Yellowstone to Zion: Grand Teton, Moab, Bryce and the Utah Parks

1. Day 1: Bozeman and Paradise Valley to Gardiner

   Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport to Livingston, then south through Paradise Valley to Gardiner

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Gardiner
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) in Belgrade, Montana, and land by about 3 pm; we confirm the group pick-up time with your final itinerary. Your See Sight Tours guide meets you in arrivals and we drive east over Bozeman Pass to Livingston, then south through Paradise Valley with the Yellowstone River beside the road and the Absaroka Range to the east. It is about 145 km and under two hours, with a stop at a river pullout. Gardiner sits at the park's north entrance and is small enough to walk end to end. Check in, then stroll to the Roosevelt Arch, built in 1903. In the evening your guide walks the group through the twelve days ahead: which mornings start early and why, the two long driving days in the middle of the trip, distances from wildlife, bear spray and layers for cold mornings. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner in town.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
   • Drive through Paradise Valley with your guide
   • The Roosevelt Arch at the north entrance
   • Welcome briefing and welcome dinner in Gardiner

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

2. Day 2: Lamar Valley at dawn

   Gardiner to Mammoth, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley, then back by Tower Fall

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Gardiner
   Day 2 details

   The one pre-dawn start of the Yellowstone days, and it is worth it. We leave Gardiner about an hour and a quarter before sunrise (around 4:15 am in late June, nearer 5:45 am in mid-September) and drive past Mammoth and Tower Junction into Lamar Valley, about 75 km, arriving as the light comes up. Wolves, bison, pronghorn, elk and sometimes grizzly bears are most active at dawn, and a local wildlife guide joins us with spotting scopes and news of which packs and herds have been seen that week. Nothing is promised, but the valley at first light, with bison spread across the flats, is the Yellowstone most visitors miss. Breakfast is in the field at a pullout above the river, with hot drinks. Mid-morning we head back by the Tower Fall overlook, where Tower Creek drops about 40 m between volcanic pinnacles, and sit down to lunch near Mammoth or in Gardiner. The afternoon is yours to rest.

   Included

   • Lamar Valley at dawn with a local wildlife guide and spotting scopes
   • Field breakfast in the valley
   • Tower Fall overlook
   • Sit-down lunch near Mammoth or in Gardiner

   Optional experiences

   • Half-day whitewater rafting on the Yellowstone River from Gardiner in the afternoon (price shown at booking)

   Easier option: Stay by the van at each pullout and watch through the spotting scopes; nothing this morning needs more than a few steps.

   More active option: The short, steep walk to Trout Lake, about 2 km round trip, where otters are sometimes seen.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Gardiner

   Activity: Dress for near-freezing temperatures at dawn, even in July. Wildlife jams can add 30 minutes or more.

3. Day 3: Mammoth, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the lake

   Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris, Canyon and Hayden Valley, then along Yellowstone Lake to West Thumb and Old Faithful

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Old Faithful
   Day 3 details

   We check out and are at the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces by 8 am, before the tour traffic, to walk the boardwalks of the Main Terrace, where hot water lays down travertine in white, cream and orange steps; elk often graze on the lawns of old Fort Yellowstone. About 34 km south, Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest of the park's basins, and the Porcelain Basin loop takes about an hour. At Canyon we sit down to lunch, then stand at Artist Point to see the Lower Falls, 94 m high, between the yellow and rose walls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. In the afternoon we drive south through Hayden Valley, where bison gather in summer, and along the shore of Yellowstone Lake to West Thumb, whose hot pools run to the edge of the cold water. We reach the Old Faithful area by about 6 pm. About 155 km and three and three-quarter hours at park speeds, split by five stops.

   Included

   • Mammoth Hot Springs terraces at 8 am with your guide
   • Norris Geyser Basin and the Porcelain Basin loop
   • Sit-down lunch at Canyon
   • Artist Point and the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone
   • Hayden Valley and the Yellowstone Lake shore
   • West Thumb Geyser Basin

   Easier option: Stay on the level paths at Artist Point and skip the Porcelain Basin loop at Norris.

   More active option: The Brink of the Lower Falls trail, about 1.3 km round trip with a steep climb of about 180 m back up.

   Free time: Evening free at Old Faithful; the geyser erupts after dark too

   Activity: About 3 to 4 km of walking in all, on boardwalks with some stairs at Mammoth.

4. Day 4: The geyser basins: Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful

   Old Faithful to Midway and Lower Geyser Basins, back to the Upper Geyser Basin, then the Grand Prismatic overlook

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Old Faithful
   Day 4 details

   Sleeping beside the geysers is the point of this base: we walk out before the day visitors arrive and after they leave. At 7:15 am we drive 13 km to Midway Geyser Basin and walk the boardwalk around Grand Prismatic Spring before its small car park fills; the morning steam is heavy, so we return for colour later. Next is Fountain Paint Pot and the Firehole Lake Drive in the Lower Geyser Basin. Back at Old Faithful for lunch, we walk the Upper Geyser Basin along the Firehole River, past Castle and Grand Geysers, to the deep blue of Morning Glory Pool, about 2.5 km each way, timing Old Faithful's eruption to the rangers' posted prediction. In mid-afternoon, when the steam has thinned and the sun is high, the van drops us at the Fairy Falls trailhead for the 1.9 km round trip to the Grand Prismatic overlook, about 30 m above the basin. The evening is free, and the geyser is quiet of crowds at dusk.

   Included

   • Grand Prismatic Spring from the Midway Geyser Basin boardwalk at about 7:30 am
   • Fountain Paint Pot and the Firehole Lake Drive
   • Sit-down lunch at Old Faithful
   • An Old Faithful eruption and the Upper Geyser Basin to Morning Glory Pool with your guide
   • The Grand Prismatic overlook in the afternoon

   Easier option: Walk only the first part of the Upper Geyser Basin and watch a second eruption from the benches; wait at the van at the overlook trailhead if you prefer.

   More active option: Carry on past the overlook to Fairy Falls, 61 m high, about 8 km round trip on a flat trail from the trailhead.

   Free time: Evening free at Old Faithful

   Activity: About 6 to 8 km of walking on boardwalks and level trails. Stay on the boardwalks: the ground in the basins is thin and scalding.

   

5. Day 5: South through Grand Teton to Jackson

   Old Faithful to Kepler Cascades, Craig Pass and Lewis Falls, then through the South Entrance to Colter Bay, Oxbow Bend and Jackson

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Jackson
   Day 5 details

   A travel day built around stops rather than miles. Early risers can watch a sunrise eruption of Old Faithful before breakfast; we leave at about 9:30 am. Kepler Cascades tumbles beside the road just south of the basin, and at Craig Pass the road crosses the Continental Divide at about 2,520 m. South along the Lewis River we stop at Lewis Falls, leave Yellowstone by the South Entrance and follow the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway into Grand Teton National Park. Lunch is a sit-down meal at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake, with the range across the water. In the afternoon we stop at Oxbow Bend, where the Snake River curls below Mount Moran and moose, otters and white pelicans use the shallows, then drive the valley to Jackson, where we stay two nights. About 165 km and three and a half hours of driving at park speeds, broken by four stops; we arrive by about 4:30 pm with the evening free.

   Included

   • Kepler Cascades and Craig Pass on the Continental Divide
   • Lewis Falls
   • Sit-down lunch at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake
   • Oxbow Bend and Mount Moran

   Free time: Evening free in Jackson

   Activity: Short level walks only; about three and a half hours in the van with stops.

6. Day 6: Jenny Lake early and a Snake River float

   Jackson to Mormon Row, Schwabacher Landing and Jenny Lake, then a float on the Snake River to Moose and back to Jackson

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Jackson
   Day 6 details

   A full day in Grand Teton, at the hours the valley looks best. We leave Jackson at about 6 am for Mormon Row, where homestead barns from the 1890s stand in front of the range as the first sun lights the peaks, then Schwabacher Landing, where beaver ponds reflect the Tetons in the still air. From June to Labor Day we take one of the first shuttle boats across Jenny Lake at about 8 am (the boat is included). From the west shore dock a rocky trail climbs to Hidden Falls and on to Inspiration Point, about 125 m above the water. Lunch is sit-down at Moose, then a guided scenic float on the Snake River with a licensed outfitter, about two hours on calm water below the Grand Teton (4,199 m), with eagles, moose and beavers along the banks. After Labor Day the boat starts later, at about 10 am, so on September departures we float in the morning and cross the lake after lunch. We are back in Jackson by about 5 pm; the evening is free.

   Included

   • Mormon Row and Schwabacher Landing in early light
   • Jenny Lake shuttle boat across and back (about 8 am from June to Labor Day; after lunch in September, when the first boat is later)
   • Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch at Moose
   • A guided scenic float on the Snake River

   Easier option: Walk only the short way to Hidden Falls, or stay on the east shore on the level lakeside path while the others climb; the float needs no effort beyond stepping into the raft.

   More active option: Carry on past Inspiration Point into Cascade Canyon for an hour before turning back, about 6 to 8 km round trip from the dock.

   Free time: Evening free in Jackson

   Activity: About 3 km round trip from the dock to Inspiration Point on a rocky trail with steps, climbing about 125 m. Float outfitters set their own minimum age and weight rules, which we confirm at booking. Jenny Lake renewal work can close parts of the dock area or trail; we confirm the route each season.

7. Day 7: Star Valley and Bear Lake to Salt Lake City

   Jackson through the Snake River Canyon and Star Valley to Bear Lake, then Logan Canyon and Salt Lake City

   • Drive about 5.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Salt Lake City
   Day 7 details

   The first of the trip's two long driving days, and we say so plainly: about 430 km and five and a half hours at the wheel. There is no shorter road from the Tetons to Utah's canyon country, and splitting the journey with a night in Salt Lake City keeps both halves under about six hours. We leave at about 8 am and follow the Snake River Canyon south to Alpine, then Star Valley, where Afton's main street is spanned by an arch built of elk antlers. A coffee stop there breaks the first two hours. Past Montpelier the road drops to Bear Lake, its water a milky turquoise from limestone in the lake bed, and we sit down to lunch in Garden City, known for raspberry shakes in summer. In the afternoon we climb over the Bear River Range and down through Logan Canyon, then run south along the Wasatch Front to Salt Lake City, arriving by about 5 pm for a free evening downtown.

   Included

   • The Snake River Canyon and Star Valley, with a stop at Afton's elk antler arch
   • Sit-down lunch at Bear Lake
   • Logan Canyon

   Free time: Evening free in Salt Lake City

   Activity: One of two long driving days (about 5.5 hours), broken by a coffee stop at about two hours, lunch at Bear Lake and a stretch stop in Logan Canyon. Comfort stops at least every 90 minutes.

   

8. Day 8: Temple Square and south to Moab

   Salt Lake City to Temple Square and the State Capitol, then over Soldier Summit to Helper, Green River and Moab

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Moab
   Day 8 details

   After breakfast your guide walks the group round Temple Square, the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and up to the Utah State Capitol, whose steps look over the valley to the Great Salt Lake. We leave at about 10 am and drive south-east on US 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon and over Soldier Summit, at about 2,280 m, then down to Helper, a railroad and coal-mining town whose main street of brick fronts is now galleries and cafés; we sit down to lunch there. The land turns to desert past Price and Green River, with the Book Cliffs on the left, and the last stretch south on US 191 enters the red rock as we near Moab, where we stay two nights. About 375 km and four hours of driving with two breaks. We arrive by about 3:30 pm, and the rest of the afternoon is free for the pool, the town or a rest before tomorrow's early start.

   Included

   • Temple Square and the Utah State Capitol with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch in Helper
   • The drive over Soldier Summit and past the Book Cliffs

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Moab

   Activity: About four hours in the van, split at Helper. Moab is hot in summer: carry water from today.

   

9. Day 9: Arches early, then Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point

   Moab to Arches National Park, then Island in the Sky in Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Moab
   Day 9 details

   Summer afternoons in Moab are often over 35 C, so we walk in the morning and look from the rim later. We enter Arches by about 7 am, with a timed entry booked if the park requires one that year, and walk the trail to Delicate Arch, about 4.8 km round trip climbing about 145 m over open slickrock, while it is still cool. Then the Windows and Double Arch, a short walk each. Lunch is sit-down in Moab with time for a rest in the heat of the day. In the afternoon we drive up to the Island in the Sky, the high mesa of Canyonlands, for the short loop to Mesa Arch on the cliff edge and the walk out along Grand View Point, where the White Rim lies about 300 m below and the canyons of the Green and Colorado rivers cut deeper still. On the way back we stop at Dead Horse Point, 600 m above a gooseneck bend of the Colorado, and are back in Moab by about 6:30 pm. About 190 km and three hours of driving.

   Included

   • Arches National Park: Delicate Arch, the Windows and Double Arch
   • Sit-down lunch in Moab
   • Canyonlands Island in the Sky: Mesa Arch and Grand View Point
   • Dead Horse Point State Park

   Easier option: Skip the Delicate Arch climb and see the arch from the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint, a few minutes from the car park, then join the group at the Windows.

   More active option: Add the Devils Garden trail to Landscape Arch, about 3.2 km round trip on a mostly level gravel path, after Delicate Arch.

   Free time: Midday rest in Moab and the evening free

   Activity: About 6 to 8 km of walking, most of it before 11 am. Carry 2 litres of water; the van carries more. There is no shade on the Delicate Arch trail.

10. Day 10: Capitol Reef and Scenic Byway 12 to Bryce

    Moab to Green River and Hanksville, through Capitol Reef to Torrey, then Scenic Byway 12 over the Hogback to Bryce Canyon

    • Drive about 6 h
    • Breakfast and lunch
    • Stay in Bryce Canyon
    Day 10 details

    The second long driving day: about 445 km and five and three-quarter hours at the wheel, and about ten hours door to door with the stops and lunch, because the only roads from Moab to Bryce cross a lot of empty country. Rather than take the faster interstate, we go through Capitol Reef and on Scenic Byway 12, so the miles come with stops. We leave at 7:30 am, stop in Green River after about an hour, then drive past Hanksville into the grey badlands around Caineville and into Capitol Reef, where the Waterpocket Fold rises in cliffs of red and white. We stop at the Fremont petroglyph panel and in Fruita, where the park tends the old orchards and the Gifford Homestead sells small pies. Lunch is sit-down in Torrey. In the afternoon Scenic Byway 12 climbs over Boulder Mountain, with a viewpoint stop at the top, crosses the Hogback, a narrow ridge with drops on both sides, and stops again in Escalante before Bryce Canyon, where we arrive by about 5:30 pm. After dinner on your own, the rim at Sunset Point is a short walk.

    Included

    • Capitol Reef National Park: the petroglyph panel, Fruita and the Gifford Homestead
    • Sit-down lunch in Torrey
    • Scenic Byway 12 over Boulder Mountain and the Hogback
    • Bryce Canyon rim at sunset

    Free time: Evening free at Bryce Canyon

    Activity: One of two long driving days: about 5.75 hours at the wheel and about ten hours door to door, from 7:30 am to about 5:30 pm. No leg runs much over 90 minutes: Green River, Capitol Reef, lunch in Torrey, the Boulder Mountain viewpoint and Escalante break it up. Short level walks only.

    

11. Day 11: Bryce at sunrise and over the tunnel to Zion

    Bryce Canyon to Red Canyon and Mount Carmel Junction, then the Zion to Mount Carmel Highway and tunnel to Springdale

    • Drive about 2 h
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Springdale
    Day 11 details

    The Bryce amphitheatre faces east, so we are on the rim at Sunrise Point for first light, when the hoodoos turn orange one row at a time. Then, while it is cool, we walk down among them on the Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop trails, about 4.6 km with about 180 m of climb back to the rim, and are back for a late breakfast. We leave at about 10:30 am through the red tunnels of Red Canyon and south on US 89, then turn onto the Zion to Mount Carmel Highway. Checkerboard Mesa is the first stop inside Zion, and the Canyon Overlook Trail, a ledge walk of about 1.6 km round trip, looks straight down Pine Creek into Zion Canyon. Then the 1.8 km tunnel, completed in 1930, and the switchbacks down to Springdale for a late sit-down lunch. In the late afternoon we walk the flat Pa'rus Trail along the Virgin River with the Watchman behind us, and meet for a farewell dinner in town. About 135 km and two hours of driving.

    Included

    • Sunrise at Bryce Canyon
    • Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop trails with your guide
    • Checkerboard Mesa and the Canyon Overlook Trail
    • The Zion to Mount Carmel tunnel
    • Sit-down lunch in Springdale
    • The Pa'rus Trail along the Virgin River
    • Farewell dinner in Springdale

    Easier option: Watch sunrise from the rim and walk the level Rim Trail from Sunrise to Sunset Point, about 1 km, instead of going below.

    More active option: Add the Peekaboo Loop from the Navajo Loop for a longer circuit among the hoodoos, about 8 to 9 km in all.

    Free time: Late afternoon free in Springdale before the farewell dinner

    Activity: The walk below the Bryce rim starts at about 2,400 m and climbs back up; take it slowly. Bryce mornings can be cold, even in summer.

    

12. Day 12: Zion Canyon early, then Las Vegas

    Springdale to Zion Canyon on the park shuttle, then by Interstate 15 to Las Vegas

    • Drive about 3 h
    • Breakfast and lunch
    Day 12 details

    Private cars are kept out of Zion Canyon for most of the year, so we ride the park shuttle, on one of the first buses while the canyon is cool. At the Temple of Sinawava the Riverside Walk follows the Virgin River about 1.6 km to where the canyon closes into the Narrows; anyone with water shoes can wade a short way in when the river is open. On the way back we stop at the Grotto for the Lower Emerald Pool or, for the fit, the climb up Walter's Wiggles to Scout Lookout. We sit down to an early lunch in Springdale and leave at about 1 pm, driving about 265 km south-west on Interstate 15 through St George and the Virgin River Gorge into Nevada, where the clocks go back an hour. We drop you at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) by about 3 pm Nevada time, or at a hotel on the Strip if you are staying on. Book flights leaving after about 6 pm.

    Included

    • Zion Canyon on the park shuttle
    • The Riverside Walk to the mouth of the Narrows
    • Lower Emerald Pool
    • Sit-down lunch in Springdale
    • Drop-off at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) or on the Strip

    Easier option: Ride the shuttle to the end of the canyon and back with stops at the viewpoints, walking only the level start of the Riverside Walk.

    More active option: Climb the West Rim Trail and Walter's Wiggles to Scout Lookout, about 6 km round trip with about 330 m of climb. Angels Landing beyond it needs a park permit won by lottery, which we can enter for you; it is never promised.

    Activity: Book a flight leaving Las Vegas after about 6 pm. The Narrows close when the river runs high or after a health advisory.

    

Wildlife and weather: June brings bison calves, snow on the high peaks and cold Yellowstone mornings, and is the mildest month in Utah. July and August are warm in the north (often 20 to 27 C) and hot in Moab and Zion (often 35 C or more), with afternoon thunderstorms; we walk the desert early and rest at midday. September brings the elk rut, first frosts and thinner crowds in Yellowstone and cooler days in Utah. Wildfire smoke can haze views in late summer. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed.

• Gardiner2 nights
• Old Faithful2 nights
• Jackson2 nights
• Salt Lake City1 night
• Moab2 nights
• Bryce Canyon1 night
• Springdale1 night