I camped for 2 nights at Zion. In the morning I went back out the East Entrance and headed towards Highway 89. It's 88 miles to Bryce but it takes about 2 hours to drive there. I stopped at a small cafe in Mt. Carmel Junction to have a nice breakfast. I was hoping to get to the campgrounds at Bryce early enough to secure a campsite. I did not have any reservations because they were all booked. Fortunately, I was early enough to get a campsite in the RV (recreational vehicle) area. With an air mattress, my tent was as good as a $100 a night hotel room.
Staying at the Lodge at Bryce is expensive and you have to book way in advance. Another option is to stay at Bryce Canyon City, just outside the entrance to the park. I saw quite a few hotels there. You can also stay at a nearby town called Panguitch. I saw rates that are quite reasonable in Panguitch. If you plan to go to both Zion and Bryce, staying here may be a good option to minimize the driving.
Bryce Canyon is a little different from Zion, even though they are not very far from each other. Here you see amazing geologic formations known as hoodoos, fins, mazes and spires. The best way to see these formations is either on foot or horsebacks. However, I was planning to spend only 1 day here. So I drove the 18-mile Bryce Canyon road and stopped at most of the 14 viewpoints to see these natural wonders. According to their newsletter, if you start at the southern end of the road first, then stop at the overlooks as you go north towards the Visitor Center and entrance of the park, you can see the entire park in 3-4 hours. That's exactly what I did.
Be warned that as you get closer to the entrance of the park, the viewpoints get more popular and crowded. These are Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point and Bryce Point. These overlooks look into Bryce Amphitheater and have some of the most gorgeous formations. Some tourist buses may never get further than these viewpoints and so you run into a lot of them here.
I don't remember which viewpoints the following pictures were taken but the bottom ones were taken closer to the entrance or the north end of the park.
Staying at the Lodge at Bryce is expensive and you have to book way in advance. Another option is to stay at Bryce Canyon City, just outside the entrance to the park. I saw quite a few hotels there. You can also stay at a nearby town called Panguitch. I saw rates that are quite reasonable in Panguitch. If you plan to go to both Zion and Bryce, staying here may be a good option to minimize the driving.
Bryce Canyon is a little different from Zion, even though they are not very far from each other. Here you see amazing geologic formations known as hoodoos, fins, mazes and spires. The best way to see these formations is either on foot or horsebacks. However, I was planning to spend only 1 day here. So I drove the 18-mile Bryce Canyon road and stopped at most of the 14 viewpoints to see these natural wonders. According to their newsletter, if you start at the southern end of the road first, then stop at the overlooks as you go north towards the Visitor Center and entrance of the park, you can see the entire park in 3-4 hours. That's exactly what I did.
I don't remember which viewpoints the following pictures were taken but the bottom ones were taken closer to the entrance or the north end of the park.
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