’s actually certified as an International Dark Sky Park, which means there’s little light pollution and incredible stargazing. If that’s really not your thing, there is Yonder Escalante. It has stylish cabins, retrofitted Airstreams, and spa-like bathhouses. The staff sells s’mores and cocktail kits and will light your camp-fire for you.
For food and drink, you can start your day at Bryce Canyon Coffee Co. For post hiking fuel, you could eat at I.D.K. Barbecue. They have pulled pork and Mac and cheese. To end the day on a high note, a good option for dinner is Stone Hearth Grille. This spot has great views! If you’re looking for American style dinner, this is your spot.
Zion National Park
Our next adventure in Utah was Zion National Park. I’ve actually been to Zion National Park before I met Dillon. He has been there as well. It was funny because when he first reached out to me, he talked about my picture in Zion from my first trip there. That might have been one of our first conversations because he had gone there too. So since then, I wanted to go with him now that we are married. When I went the first time, I did part of the Angel’s Landing Trail. At that time, they weren’t requiring permits for the hike. But I believe since 2019, it got so popular that permits are now required to hike that trail. Make sure to get it ahead of time as it’s a very popular hike!
This second time around, however, Dillon and I didn’t get a permit so we went with another simpler hike. The one we did was Canyon Overlook Trail. I would say this hike is WAY easier than Angel’s Landing. They actually categorize Angel’s Landing hike as strenuous. It is worth noting if you are a beginner hiker. The Canyon Overlook Trail was pretty easy. They categorize this one as moderate. The trailhead is located near the east entrance of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. It is 1 mile roundtrip and the elevation is about 163 feet.
Overall, it was a great time in Zion. We stopped by a coffee shop in the afternoon and I got a lavender latte. So yum! One thing to mention though, we went on Father’s Day which was on a Sunday. It was super busy the whole day and we had a hard time finding parking for the majority of the day. If you go in the peak of summer or on major holidays, expect it to be busy and know that you might have to park outside the national park and take a shuttle to the park.
Hope my experience and tips help you guys out in case you ever plan a visit to the national parks in Utah!
Xoxo, Jessica Turner
