AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning

AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning

We’re going to AutoCamp Zion in just a few weeks! This will be our 5th AutoCamp location to visit! It all begin last July when we visited AutoCamp Cape Cod – our first AutoCamp. Now in 14 months, we will be visiting our 5th!

So, since we’ve gotten to be pros at visiting AutoCamp, we thought we’d let you in on our AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning.

AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning: We’re Flying

Well, this part is easy: we’re leaving from Boston for a 5 night trip, so we’re flying from Boston to Las Vegas, where we’ll pick up a full sized SUV for 3 of us. We decided we want comfort, hence going with the full size.

We leave Boston around 7:30 and get in to Las Vegas around 10:30. We’ll have some time while we’re waiting for our friend to show up, then we’re on the road…to Bryce Canyon National Park!

Since we’re flying, our pup will not be joining us. This is the first AutoCamp she’ll be missing (but not the last). Shhh…don’t tell her!

AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning: Bryce Canyon National Park

I don’t see how any AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning would NOT include time at Bryce Canyon National Park. We decided to spend the first 2 nights closer to Bryce rather than having a 3 hour round trip from Zion to Bryce. We think we’re going to need a really very full day at Bryce, and we didn’t want to lose time to being in the car.

The weather will be gorgeous – mid 70s by day. Fine for shorter hikes. Night time about 50.

We will take the advise on the NPS site and do this:

We will do the Southern Scenic Drive first thing then utilizing the shuttle and the other sites throughout the afternoon.

Planning Your Drive

It takes about 40 minutes to drive to the end of the Southern Scenic Drive from the Visitor Center. It is recommended that you begin by first doing this all the way to Rainbow and Yovimpa Points. After enjoying these viewpoints, those you will have passed along the road can be visited on the way back. This way, everything will be on the right-hand side of the road; much safer than pulling across traffic everytime you want to see a viewpoint. Typically a trip of only driving and viewpoints will take around 2-3 hours.

So, we’ll have 2 nights and 1 full day in Bryce. We’ll be utilizing the park service free shuttle buses since parking is so limited.

This will wrap up a very full day and our 2nd overnight near the park. Then, we head to AutoCamp Zion!

AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning: Bryce to ZIon

A key part of AutoCamp Zion trip planning is timing – and route. We will likely be checked out of our Bryce accommodations by 10 or 11 AM on the day we check in to Zion.

Another key element: WEATHER. As noted, above, it’s going to be gorgeous in Bryce due to the elevation there: it averages 8,000 feet! Zion’s average is half that. Because of that, it’s FAR hotter: average daytime temps will be in the mid-90s?!?!? Night time low in the low 60s.

We’ll be making 2 stops en route from Hatch to AutoCamp Zion in Virgin. The first will be Cedar Breaks National Monument. We will be taking a hike. Looking at All Trails, I’ve narrowed it down to these which are Easy or Medium and under 5 miles. AllTrails Cedar Breaks trail options.

The second stop will be Kolob Canyon, which is the western portion of Zion National Park. The hiking is divided between Kolob Canyon Wilderness Hiking and Kolob Canyon Terrace Trails. Temperatures permitting, the Timber Creek Overlook Trail looks good.

We will get to AutoCamp Zion late afternoon.

AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning: Shopping

We are very much looking forward to getting to AutoCamp Zion! I’m already starting to plan cooking over an open fire for dinners and thinking about our menu. We’ll be stopping in La Verkin for food and adult beverages, as I’ve outlined in our Pro Tips. I hope I can find compressed firewood somewhere, maybe even up in Cedar City.

AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning: Hiking

We will be parking our car outside the Visitor’s Center and again, like Bryce, utilizing the Shuttle System.

The remaining time for our trip will be spent in 2 areas: the East Rim Trails and the Southwest Desert Trails.

We will mostly be doing hikes based off stops on the shuttle system. However, we will also take our own car at some point and drive the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway Scenic Drive (and sit in some air conditioning!). We will need a tunnel permit.

AutoCamp Zion Trip Planning: The Best Laid Plans…

Funny, I’ve now been to 4 of the 6 open AutoCamp locations, and Zion will be my 5th. I have not done anything remotely close to this kind of intense planning for anywhere else. In fact, at Russian River, we were so exhausted from our cross country trip that it was a pleasure to just rest!.

But these are 2 National Parks that I’ll likely not get to again, so, I’ve spent quite a bit of reading time to try make sure we don’t miss any major sites at either.

I’ll be sharing photos en route on Instagram. Finger’s are crossed that this trip goes off as planned. And if there are changes, may they all be for the better!