ZION AND BRYCE CANYON STATE PARKS

Best Time to Visit Utah

Utah has some of the most famous parks in the USA, namely Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, the most visited of them. 

Zion National Park - near the I-15, 158 miles southeast Las Vegas, and 320 southwest Salt Lake City - is perhaps the most beautiful, if we value cliffs, riverine forests and waterfalls. 

Bryce Canyon National Park offers much stranger and unconventional views and is reached by highway UT 12, which crosses the northeast part of the park.  

Cedar City and St George (50 miles south Cedar) in the I-15 are the two main Southern Utah's towns, and major hubs to the nearby Zion and Bryce Canyon Parks.

See also:
Moab, Arches Park and Canyonlands Park


Map of Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks region





WHAT TO VISIT IN SOUTH UTAH

Most travellers limit their visits to a quick half-day stay in Zion, crossing its southern part through I-19. And the same happens with Bryce Canyon, visited through Hwy 12 (which crosses the park's northeast corner). But both parks offer a much wider set of top opportunities for outdoor lovers: just plan carefully your trips, and take adequate advice in their Visitor Centers.

St George and Cedar (in the I-15), Springdale (a beautiful small town on the south border of Zion Park) are good bases for those who want to explore the secrets and the hidden beauties of these two major American Parks.


BEST TIME TO VISIT SOUTH UTAH PARKS

Spring - with its mild temperatures and good weather - is an excellent time to visit Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Besides, April and May are also very beatiful months, with the park's flowers bloom...

Setember and October are also very good times for a visit. Temperatures are usualy great, weather good, and you may enjoy the fall colors along riverine forests of Zion Park.


WHEN NOT TO GO TO CEDAR, ST GEORGE, ZION, BRICE CANYON 

Summer is the most popular season, but temperatures may attain disagreeable high levels in most parts of the Parks. August is also a time of rather frightening thunderstorms.

Winter has many nice days, but it isn't exactly the best period for outdoor activities, and namely for tours in the more hidden and less accessible parts of the parks.

For details on the weather conditions, see the map below.


SOUTH UTAH WEATHER MAP

TOURS, HOTELS AND FLIGHTS TO UTAH

Zion National Park is closer to Las Vegas airport (158 miles: McCarran International Airport) than to Salt Lake City airport (320 miles: Salt Lake City International Airport). And the same happens, obviously, with Cedar City, St George or the Bryce Canyon Park.

Accommodation is mainly concentraded in the two major cities of south Utah (Cedar City and St George) and Springdale (in the case of Zion National Park).

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