Both these national parks are at the top of my favorites, so I was very much looking forward to experiencing them in winter as my previous trips have been in the summer or early fall. This time, I was with my Mom and sister so we didn’t do any difficult hikes, but it was nice to simply stroll around.
One of the best things about traveling to national parks in winter is the scarce number of visitors so you get to enjoy nature without the crowds. We often found ourselves alone on the trails. Hotel prices are down as they have plenty availability, you could decide on the spur of the moment to go whereas in the warm months they get booked up several weeks or even months ahead. On the other hand, lots of restaurants and cafes have either shorter operating hours or are entirely closed.
We stayed at Majestic View Lodge in Springdale, just a short drive to the entrance of the park and we had the cutest room, wrought iron beds, beautifully carved wooden table and a small porch with a gorgeous view! I wish we had been able to stay longer.
In Zion, many of the trails were partly closed because of the ice, but that didn’t stop people from climbing over the ropes and hiking further. We even saw people coming out from the Narrows.
Bryce had more snow which made walking around easier than some of the icy trails in Zion, but perhaps because of the greater exposure to the wind, it was chilly to the bones.
The presence of snow changes the look of the landscape drastically, therefore even if you’ve been before it will feel like a new experience.
There is still a short time before the warm weather, summer vacation and the crowds arrive so if you have the chance pack your bags and get on the road stat.
