Looking for family adventures in Utah? Explore nature’s playground of desert canyons and sandcastles on this six-day, family-friendly adventure through the spectacular windswept rock terrain of Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. This Utah Family Vacation has opportunities for adventurers to spend quality time with their family, but also give children a chance to make new friends. Adults and parents alike both often bond over the childlike wonder shared by the young first-time explorers.
Experience the Best of Bryce Canyon & Zion NP With Kids & Family
These action-packed days and star-studded nights are sure to impress both the youngest and oldest in your family as you uncover the mystery and majesty of this guide-favorite custom journey through the spectacular fairy-tale scenes of Southern Utah. Southwestern Utah’s Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks are two of the most geologically fascinating and stunningly beautiful places on earth. Explore colorful canyon walls and looming cliffs in Zion National Park when you trek the Queen Garden Trail. Hike Zion Canyon, a magnificent slot canyon showcasing dramatic panoramas of towering canyon walls, picturesque views of the Virgin River, and lushly-vegetated trails.
Utah Family Vacation Package Highlights
Hike Zion Canyon, a magnificent slot canyon showcasing dramatic panoramas of towering canyon walls, picturesque views of the Virgin River, and lushly-vegetated trails
Travel through the breathtaking red canyon walls in Snow Canyon State Park
Take part in a canyoneering slot canyon adventure perfect for beginners
Explore sculpted rock gardens of brilliantly colored spires, cliffs, and natural amphitheaters and take in eye-popping views from Spectra Point
Hike the magical hoodoo rock formations of Bryce’s Peek-a-Boo and Queens Garden trails
Scan the expansive grasslands outside of Bryce Canyon for pronghorn antelope and the Checkerboard Mesa in Zion for bighorn sheep!
A few more reasons why you've gotta do a Utah Family Vacation
01
The scenery: a high-desert spectacle of rock formations and river-carved canyons, Southern Utah is a photographer's dream.
02
The star gazing: due to altitude and lack of air and light pollution, star gazing in Bryce and Zion is considered the finest in the Continental U.S.
03
The colors: there's an ever-changing orange, amber, and red sandstone glow that dazzles from sunrise to sunset.
Arrival:
Las Vegas, Nevada LAS
Departure:
Las Vegas, Nevada LAS
Download PDF Itinerary
Day 1
Day 1:
Las Vegas / St. George
This morning your guides will pick you up at your hotel in Las Vegas and drive 2.5 hours to Snow Canyon State Park where you’ll begin your first hike of the trip amid lava flows and sandstone. The lava rock we’ll see along this trail is a result of cinder cones that erupted anywhere between 1.4 million and 27,000 years ago! Indulge in a meal at a nearby restaurant before beginning this afternoon’s adventure. Listen to a short bike talk by your informative guides before you bike under towering red sandstone cliffs and black lava rock, eventually ending up at our first night’s accommodation. Tonight, enjoy some exceptional cuisine at the unique and contemporary Painted Pony restaurant in St. George. The Best Western Plus Abbey Inn will be our home for the night.
About the Best Western Plus Abbey Inn
Conveniently located, the Best Western Plus Abbey Inn provides quick access to Bryce and Zion National parks. These luxurious accommodations offer all the amenities a guest can hope for, including an outdoor heated swimming pool, spa, and fully equipped exercise facility. Enjoy the conveniences in every room and the opportunity to rest up before transferring to the nearby Bryce Canyon entrance.
Cedar Breaks National Park / Bryce Canyon National Park
A freshly prepared breakfast will await you this morning. A short shuttle brings us to Cedar Breaks National Monument where we’ll take a neat hike. Spectra Point Trail at Cedar Breaks will introduce you to even more stunning geology such as hoodoos, arches, and windows as you wind around the outer edge of the gorge. After lunch we will journey to Bryce Canyon National Park for our next hiking adventure. The Bryce Canyon Rim Trail Hike takes us along the rim of the Bryce Canyon to Fairyland trailhead for a 2.5-mile, round trip adventure. Watch as the landscape moves between hundreds of orange, yellow, and white hoodoos that rise from the canyon floor. Check into your home for the next two nights and relax before dinner.
About the Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel
Located in southwest Utah just north of Bryce Canyon National Park, the Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel is surrounded by fantastic scenery, most notably rock spires of every shape and size, known locally as “hoodoos.” Experience for yourself Bryce Canyon’s newest and most luxurious accommodations and amenities with the best in western hospitality. The Bryce Canyon Grand offers an enclosed courtyard offering guest privacy for the pool, whirlpool, and patio areas. You’re invited to experience Bryce Canyon City’s newest lodging facilities while visiting the breathtaking Bryce Canyon National Park.
After a hearty breakfast, embark on a hike through the magical hoodoo rock formations of Bryce’s Peek-A-Boo and Queens Garden trails. Share your favorite parts of Bryce Canyon with the other families in your group as you dine with everyone at the lodge. If you are a night owl, be sure to take advantage of one of the clearest night skies around and try your hand at finding some of the constellations.
Start the day with an easygoing bike ride under the towering cliffs and scattered pine forest of Red Canyon. Shuttle into Zion through an entrance that will leave you in awe as you wind through the magnificent canyon walls and towering cliffs that make up this majestic park. Here we will take time for a short hike to marvel at the dramatic panoramas or towering canyon walls and view of Virgin River. Take the evening to enjoy dinner on your own and explore the artsy town of Springdale.
About the SpringHill Suites
The award-winning SpringHill Suites Springdale Zion National Park offers a comfortable, elegant setting for adventurers. Located only 1 mile from Zion’s gate, the Springhill Suites is centrally located to explore everything southern Utah has to offer. After an exciting day of hiking, treat yourself to the luxuries the SpringHill Suites has to offer. Enjoy the outdoor pool and hot tub with amazing canyon views, splash pad, balconies, patios, and fireplaces, or stroll along the Virgin River to take advantage of the desert dark night sky.
Explore more of the wonders surrounding Zion today. Experience the thrill of canyoneering in the most magnificent slot canyons around Zion National Park. Canyoneering is a unique activity that involves hiking, rappelling and downclimbing, and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Perfect for beginners, this adrenaline-inducing activity will be led by professionals who will “show you the ropes” so to speak as well as the beauty of the hidden slot canyons of southern Utah. After lunch together, you’ll have free time to explore Springdale or head back into Zion by shuttle to explore on your own. We’ll meet back up this evening for a farewell dinner at Bit & Spur.
This morning we take a short drive to the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. For our final adventure, prepare to be surrounded by canyon walls and desert features, as we hike the Red Cliffs Nature Trail. Take in the beauty of this place one last time as we shuttle back to Las Vegas for our departure home.
*Trip itineraries are subject to change without notice due to road, weather, and other factors outside of our control, for the safety and enjoyment of our guests, as deemed necessary and appropriate by Austin Adventures.
Please plan on arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada at least one day prior to your departure. Day one of your itinerary starts at 7:00 am with pick-up at your pre-trip hotel. Your trip ends with a drop-off in Las Vegas at the airport (1:00 pm) or your post-trip hotel (1:30 pm). Please book flights out of Las Vegas for 3:00 PM or later.
Activities
Hiking: 2 to 8 miles per hike, easy to moderately strenuous terrain
Biking: 8 to 12 miles per ride, easy to moderately strenuous terrain
Canyoneering: 4-5 hours, easy to moderately strenuous terrain
Cultural Discoveries
Hear tales of the region’s history from Butch Cassidy to Mormon settlers. Learn about Canyon Country geology, including hoodoos, arches, alcoves, and fins. As you pass through portions of Bryce Amphitheater on Peek-a-boo Trail, allow your mind to wander as you glimpse views of fantastically imaginative rock formations. Do you know how petrified sand dunes came about? Is Bryce Canyon really a canyon? Keep a keen eye out for mule deer, coyotes, and lizards that call the rugged, red sandstone walls of Kolob Canyon home. Absorb the magnificence of the most spectacular slot canyons around Zion National Park. Learn about the freezing and thawing process called “ice-wedging” that created Bryce Canyon National Park. Come visit “The Most Colorful Park in America” (Bryce) and “The Land of Rainbow Canyons” (Zion) to witness for yourself what all the hype is about!
Meals
The hallmark of an Austin Adventures vacation is our exceptional dining. All meals: breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners, refreshments, and receptions – except one dinner on your own – are included as indicated by the itinerary. (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner). Alcoholic beverages and related gratuities are not included in the trip price.
What's Included
Included in Your Utah Family Vacation
Double occupancy rooms with private baths.
All meals: breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners – except one dinner on own your own – refreshments and receptions.
Fully trained, first-aid certified professional guides and knowledgeable local partners.
Bikes, helmets, and other necessary equipment – all safe and well maintained.
Vehicle support and land transportation during the trip.
Austin Adventures T-shirt, water bottle, luggage tags, and luggage service.
Pre-departure and packing information.
Incidental expenses such as taxes, dining and housekeeping gratuities, local partner and expert gratuities, and national park entrance and permit fees.
Not Included in Trip Price
Gratuities to Austin Adventures guides.
Alcoholic beverages and related gratuities.
One dinner on your own.
Pre-and post-trip accommodations and associated expenses.
Air and land transportation to/from host cities.
All types of personal insurance.
Personal expenses.
View the "Wow Factor" Included in Each Austin Adventure
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
1Easy (1)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
2Moderately Easy (2)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
3Moderate (3)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
4Moderate to Challenging (4)
Activity levels are subjective depending on your general level of fitness and your experience; however, all of our trips are self-paced.
5Challenging (5)
National Parks Expert
Kasey Austin
As President of Operations at Austin Adventures, Kasey Austin can tell you the logistical ins and outs of every single trip. More than that, though, Kasey has lived and breathed most of the company’s featured destinations and will eagerly share her contagious passion for the transformational power of active travel. Kasey grew up in the adventure travel business; she knows the positive, lifelong impact of family travel, a quality that earned her the distinction of being named top family travel guide by Outside Magazine in 2014.
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