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A Family Road Trip to the
Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion
Pam Plesons
Explore the Natural Wonders of the Southwest by discovering the spectacular beauty of the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion National Parks. A road trip through this area of the United States is an excellent family vacation. Your family will enjoy exploring three of the nation's most colorful natural parks; the high-desert landscape of the Grand Canyon, otherworldly rock formations of Bryce, and the rugged beauty of Zion. Our family of four piled into the SUV and traveled this area during school spring break, 2003. At this time of year temperatures can vary widely, so pack clothes you can layer. We had everything from 80 degrees on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon to snow flurries in Bryce Canyon National Park. Here is our itinerary as an example of a very successful route. Although, no matter where you live, it is very easy to fly into Phoenix, Arizona or Las Vegas, Nevada, rent a car, and start your adventure from there.
345 miles 5 ½ hours
We began our trip in Santa Barbara, California, and drove approximately 5 ½ hours (345 miles) to Needles California. We started our journey after an early dinner on Friday night in order to miss traffic and let the kids sleep in the car (this can be a lifesaver on long road trips). Needles, California, was not one of our vacation destinations, rather a quick stopover on the way to the Grand Canyon.
238 miles 4 ½ hours
We woke early on Saturday to drive from Needles to Grand Canyon, Arizona. The kids were well rested and really excited to reach our first destination, the Grand Canyon. The complimentary continental breakfast offered at The Best Western Colorado River Inn in Needles made getting up and out very easy in the morning. We drove approximately 4 1/2 hours (238 miles) to reach the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where we spent one night outside of the park at the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn (review below) and one evening in the park at the Maswik Lodge (review below). The Park has a car entrance fee of $20.00. If you are planning on visiting more than 2 parks in a year you can purchase a full Parks Pass for $50. The Parks Pass is good for one year from the month of purchase and is valid for admission at all National Parks that charge entrance fees. You can order it online at www.xanterra.com. The car entrance fee was $20.00 at each of the parks we visited, so we saved a little with the Parks Pass. When you get to the Grand Canyon, don't forget to pick up "The Guide", a small newspaper publication that has a wealth of information about the park.
On Saturday, after arriving at the park, we went to see National Geographic's "Grand Canyon-The Hidden Secrets" at the Grand Canyon IMAX Theater (review below). This was an excellent way to introduce the kids to the park. We then went to Hopi Point to watch the sunset over the canyon. Although a little crowded, Hopi Point seems to be the best place to catch the sunset. There are free park shuttles that will take you there.
On Sunday we took a helicopter ride over the canyon with Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters (review below). The helicopter tour was amazing. All I needed to do was to look at the excitement and awe in the kid's faces to know that this was a lasting memory in the making. We spent the rest of the day exploring the park and hiking in the canyon. We ate lunch at the famous El Tovar Hotel on the Canyon's rim. We hiked the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point (approximately 1 ½ miles round trip). This is a great hike to do with kids (our kids are 7 and 9 years of age). It's a little steep, but our kids really enjoyed it. Hiking into the canyon gave us all another perspective of its awesome beauty.
On Monday we went smooth water rafting down the Colorado River with Colorado River Smooth Water Excursions (review below). This is a full day adventure well worth every penny. I think it may have been the kid's favorite day, but it's hard to tell since every day was so spectacular. Finally, on our last evening in the park, we went to a Ranger Program. Make sure to take advantage of the wonderful Junior Ranger Program (reviewed below). This popular program, designed for kids between the age of 4 and 12, helps kids learn how to set an example by caring for national parks and the wild things that live there.
215 miles 6 hours 45 minutes
On Tuesday we drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. The drive from The Grand Canyon to Bryce is one of the longer legs of the trip (6 hours 45 minutes, 215 miles), but our kids were so excited by what they had learned and experienced at the Grand Canyon that they just couldn't wait to reach our next destination. There was no complaining, just excited anticipation. We have also learned some great ways to decrease the "Are we there yet?" syndrome. See our car travel tips below.
Our first stop was the Best Western Ruby's Inn (review below), our home away from home for the next 2 days. Ruby's Inn is a great family find! It is the closest accommodation to Bryce Canyon National Park, located just one mile from the park's entrance, and has absolutely everything a family needs to have a wonderful vacation. After checking into the hotel we drove into the park to watch the sunset at Sunset Point. Bryce is an absolutely amazing place. Its beauty is really otherworldly. I love the mysterious rock formations, called hoodoos. We then went back to Ruby's for an excellent buffet dinner.
On Wednesday we stopped at the park Visitor Center and picked up our HOODOO, the park's paper, and information for the Junior Ranger Program (review below). We then explored the park and hiked the Navajo Loop trail into the canyon with the kids. This trail is about 1.4 miles roundtrip and fairly strenuous in places, but the kids did just fine. As impressive as Bryce is from the canyon rim, the true enormity of the erosion's work can best be seen by hiking into the canyon among the hoodoos. Later in the day we took a great 1 ½ hour horseback riding trip into the Red Canyon with Ruby's Red Canyon Horseback Rides (review below). This was the perfect length ride and terrain for the kids. That night we ate dinner at the Bryce Canyon Lodge, the only lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park. It was built in 1925 and reflects the rustic style of that period. Dinner was delicious.
62 miles 1 ½ hours
Thursday we left Bryce for Zion National Park. This was an easy 62 mile, 1 ½ hour trip. At Zion National Park we stayed at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort (review below), an "all inclusive" adventure resort located on the East Rim of Zion National Park in Southern Utah. The Zion Ponderosa shares seven miles of common fence and breathtaking scenery with the park. and is an absolutely fabulous "all inclusive" resort for families! Our kids enjoyed the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort more than any other destination on our Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion road trip. We spent Thursday and Friday at the Zion Ponderosa enjoying a wide variety of recreational activities including horseback riding, rappelling, guided ATV tours, archery, a shooting range, go-carts for the kids, a thrilling high wire "zip line" and a fun "game barn" with a pool table, ping pong table and more for the whole family. It was a little too cool for the swimming pool, but we enjoyed the hot tub and my husband even got a massage. The staff helped us plan a daily personal event schedule that maximized our vacation experience. We had so much fun we were always wishing for more hours in the day and never had to leave the resort. I especially enjoyed horseback riding to a spectacular view of Checkerboard Mesa and our guided ATV ride to a magnificent overlook of the park. The kids loved the zip line and the go-carts. All meals and snacks were included, so we never had to worry about our next meal and the food was plentiful and delicious. The staff was wonderful and made us feel as if we were family. Spring seemed to be a great time to visit the resort, if you don't mind the possibility of cooler weather, because the resort was not booked to capacity.
543 miles 9 hours
On Saturday we drove through Zion National Park in the rain (not much hiking that day). The kids loved the long tunnel entrance. The park was beautiful, even in the rain. The easiest way to see the park in a limited time is to ride the Zion Canyon Shuttle. A round trip takes about 90 minutes, so make sure the kids are prepared for the trip. Private vehicles are not allowed on the shuttle route. We stopped at the Visitor's Center and the kids completed their Junior Ranger activities. Just outside the South Entrance of the park is the Zion Canyon Giant Screen Theater (review below) with its immense 6-story high by 80 feet wide screen and High Definition Surround Sound. Here we saw "Zion Canyon-Treasure of the Gods" a wonderful movie filled with both the history and the beauty of the Zion National Park. Before embarking on our long journey home, we stopped at the Watchman Café, across from the theater, for a great lunch.
After leaving Zion National Park, we decided we would drive as much of the 9 hour, 543 mile trip home as possible. When we got close to Las Vegas we decided to stop and show the kids the glitz of Las Vegas. After parking at the Treasure Island Hotel we walked through the huge lobby just in time to see the pirate show. The kids were fascinated by the show with its canon ball explosions and sinking ships. We then walked down to the Rain Forest Café in the MGM Building. This was a little too far for the kids, but we passed the water light-music show in front of the Bellagio. It was really quite beautiful. After eating dinner among roaring lions and noisy gorillas at the Rain Forest Café, we took the bus back to our car and continued our drive home. We drove for approximately 45 minutes further before stopping at Buffalo Bill's Resort at the California border. This is a large hotel-casino with a mini amusement park including water rides and a huge roller coaster. We simply needed a place to put down our heads for the night. The rooms were comfortable and quiet.
On Sunday we woke to finish our journey home. This was the hardest part of the trip because we knew our vacation was coming to an end. As the kids colored pictures of birds of prey and played wildlife word games from their new books, we discussed our trip and what we had seen and learned. Everyone agreed that this spring break was one of the best ever. A Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion road trip is a highly recommended FamilyTravel.com vacation!
Grand Canyon Reviews
Bryce Canyon Reviews
Zion Reviews
10 Tips for a Successful Family Road Trip
(Our kids are 7 and 9 years old)
- Make sure everyone always uses the rest room before departing from any location. Tell the kids approximately how long it will be until the next stop so they know what to anticipate.
- Have the kids choose things from home that will make their trip more comfortable. Our kids usually choose to bring their pillow, a blanket and a couple of small stuffed animals for the back seat of the car.
- Set up the ground rules for acceptable car travel behavior right away. Discuss the consequences for behavior that is out of control and possible rewards for appropriate behavior that work for your family. There is nothing worse than trying to enjoy a road trip with kids misbehaving in the backseat.
- Bring lots of good healthy food and keep it within reach so that you don't have to make frequent stops for snacking. Keep a roll of small garbage bags, paper towels and hand wipes available. Some food ideas include fruit (grapes are always easy), string cheese, rice cakes, pretzels, baby carrots, nuts, and lots of bottled water. If you are a neat freak and don't want the back seat to become a mess, you can always cover the seat with a fitted sheet. The sheet can be easily removed for washing and helps protect your seats. Small plastic trays are great to have in the car for both eating and for projects while on the road.
- Let each child put together an activity box or backpack that can fit at their feet. This can include books, crossword puzzles, word games, coloring books, crayons, markers, pencils, pens, scissors, tape, glue stick, craft projects, writing materials, address book, deck of cards, electronic games etc.... A flashlight is nice if you have a child who is busy after dark. This also helps organize your car and keep down the clutter.
- Give each child a map. Help them plot your trip and keep track of where you are. You can discuss places you pass, landmarks, geography etc…
- Have each child keep a journal of the trip. You can help them write about the places they visit, the things they experience and the people they meet. They can draw pictures, write poetry, cut things out from brochures, and paste in postcards, whatever they want. If possible, it is nice for each child to have a disposable camera or even an inexpensive digital camera (you can keep only the photos you want and processing fees are much less) so that they can photograph the trip and include their photos in their journal.
- Reading aloud is a great activity. Books about your destinations are especially good. Our kids love to pick books and have us read them along the way. This will keep them occupied for a long time. Sometimes my voice gives out before their attention does. There are also many books available on tape or CD.
- Make a list of games to play as a family. These can include games like the Alphabet Game, I Spy, Name the State Capitals, and any others you know.
- Finally, music and video/DVD can really make a trip go faster. Listening to music that the children enjoy is fun. We often sound like a travelling karaoke club. On our last trip we fit a small portable TV in between the two front seats facing the backseat so the kids could watch videos. A lot of the newer vehicles come with built in systems, but ours plugged into the cigarette lighter and the kids brought headphones. They each selected a few of their favorite videos to watch. In addition, watching videos or DVDs about your destinations can be wonderful. Readers Digest has some great videos about the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion.
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