Photo: Don Graham, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Utah's red rock, with teenagers
Ten days for a family with two teenagers through Zion, Bryce Canyon and Moab: a chained ridge above Zion Canyon, a walk among the hoodoos, a first mountain bike ride on slickrock and a ranch on the Colorado River.
Las Vegas to the gates of Zion
Getting there
Fly into Las Vegas (LAS), pick up the car and drive about two and a half hours northeast to Springdale, the small town at the entrance of Zion National Park.
Where you're staying
Cable Mountain Lodge, on the Virgin River right next to the park entrance: you walk to the park's shuttle stop in a few minutes and never need the car inside Zion.
- The family suites have a kitchenette and balconies facing the Watchman, and there is a pool for the afternoons
Photos: cablemountainlodge.com
Evening
The Pa'rus trail along the river at sunset, flat and easy, with the Watchman glowing above.
Flagship day
Angels Landing, holding the chains
Day 2 · Tue 18 May
The ridge
Angels Landing is Zion's most famous hike: switchbacks up to Scout Lookout, then a narrow fin of rock with drops on both sides and chains bolted in to hold on to, to a summit 450 metres above the canyon floor.
- Everyone can hike the first part to Scout Lookout, a proper achievement on its own with a huge view
- The chained section needs a permit, drawn by lottery: we enter the spring lottery for you in February and the day-before lottery as a backup
- It suits confident teenagers with a head for heights; anyone who would rather not can wait at Scout Lookout
- Start with one of the first shuttles, around 7:00, to beat the heat
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Andrew Heneen, Tobias Alt, Jason; CC BY / CC BY-SA)
Permits since 2022
So many people crowded onto the narrow ridge that Zion introduced a permit lottery in 2022. The fee is 6 dollars to apply and 3 dollars per person if you win.
Afternoon
The Riverside Walk at the end of the canyon, where the Narrows begin, and feet in the river.
Dinner
Zion Pizza & Noodle Co., about a kilometre up Springdale's main road from the lodge: pizza and pasta since 1991, easy for vegetarians, with a covered beer-garden patio pouring Utah beers for the adults.
- Ice cream afterwards, as the reward for the chains
Photos: zionpizzanoodle.com
Canyon Overlook and a slow afternoon
The day
Through the 1930 tunnel to the Canyon Overlook trail on the east side: an hour's walk to a view straight down Zion Canyon, with bighorn sheep often on the rocks around.
- The afternoon is for the pool
The day
If the river is low enough, the first stretch of the Narrows from the bottom, wading upstream between the canyon walls; in May the flow is often too high, and the park closes it above a set level.
To Bryce Canyon and the hoodoos
The day
About two hours to Bryce Canyon, 2,400 metres up and noticeably cooler.
The day
In the afternoon, the Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop: about three hours down among the orange hoodoos and back up through the narrow slot of Wall Street.
Where you're staying
The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, the park's historic 1920s lodge a short walk from the rim, with cabins in the pines.
Sunrise at Bryce, stars at night
The day
Sunrise at Bryce Point for the ones who can be woken.
- Horse riding to the canyon floor for the rest of the morning
- Bryce is one of the darkest places in the country, so if the park's rangers run a night-sky programme, stay up for it
Scenic Byway 12 and Capitol Reef to Moab
The drive
The long day: about six hours of driving over Scenic Byway 12, one of the most beautiful roads in America, along a ridge with drops on both sides.
- Stop in Capitol Reef for the short walk to Hickman Bridge and a fruit pie from the old Gifford homestead
Where you're staying
Red Cliffs Lodge, on the banks of the Colorado River half an hour from Moab: a working ranch resort with riverside cabins for families, horses, a museum of the western films shot around here, and s'mores by the fire every evening.
Arches, and Delicate Arch at sunset
The day
Arches National Park: the Windows and Double Arch in the morning, then the classic walk to Delicate Arch for the late afternoon light, about two hours there and back on open slickrock.
- In 2026 Arches dropped its timed-entry reservations; we check whether they are back for 2027 and book them if so
A first ride on slickrock
The day
A half-day guided mountain bike tour with Rim Tours, one of Moab's longest-running bike outfitters, on the Bar M loop: wide, gently rolling tracks with views of Arches, made for beginners and families.
- Bikes, helmets and transport are included
- In the afternoon, a calm float on the Colorado from the ranch
Canyonlands from above
The day
Island in the Sky, the top level of Canyonlands: Mesa Arch, Grand View Point and Dead Horse Point on the way back, looking down on the Colorado River a thousand feet below.
Home
Getting home
About four hours to Salt Lake City airport.
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