🥾 ActiveLong weekend · from Las Vegas, NV
Zion Narrows, Angels Landing & Bryce Canyon
The two-and-a-half hour drive from Las Vegas to Zion National Park crosses the Mojave Desert and climbs into the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau — the same geological forces that built the Grand Canyon created the Navajo Sandstone walls of Zion Canyon, but at a human scale that allows hikers to walk directly into the canyon walls. The Narrows (wading through the Virgin River in the slot canyon) is the most distinctive hike in the American Southwest; Angels Landing (a chain-assisted scramble to a knife-edge ridge with 1,000-foot drops on both sides) is the most dramatic. Bryce Canyon, another 80 minutes north, adds hoodoos — free-standing spires of eroded limestone — to the palette. Three days across Zion and Bryce represents the most concentrated canyon hiking available within driving distance of a major US city.
Day 1 — Zion Narrows: wading the Virgin River slot canyonDay 2 — Angels Landing and Zion Canyon Overlook TrailDay 3 — Bryce Canyon: Queens Garden and Navajo Loop
Day 1 — Zion National Park
Day 1 — Zion National Park
🚗 2 hr 40 min driving📍 3 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Las Vegas, NV → Springdale, UT
2 hr 40 min8:00 AM → 10:40 AM
Zion National Park — The Narrows
★ 4.8A bottom-up hike through the slot canyon of the Virgin River — the trail is the river itself for 9 miles through the Narrows, where the canyon walls are 2,000 feet high and 20–30 feet apart. The standard route begins at the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop and wades upstream; the first mile on the paved Riverside Walk transitions to river walking at the canyon mouth. Neoprene socks and rental canyoneering shoes from Springdale outfitters are essential; water temperature is 50–60°F. Flash flood risk requires checking NPS conditions daily; the canyon closes in flash flood warnings.
10:40 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
📍
Zion Canyon — Emerald Pools Trails
Three pool-and-waterfall stops above the Zion Canyon floor accessible by shuttle from Zion Lodge — the Lower Emerald Pool has a hanging garden of ferns and flowers fed by seeps from the canyon wall above; the Upper Emerald Pool sits in a natural amphitheater beneath the West Rim. The combined trail (3 miles) is a good afternoon complement after the morning Narrows wading.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
Zion Lodge
★ 4.5The only accommodation inside Zion Canyon — a 1920s-era lodge rebuilt after a 1966 fire, with motel rooms and cabins in the heart of the canyon. The Red Rock Grill restaurant serves dinner with canyon views; the Zion Lodge is the best strategic base for early morning canyon shuttle access before crowds arrive. Book 6+ months in advance for peak season.
5:00 PM📍 See location
Day 2 — Zion National Park
Day 2 — Zion National Park
🚗 1 hr 20 min driving📍 3 stops
🌅
Morning
Angels Landing
★ 4.9A 5.4-mile round trip with 1,488 feet of elevation gain to a fin of rock above Zion Canyon with 1,000-foot drops on both sides — the final half mile is a chain-assisted scramble along the knife-edge ridge. The NPS implemented a permit system in 2022 due to overcrowding; permits are required for the chains section and are available by lottery 3 days in advance and day-before lottery on the NPS reservation system. Angels Landing is the most famous hike in Zion; the views from the summit over the canyon are unmatched by any other day hike in the park.
8:00 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
📍
Canyon Overlook Trail
A 1-mile trail on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway above the tunnel — the overlook gives views into the Pine Creek Canyon below and the Zion Canyon main stem to the west. This is the most accessible dramatic viewpoint in Zion that doesn't require a shuttle; the afternoon light falls on the Great White Throne and Angels Landing from the east. Drive east through the tunnel after the morning Angels Landing hike.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🚗
Drive
Zion NP → Bryce Canyon City, UT
1 hr 20 min1:00 PM → 2:20 PM
🌙
Evening
Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel
★ 4.4A hotel in Bryce Canyon City (1 mile from the park entrance) — the most reliable base for Bryce Canyon day hiking without staying in the park itself. The elevation (8,000 feet) makes for cool nights even in summer.
5:00 PM📍 See location
Day 3 — Bryce Canyon National Park
Day 3 — Bryce Canyon National Park
🚗 4 hr 5 min driving📍 2 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Bryce Canyon City → Bryce Canyon National Park
5 min8:00 AM → 8:05 AM
Bryce Amphitheater Sunrise
★ 4.9The main Bryce Amphitheater at sunrise — Bryce Point and Sunrise Point give views over 36 square miles of hoodoos (free-standing limestone spires) that form the world's largest collection of these erosional features. The morning light from the east turns the orange Claron limestone hoodoos the color of flame; the transition from dawn pink to full orange is Bryce's most photographed moment. The temperatures at 8,300 feet can be 30°F cooler than Las Vegas even in July.
8:05 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
📍
Queens Garden & Navajo Loop
A 3-mile combination loop that is the best single hike in Bryce Canyon — the Queens Garden Trail descends from Sunrise Point into the amphitheater through a forest of hoodoos to a formation resembling Queen Victoria; the Navajo Loop returns via the Wall Street section (a 200-foot deep slot canyon through the hoodoo field) and Two Bridges. The loop involves 521 feet of elevation change; the descent into the amphitheater is gradual but the return climb via Wall Street is steep. The combination covers more geological variety than any single trail in the park.
9:05 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
🚗
Drive
Bryce Canyon → Las Vegas, NV
4 hr12:00 PM → 4:00 PM
Plan your own escapeExplore more trips →