We had a few guidelines when planning our short notice Memorial Day Weekend getaway — easy to get to from San Diego, a nice balance of outdoor adventure and leisure time, and beautiful views. After weighing the options, we knew Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park would be stress-free and check all of the boxes. We packed up our car and headed East for a few days to immerse in the most beautiful prairie, canyon, desert and mountain landscapes our eyes have ever beheld. Our accommodations were very important to me (always prefer a luxe boutique experience vs. a standard hotel/motel) and I wanted our evenings after a day hiking to be just as enjoyable and as much of an experience as the parks. I knew Utah would be the perfect place to try glamping for the first time so we could be up close with the gorgeous scenery, but still comfortable. We stayed in the new-ish glamping concepts Under Canvas and AutoCamp, and we absolutely loved both experiences! The rugged and untouched backdrop of the American Southwest exceeded all expectations. 10/10 recommend this itinerary!!

Part 1: Bryce Canyon (Two nights)

We decided to visit the furthest destination first — Bryce Canyon — which was about 2 1/2 hours further than Zion National Park from San Diego. The whole trip was about 9 hours and we stopped halfway just outside of Las Vegas. Leaving LV, we took the I-15 up and around the West side of the Dixie National Forest to get to Bryce Canyon, and stopped for lunch in the unassuming small Southwest town of Panguitch. We’re so glad we did; it felt like we were in a classic western cowboy movie! 100 years-old storefronts, antique shops and saloons, and vintage-signage illustrating times of a bygone era framed a few blocks of a modest tree-lined main street. We popped in the Cowboy’s Smokehouse Cafe for Texas-style BBQ for lunch. The BBQ Burger for Alex, and the Pulled Pork Sandwich for me — so so good, and with the sweetest waitstaff running the place during a busy lunch hour.

After lunch we drove through the Red Canyon on the Scenic Byway 12 — trust me, if I had known this majestic place existed in advance, I would have booked us an extra day in Bryce just to spend a day biking along its 8.6-mile Red Canyon Bicycle Trail, which we spotted from the car weaving alongside the highway through nature. Regardless, driving through it was a real treat!

Stay and Eat

We arrived to Under Canvas Bryce Canyon in the late afternoon; the property was nestled in the foothills of the mountains overlooking the wide open prairie range. It was stunning, vast and quiet. Most of the visitors were out hiking when we checked in so we had the opportunity to breathe it in all by ourselves. We absolutely loved the understated yet luxe digs in the sparse forest — canvas-covered safari tents equipped with a private porch, a cushy king-sized bed with plush bedding, a spacious stone shower, and a wood-burning covered fireplace to keep us warm and cozy through the brisk evenings and nights. The property is a bit off-the-grid (about 20 minutes from town) so nearby dining options are limited, but we loved our breakfast and dinners at the property’s restaurant for the two days we stayed. Under Canvas also provides campfire s’mores every evening which we thoroughly enjoyed while watching the sun set over the distant prairie and Red Canyon before looking up to spot the stars are they came out one by one. Will never forget listening to the crackling sound of our fire in-tent as the sun went down over the horizon. The song “Home on the Range” has a whole new meaning for me now — will always think of our drive alongside the prairie to Under Canvas Bryce Canyon when I hear it.

Hike

Highly recommend purchasing the America the Beautiful Park Pass which gives you entry to the country’s national parks for one year. Daily entrance fees to the parks add up, and this is more than worth it if planning 2+ days in the great outdoors. We bought ours at the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park — so easy! Many people visit Bryce Canyon National Park as a day trip from Zion National Park, however this incredible park deserves at least 1-2 full days on its own (especially when paired with a stay at Under Canvas Bryce Canyon, of course!). There are so many hikes to explore among the orange and white painted hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. Day 1, we took the switchback Navajo Loop trail paired with part of the Peekaboo Canyon trail. Day 2, we embarked on a 5-hour, 7.5 mile trek — our longest of the trip! The hike was called the Fairyland Loop. This winding trail up and down the canyon walls took us along the canyon rim and deep into the heart of Bryce amphitheater for some of the most beautiful and rare views I’ve ever seen. It’s vibrant yet soft beauty is otherworldly; it felt like being on Mars. Fairyland is a strenuous hike and you must bring lots of water, snacks, sunscreen, shoes with good traction, and your camera!

“A hell of a place to lose a cow” — Ebenezer Bryce

Part 2: Zion National Park (Three nights)

We checked out of Under Canvas Bryce Canyon on day 3 and took a 2 1/2 hour drive on the US-89 to Zion National Park through the East entrance — a stunning drive to say the least! Zion was expectedly more crowded than Bryce and staying here during the weekdays helped us enjoy the park more. There is another Under Canvas in Zion (which I’ve heard is wonderful!) though we wanted to switch it up and try out a slightly different glamping experience. AutoCamp Zion opened in May 2023 so it was perfect timing to try out their luxe, decked out airstreams!

Stay

AutoCamp Zion is about 15 minutes outside of the West entrance of Zion National Park. The landscape becomes increasingly dramatic as you head into the park, and each morning’s winding drive gave us such a pretty perspective of the sandstone mountain formations as they climbed taller and taller alongside Zion Virgin’s River closer to the canyon corridor. Truly some of the most spectacular desert landscapes! AutoCamp Zion is tucked amid the Virgin River and offers remodeled Airstream trailers with Temper-Pedic beds, rain-like showers, personal patio areas with a fire pit and outdoor dining area, and a common lounge and swimming pool. The property is so picturesque and a lovely boutique-y balance to the more rugged Under Canvas experience. The property also offered complimentary breakfast granola that we couldn’t get enough of. I’m dubbing it “Desert Granola” since its colors mirrored the Navajo sandstone landscape; it was made with walnuts, oats, pumpkin seeds, toasted sesame seeds and coconut flakes. Topped with oat milk. It was so delicious and I plan on recreating this recipe at home!

Hike

Zion National Park is incredibly visitor-friendly and they’ve figured out a system that works really well to combat crowds and chaos. Once you’re in the park, you can park your car in the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and take the free shuttle through the Canyon. The shuttle is the best way to access the trailheads since personal vehicles are not allowed to the trailheads. The park gives you a map that has all the major hikes, and the out and back shuttle road stops along each major trailhead — so easy to get where you need to go! We did the Weeping Rock trail, the Riverside Walk to the entrance to the Narrows (which was closed due to flooding), the Scout’s Overlook hike, and the Kayenta Trail to the Upper Emerald Pools. Each and every hike was so special and offered different vantage points of the park’s utterly spectacular scenery. We also did The Watchman Trail on our first half day in Zion which you can access by foot just outside the Canyon road without having to get on the shuttle — so worth it for later-in-the-day arrival!

Eat

What took us by surprise in Zion was the extraordinary Southwest cuisine! We had a great time sitting beneath the behemoth mountains, indulging in eats at Springdale’s historic and newer watering holes. We went to Meme’s Cafe (twice, their sandwiches and generous side salads were so yummy!), and Bit & Spur Restaurant and Saloon. Autocamp Airstreams come with a mini fridge and basic kitchen fixings to prep a meal without cooking, which was so convenient for making an easy, healthy dinner on our own a couple nights! We went to the local Sol Foods market and picked up a pre-made salad, grilled chicken breast, avos, and a pre-mixed bean and corn salad to make our version of a Southwest Chicken Salad. Did not disappoint and definitely inspired us to re-create this simple salad at home!

5 1/2 days, 35 miles hiked, and 85,000 steps.

Our time in Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park was pure magic. We came back feeling refreshed and our souls fueled. Our stays at Under Canvas and AutoCamp were truly the cherry on top that made our 24/7 in Utah’s American Southwest a joy to be so fully immersed in from sun up to sun down. There is so much beauty to discover right in America’s backyard — we’ll certainly be putting our America the Beautiful Park Pass to good use over the next several months.