When visiting Southern Utah, many tourists ask which is better: Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park?  As both are within a reasonable driving distance from each other, it seems natural to ask.  You want to invest your time and money into the best experience possible.  So, let’s dive into this question.  Which national park is better between Bryce and Zion?

Let’s start things off with some facts, perhaps obvious facts.  Bryce and Zion are about 1.5 hours apart when driving.  They are both nestled on the “Grand Staircase” (only a geologist would look at this area and see a staircase).  They both heavily feature red rocks.  Also, there’s way more to do in both parks than you can do in a single day.

Bryce receives an annual visitor count of about 2 million a year while Zion receives about 5 million a year.  If Arches National Park is Utah’s best-known national park (thanks in no small part to Delicate Arch), then Zion is its second best-known park.  Bryce is less known.  Zion is often in the top 10 most popular US national parks while Bryce often falls around 12-15, depending upon the list.  From these numbers alone, it’s clear that Zion is the more popular national park of the two.  However, let’s look at things from a more holistic point of view.  Before we decide between Bryce Canyon or Zion, let’s look a little deeper at what both have to offer first.

Bryce Canyon National Park

We’ll start things off alphabetically with Bryce Canyon.  Why?  Just cause.

Main Features

Bryce Canyon hosts several features worth looking at.  Here are some of those features.

There are plenty more things to look at there.  This is a small sampling.  You can also look at features like the Queen Victoria hoodoo, Twin Bridges, Two Bridges (yes they’re different), the Hat Shop, Wall Street, Mossy Cave, and more.  There are also hikes ranging from short 1 mile hikes to longer 8 mile hikes.  There’s even backcountry for you to explore (with the proper permitting, of course).

Transportation in Bryce

Bryce Canyon National Park does offer a shuttle bus to take you to several parts of the park.  It will not visit all.  In fact, if you wish to visit more than the main amphitheater or the visitors’ center, you want your own transportation.  Rainbow and Yovimpa Points (the furthest view points in the park) are 18 miles in.  The shuttle does not run year-round.  If you plan on visiting during winter, then the shuttle doesn’t run at all.  Learn more about the Bryce Canyon Shuttle in this article.

The park rarely shuts down its single entrance.  Most of the time that is reserved for the Saturday of Memorial weekend around the noon hour until the park clears out more.  However, it can also happen for big events such as an eclipse.  When that happens, your only way into the park is using the shuttle, if available.

My Initial Thoughts on Bryce Canyon

When I first visited Bryce a few years ago, I quickly discovered that it felt much like a scout camp or summer camp to me.  Ok, I know it’s not a summer camp.  But still, it had that feel for me.  There’s lots of nature to see and hoodoos everywhere.

With all the twists and turns in the paths and the tall walls, it’s easy to imagine that you and your party are all alone out there.  However, that’s not so easy to do at the rim.  Plenty of people crowd up there to see the remarkable view.  I don’t blame them.  It’s spectacular and unique.  However, you do lose that illusion of solitude on the rim because of that.

Zion National Park

Now to jump from the beginning of the alphabet to the end of it.  Next, we have Zion National Park.

Main Features

Zion also hosts several features worth looking at.  However, things are less centrally located in Zion as they are in Bryce.  Here are some of the features.

Just like Bryce, Zion has a great deal more to see.  You can also check out the Narrows, the Emerald Pools, the Patriarchs, Archangel Falls, Angel’s Landing (by winning a permit from the lottery at recreation.gov), the volcanic activity of Lava Point, and more.  There are also hikes beginning with short 1/2 mile hikes and going up from there.  There’s even backcountry for you to explore (with the proper permitting, of course).

Transportation in Zion

Zion is set up differently from Bryce.  Instead of 1 gate and 1 long artery which traverses the park, Zion has 2 separate entrances for the main park along with a separate entrance from Kolob Canyon.  Off of this main artery branches the shuttle route.  This is where most of the interesting stuff is accessed.  You need your own transportation to reach the shuttle in the park.  Cars and other vehicles are not allowed up the canyon where the shuttle runs save during the winter season when the shuttle doesn’t run at all.  Kolob Canyon has no shuttle so you access that area using your own transportation only.

I haven’t known Zion to shut down the way that Bryce occasionally does.  Perhaps it is because the artery connecting Kanab to Springdale is considered a major highway in the area (Utah State Route 9).  They can’t close that down.

My Initial Thoughts on Zion National Park

When I first visited Zion National Park a few years ago, I quickly discovered that it felt much like a theme park to me.  I know that Zion could hardly be called a theme park.  But still, that was the feel for me.  The scale of visitors and long lines for the ride (the shuttle) and other amenities in the lodge and visitors’ center were familiar that way.

Zion has many tall walls in its various canyons.  However, these walls don’t do much to screen you from the many other visitors.  You know that you are there with lots of other people at all times.  It’s only in some of the less popular areas of the park where you can start to discover that solitude discussed before with Bryce.  Zion has its own stunning scenery which is different from Bryce but still beautiful.

Bryce Canyon or Zion?

So, now we circle around back to the initial question.  Which is better: Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park?  Perhaps you already know the answer.  It depends upon what you’re looking for.  Both offer those red rocks which Southern Utah is famous for.  However, each park offers something different with its red rocks.

Do you want to see uniquely eroded formations which change much quicker (geologically speaking)?  Then Bryce is your park.  Do you want a scenic drive where you can enjoy quite a bit of what the park offers without leaving the comfort of your car with AC?  Then Zion is your park.  Do you want that feeling (or illusion) of solitude out in nature?  Then Bryce is your park.  Do you want closer connections with the world outside and its amenities?  Then Zion is your park.

From this article, you should probably understand that choosing between Bryce and Zion is a difficult business indeed.  Having visited both multiple times, I’m not sure how easily I could choose between them.  If you can’t, then I completely understand.

My Recommendation

If you have the time in your vacation plans, then don’t choose between Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park.  Why choose when you don’t have to?  Simply take a minimum of day at each park to enjoy the wonders they both offer.  If you elect to stay someplace like Panguitch or Hatch, then you will find yourself rather centrally located between the 2 parks.  Neither trip will become an arduous journey.  You can easily return to your hotel room with a reasonably short drive for the area (30 min to 1 hour depending) and crash after your exciting hiking and sight-seeing.  Hope to see you at either Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park soon.