Zion and Bryce Canyon Itinerary: 4 Days From Las Vegas
A Zion and Bryce Canyon itinerary is really two different parks, 85 miles apart.
A Zion and Bryce Canyon itinerary that actually fits: two days in Zion Canyon for Angels Landing and the Narrows, an 85-mile drive through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, then a day among the Bryce hoodoos. Four days round trip from Las Vegas.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”
17 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Zion & Bryce Canyon: every stop pinned in order.
Las Vegas · Zion Canyon · Bryce Amphitheater
Every stop on this trip, in order, opens as one driving route in the Google Maps app. No copying addresses across one at a time.
Plan and book your 4 days in Zion & Bryce Canyon, one step at a time
How 4 days in Zion & Bryce Canyon split up
Plan 4 days for Zion & Bryce Canyon. Total distance: ~505 mi. Zion to Bryce: ~85 mi. Parks pass: $35 / car. A Zion and Bryce Canyon itinerary works because the two parks are close and completely unlike each other. Zion is a deep red sandstone canyon at about 4,000 feet, hiked from the bottom looking up, with the Virgin River running through the middle of it. Bryce is not a canyon at all: it is a series of natural amphitheaters on the rim of a plateau at 8,000 feet, packed with orange hoodoos, hiked from the top looking down.
Day 1: Las Vegas to Zion Canyon
4 stops · Day one
Day 2: Zion Canyon: Angels Landing or the Narrows
5 stops · Day two
Day 3: Through the Tunnel to Bryce Canyon
5 stops · Day three
Day 4: Sunrise Among the Hoodoos, Drive Back to Vegas
3 stops · Day four
Las Vegas to Zion Canyon
Fly into Las Vegas (LAS) and drive about 160 miles, roughly 2 hours 45 minutes, up I-15 north into Utah. The road crosses a short sliver of Arizona through the Virgin River Gorge before dropping into Springdale, the small town right at Zion's south entrance.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive from
~160 mi · about 2 hr 45 · Drive - Zion Canyon Visitor Center
Check the current shuttle schedule · activity - Watchman Trail at sunset
~3.3 mi RT · no shuttle needed · Hike - Stay in Springdale, UT
Two nights · lodge
Zion Canyon: Angels Landing or the Narrows
For most of the year private cars cannot drive the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, so today starts on the free Zion Canyon shuttle. In 2026 the primary season runs 17 May to 24 October with reduced hours into late November; confirm the current dates on nps.gov/zion before you go, since they shift year to year.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Ride the Zion Canyon shuttle
Mandatory in season · board early · activity - Angels Landing
~5.4 mi RT · chains need a permit · Hike - Alternative: Emerald Pools
~3 mi full loop · no permit needed · Hike - Riverside Walk to the Narrows
~2.2 mi RT paved · Hike - Second night in Springdale, UT
· lodge
Through the Tunnel to Bryce Canyon
Start on the east side of the park with the Canyon Overlook Trail (about 1 mile round trip), a short scramble that opens onto a sweeping view down the main canyon. The small lot fills early, so go first thing.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Canyon Overlook Trail
~1 mi RT · by the tunnel's east end · Hike - Drive to Bryce Canyon via the Mount Carmel Tunnel
~85 mi · about 1 hr 45 · Drive - Rim Trail, Sunrise Point to Sunset Point
~1 mi · easy · Viewpoint - Sunset at Inspiration Point
Widest sweep over the amphitheater · Viewpoint - Stay in Bryce Canyon City, UT
One night · lodge
Sunrise Among the Hoodoos, Drive Back to Vegas
Set an early alarm for sunrise at Sunrise Point, where the hoodoos catch the first light from the top down. Then walk the Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden combo (about 2.9 miles, roughly 600 feet of gain), the classic Bryce hike: down the Wall Street switchbacks, through the hoodoo forest on the canyon floor, and back up past Queen's Garden.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Sunrise at Sunrise Point
Dress warm, above 8,000 ft · Viewpoint - Navajo Loop + Queen's Garden combo
~2.9 mi · ~600 ft gain · Hike - Drive back to Las Vegas, NV
~260 mi · about 4 hr · Drive
Book the 3 nights
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the checking. We find what is still open near each trailhead and email you this plan back with a booking link for each night. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Zion & Bryce Canyon
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
On your feet
Because you are sleeping indoors
For the driving days
Specific to Zion & Bryce Canyon
What a Zion and Bryce Canyon trip asks of you.
One road connects them
The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel is the only practical link between the parks, and it has size limits: over 11 ft 4 in tall or 7 ft 10 in wide is not permitted through.
Angels Landing needs a permit
A seasonal lottery months ahead or a day-before lottery on recreation.gov. $6 to apply, $3 per person if you win. No permit gets you to Scout Lookout instead.
The Zion shuttle runs on a schedule
Mandatory during the season, which shifts year to year. In 2026 the main run is 17 May to 24 October. Bryce's shuttle, by contrast, is optional.
Bryce is 4,000 feet higher
Pack a real layer. Mornings at the rim are cold even after a hot day in Zion, and the climbs back up from the hoodoos feel harder than the mileage says.
Zion and Bryce Canyon, answered.
Zion canyon shuttle: the questions people ask most.
Four days is the minimum that does not feel rushed: two in Zion, one for the drive and Bryce's Amphitheater rim, one more for Bryce's hike and the return drive. Five days gives Zion a proper second full day or adds Bryce's scenic drive to Rainbow Point.
About 85 miles, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes, on UT-9 through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel and then US-89 north. The tunnel has size limits: vehicles over 11 feet 4 inches tall or 7 feet 10 inches wide are not permitted through, so check nps.gov/zion first if you are driving an RV.
Yes. The chained final section requires a permit from a lottery on recreation.gov, either a seasonal lottery months ahead or a day-before lottery that opens at 12:01 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. Mountain Time. It costs $6 to apply (covers up to 6 people) plus a $3 per-person fee if you win. Scout Lookout, just below the chains, needs no permit.
Yes, and it is a natural third stop from Bryce, roughly 3 to 3.5 hours south. The catch is the season: the North Rim is open only from about mid-May to mid-October (in 2026, facilities were running from roughly May 15 to October 15), so check nps.gov/grca before you build it in, and expect this to turn a 4-day trip into 5 or 6.
Yes, during the operating season, which changes year to year. In 2026 the main season runs 17 May to 24 October, with reduced hours into late November and a holiday-only run over Christmas week. Private cars are not allowed on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive while the shuttle is running. Bryce Canyon's shuttle, in contrast, is optional.
Late spring (April-May) and early fall (September-October). Zion is scorching by July and Bryce holds snow into spring, so the shoulder seasons are when both parks are comfortable at once.
Yes. Tell us your dates and we check what is still open for the plan on this page, then send it back with a booking link for each night and the total. Nothing is charged and nothing is held, and you pay the normal rate.
Pick how you want to go.
Same 4-day route. Same 11 stops.
- 2 nights, a campsite near Springdale
- $70
- 1 night, a campsite near Bryce Canyon City
- $30
- Rental car, 4 days
- $240
- Gas, about 526 miles
- $105
- Park entry, one car
- $35
- 2 nights, a room in Springdale
- from $590
- 1 night, a room in Bryce Canyon City
- from $185
- Rental car, 4 days
- $240
- Gas, about 526 miles
- $105
- Park entry, one car
- $35
- A private local guide, rooms and campsites booked
- Included
- Airport pickup and every drive
- Included
- Park, permit and campsite fees paid
- Included
- All the gear and the trail meals
- Included
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Three years leading guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests, and she builds every custom itinerary herself. Based in Seattle.
Last checked September 2026
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What adventurers say about us.
All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
"Yulia is an incredible guide. She knew every trail, every viewpoint, and exactly how to pace the day for our group. The photos she took of us were stunning. 100% booking again."
"I was visiting Seattle solo and this was the best decision I made on the trip. Yulia picked me up, had snacks, and took us to a trail I never would have found on my own. Absolute must-do."
"We did this as a couple's trip and it was perfect. Yulia adapted everything to us, our pace, our interests, our photo obsession. The mountain views were unreal."
"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
"I've done a few guided hikes and this was by far the best. Yulia is warm, funny, and genuinely expert. The trail she chose had the most insane wildflower bloom, we got so lucky."
Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
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One tap. It goes straight to Yulia and Margarita.
You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
The WaveCoyote Buttes North · Arizona / UtahPermitLotterybrutal odds
Half Dome CablesYosemite NP · CaliforniaPermitOpens Mar 1fair odds
Mt. WhitneyInyo NF · CaliforniaPermitOpens Feb 1tough odds
Angels LandingZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds
The SubwayZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds
Mount St. Helens Summit ClimbGifford Pinchot NF · WashingtonPermitReservationtough odds
How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.