Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon rank among the true superstars of our national park system. In Zion, towering cliffs rise on every side, making you feel like a tiny speck on the canyon floor. At Bryce Canyon, the glowing orange hoodoos create an otherworldly landscape that feels almost extraterrestrial. Experiencing these two dramatically different environments within a short drive of one another deepens your appreciation for the remarkable diversity of the natural world in North America.

Equally memorable were the activities and excursions in the surrounding area. In some cases, we enjoyed these even more as they were less crowded and easier to navigate. The notes below capture the details of our Spring Break trip in March 2026. We flew into Las Vegas and based ourselves in Kanab, Utah, taking day trips from there. Our group included three families for a total of six adults and six children (ages 9 to 13). Here’s a quick overview of our itinerary:

• One night in Las Vegas at Red Rock Casino
  • A visit to Meow Wolf
  • A stop at Valley of Fire State Park
• Four nights at Timber and Tin Resort in Kanab, Utah
  • One day in Zion National Park
  • One day with an UTV excursion to Peekaboo Slot Canyon and a tour of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
  • One day in Bryce Canyon
• One night in Las Vegas at Park MGM
  • Tickets to see Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur

Practical Takeaways

• Zion National Park can be incredibly crowded during spring break. If you’re visiting when school is out, go in with a plan. Do your research and map out your days in advance. Zion may be the main event, but the crowds in the most popular areas can feel a bit like you’ve wandered into the Magic Kingdom.
• Be ready for changing weather. This part of the country can swing from cold to warm to hot within a matter of hours, especially in March. Layers are essential.
• We absolutely loved using Kanab, Utah as our home base. It’s an ideal central (or close-to-central) location, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Staying in Kanab

Traveling with three families can make it tough to find the right accommodations. We also didn’t want to bounce from hotel to hotel as we made our way from Vegas to Zion to Bryce and back. Enter Timber and Tin. Located about an hour southeast of Zion and an hour southwest of Bryce, it’s perfectly situated for day trips followed by relaxing afternoons back “home.”

The only downside to Timber and Tin is that it set the bar so high. I’m not sure we’ll ever find something this perfect for three families at a reasonable price again. Each family had its own unit, complete with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living area, and rooftop space with a hammock. A truly key feature was the in-unit washer and dryer, which made packing far easier. Everything was thoughtfully designed. It was modern, clean, and fully stocked with anything you might need.

The heart of Timber and Tin is the shared central space, with a pool, hot tub, picnic area, and “the Barn.” The Barn quickly became a favorite hang-out spot, with a ping pong table, movie screen, and board games. After a long day of hiking, we’d gather at the picnic tables for dinner and the kids swam or played. Evenings usually ended around the fire pit or with a movie night in the Barn.

The location made things easy, too. Two grocery stores are within walking distance, so we could easily stock up on breakfast staples and lunch supplies. We mixed in a few casual group dinners, with each family contributing a dish to a potluck-style meal. We also brought in a great Mexican dinner from Escobar’s one night and did pizza from Lotsa Motsa Pizzaanother.

Timber and Tin is family-owned, and that personal touch really shows. One evening the owner stopped by the pool to chat, which made the whole experience feel even more welcoming. The land has been in the family for generations. They also own Expedition Kanab (which offers a discount to guests staying at Timber and Tin).

If you ask the kids what their favorite part of the trip was, the answer isn’t one of the parks. It’s “hanging out at Timber and Tin.”

Valley of Fire State Park

On our drive from Las Vegas to Kanab, we stopped at Valley of Fire State Park. A word of caution if you’re trying to squeeze this in on a tight schedule. On a map, it looks like a quick detour off the highway, but in reality, once you enter the park, it’s a long drive to the trailheads and you’ll lose cell service along the way. Make sure you’ve entered the exact trailhead parking lot into your GPS before leaving Las Vegas. Then, don’t mess with it until you arrive (speaking from experience).

We headed straight to the Fire Wave trailhead around 10am. The lot was nearly full, but we managed to find spots and start the hike. Right at the beginning, there’s a sign warning about extreme heat, stating “you may die.” While that felt a bit dramatic for a 1.5-mile hike, it’s wise to take the heat seriously. It was about 80 degrees the day we were there, but it felt much hotter, especially with the sun reflecting off the rocks and no shade to be found. Despite the short distance, there’s more elevation than you might expect, and we definitely needed a few breaks. Bring plenty of water.

That said, this hike was absolutely incredible and unlike anything we’ve ever done. It felt like we were walking on Mars, and the kids loved scrambling up and down the rocks. My son has since declared this his favorite park of the trip, largely because of that freedom to climb and explore. We all felt pretty accomplished by the end and celebrated with ice cream at the visitor center.

Zion National Park

Staying in Kanab, we entered Zion National Park via the east entrance. We made it to the main parking lot for the shuttle area at 8:15 a.m. That was too late. There was no parking left anywhere. After a fair amount of frustration, we exited through the Springdale gate and found private parking within walking distance of the entrance. It cost $30 for the day, but it beat the alternative of leaving altogether. If you’re visiting in peak season and don’t see parking inside the park, know there are private options. Alternatively, you can arrive even earlier than we did!

The parking situation tipped us off to the crowds ahead. We waited about 45 minutes to board a shuttle to the Emerald Pools. There’s no other way to reach these popular trails than the shuttle.

We started with the Lower Emerald Pool Trail (just 0.5 miles), then decided the kids had enough energy to continue up to the Middle Emerald Pool. This added another half mile up and about a mile back to the trailhead. Walking beneath the waterfall spilling from the sandstone cliffs was a highlight. The views of Zion from that vantage point are stunning.

After the roughly two-mile hike, we took a break on the lawn outside Zion Lodge. Here, the kids could run freely instead of sticking to a trail.

After a quick break, we hopped back on the shuttle to the visitor center, then set off on the Pa’rus Trail. I actually found the views along the Pa’rus Trail more beautiful than Emerald Pools, even though it’s an easy, accessible path. The kids, however, were completely spent and just wanted to get back to the pool in Kanab.

What I wish I’d known is that we should have saved their energy for the stretch between the visitor center and the East Entrance. After passing through the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel, there are countless scenic areas where you can park and let kids scramble, explore, and play on the rocks with far fewer crowds. We managed one quick ten-minute stop, but by then everyone was out of steam. If I could do it again, I’d skip the Pa’rus Trail and save that energy for this more open, less crowded part of the park.

Lastly, we didn’t attempt The Narrows. We had six kids with us, and it was March, when the water runs fast and cold. That said, we saw plenty of families more adventurous than we were, with kids suited up in wetsuits and boots, heading into the river. I admire them – maybe next time for us.

Bryce Canyon

Thankfully, Bryce is less crowded than Zion and, in my opinion, even more gorgeous. Nervous about parking after our Zion experience, we arrived at Bryce at 8am and easily found parking by the North General Store. This spot gives you easy access to the Queens Garden Trail. It also has restrooms and a store full of candy and souvenirs that you can use to bribe your kids if they agree to go on yet another hike ;-).

The Queens Garden Trail overlooks the spectacular Bryce Amphitheater where hoodoos abound. Brace yourself if you have a fear of heights – it’s a long way down from this vantage point! The 0.5-mile trail descends into the Canyon and down to a rock formation that is said to look like Queen Victoria in a robe and crown. 

From there you can either return back up to where you started or continue on to the Navajo Trail, which is 3-miles in total and more strenuous. Half our crew continued on to the Navajo trail and were rewarded with even more stunning views. The other half trekked back to the General Stores where they were rewarded with Oreos and shade. 

On our way “home” from Bryce we stopped at the Thunderbird Cafe. This is a fun throw-back restaurant in a motel with pies galore. Expect a wait, but you can spend that time in the gift shop.

UTV & Peekaboo Canyon

Adding a bit of adventure to the trip, we threw on helmets and goggles and hopped into UTVs for the ride out to Peekaboo Canyon. The whole experience felt like real-life Mario Kart. Everyone was laughing as we bounced and bumped our way along the dirt road.

Peekaboo is a slot canyon shaped over millions of years by water erosion, flash flooding, and wind working through soft sandstone. It’s carved by fast-moving water forcing its way through narrow cracks in the rock, leaving behind glowing orange walls and tight passageways that feel almost otherworldly. Walking through it was magical.

Our guide from Expedition Kanab was not only incredibly knowledgeable about the canyon, but also knew all the best angles and tricks to help us capture some truly great group photos along the way.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

After our UTV ride, we shifted gears and did a (free!) driving tour of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. The sanctuary spans 3,700 acres and, on any given day, is home to up to 1,600 animals, including dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, horses, pigs, and more.

Our guide drove us through the property, sharing insights into how the animals are cared for and how the entire operation runs. Along the way, we stopped to meet and pet a pig named Jelly and spent time in the cat house visiting with adoptable cats.

After the tour, we went back on our own to “Dogtown” to see the adoptable dogs. We didn’t come home with any new pets, but we did leave with plenty of goodies from the gift shop.

Las Vegas

We had two nights in Vegas – one at the start of the trip and one at the end. We didn’t think we wanted two nights on the Las Vegas Strip so we spent the first night at Red Rock Casino and Resort. While it’s a bit removed from the center of the action, it’s far more spacious than anything you’ll find on the Strip. Our room felt almost palatial by big-city hotel standards. There’s also a great pool, though oddly it closed at 6pm, which didn’t give the kids nearly enough time to enjoy it. Between jet lag and it being our first night, we skipped the family-friendly bowling alley, grabbed a quick bite in the food court, and let the kids roam the arcade for a while. If you’re traveling with kids and don’t care about being on the Strip, I’d definitely recommend it.

By our last night, we were ready for the full Vegas experience and stayed at Park MGM. Believe it or not, it’s the only non-smoking hotel on the Strip, which is why we chose it. My daughter’s favorite part was the Lady Gaga display, which features many of her costumes. The location is also incredibly convenient for exploring nearby spots like New York-New York and beyond. We were offered a heavily discounted upgrade to a “Reserve room,” and it was well worth it as it was much larger than we expected for Vegas. One tip: the hotel is huge, and check-in lines can be long. If you check in online within 24 hours of arrival, you can skip the line and head straight to a kiosk once you get the text that your room is ready. It’s a big time saver.

Our Las Vegas itinerary included four main activities:

Meow Wolf: We had visited the original in Santa Fe a few years ago, and the kids still talked about it, so this was a must. The Vegas version is just as wild. You enter what looks like a regular supermarket, but open a refrigerator door and suddenly you’re stepping into a maze of surreal, interactive rooms that twist and turn in every direction.

The Strip: After checking into Park MGM, we headed out to explore and walked up to the Bellagio. It was exactly what you’d expect – busy, crowded, and a little seedy. Once inside though, we were impressed by the Chihuly glass ceiling and elaborate floral displays. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize the famous fountains don’t start until 3pm, and no one had the patience to wait. Instead, we hopped on the free tram back to our hotel.

New York-New York Roller Coaster: This iconic coaster, built in 1996 (the last time I was in Vegas), weaves in and out of the hotel with a full loop over the Strip. It’s pricey for a single ride ($25 per person) but definitely a memorable experience. Note you must be over 54” to ride (which was a total bummer for my son).

Tournament of Kings: Our final hurrah was yelling “Huzzah!” at this over-the-top dinner show inside the Excalibur Hotel. You eat with your hands while watching (and cheering on) a medieval spectacle complete with jousting, pyrotechnics, and knights on horseback. The kids (and the adults too) loved it. It was the perfect ending to a fun-filled (and exhausting) spring break trip.

Helpful Hints

• Part of the reason we chose to do this particular trip this year is because our son is in fourth grade. The National Parks Service provides all fourth graders (and their families!) with free park passes to all the national parks. If you have a fourth grader, be sure to download your pass to show at the gate.  
• We stopped at the Silver Reef Brewing Company in St. George on our way from Las Vegas to Kanab. This was a great place for a late lunch and also allowed us to stock up on beer and wine to bring with us to our “home” in Kanab. We also learned a lot of facts about the unique liquor laws in Utah by the time our meal was done!

• A quick note on cost: I used Chase Sapphire points to cover our Las Vegas hotels and rental car. Our biggest food expense was groceries, which handled all breakfasts, most lunches (lots of PB&J while at the parks), and some dinners. Airfare was the most expensive piece due to spring break. If you’re tied to the school calendar, you know to expect higher prices. Start tracking early using Google Flights or Hopper. I watched fares for months only to wish I had booked sooner. We stayed within budget, but that was by giving up the direct flight I originally wanted.