The outstanding features of Zion and Bryce clearly differ. Zion overpowers. Bryce serves as an example of nature’s finesse. And so it goes: Capitol Reef with its great stone walls; the majestic sweep of Canyonlands; Arches and its tipsy boulders, its incredible arcs. … Collect them all if you can, but at least check out these top sights at Zion and Bryce:
ZION
1. Checkerboard Mesa
This sandstone bed looms over Utah Hwy. 9, just past the park’s east entrance. Seeping water and lashing winds have etched intersecting lines of remarkable symmetry.
2. Canyon Overlook
A mildly strenuous hike from a small parking lot (about 1 mile round-trip leads to the first wide-angle glimpse of Zion National Park. If the climb doesn’t quicken the breath, the view surely will.
3. The Tunnel
Proceeding on westbound Utah Hwy. 9, visitors suddenly encounter a panoply of tightly bunched sandstone formations. The light at the end of the mile-long tunnel, an engineering feat in itself, heightens the drama.
4. Zion Canyon
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The star attraction of this sprawling park is a narrow hallway of stone–vivid red peaks and gray monoliths, including the famous Great White Throne (elevation 6,744 feet) continuing into the Narrows, where the canyon severely pinches the north fork of the Virgin River and hikers must thenceforth wade.
5. Kolob Canyon
Drivers reach this remote area by circling around the southern end of the park on Hwy. 9 and continuing north on Interstate 15, a trip of about 45 miles. The payoff: one of the few areas where observers may stand well above the canyons and look upon supreme magnificence.
BRYCE CANYON
1. Rainbow Point
By starting at the southernmost end of the 18-mile scenic drive, visitors find that access to the overlooks requires only an easy right turn. Rainbow and nearby Yovimpa Point–at 9,053 feet the highest reaches of Bryce–offer unrestricted views over southern Utah and a preview of the colors and strange shapes to come.
2. Agua Canyon
The strange shapes are called hoodoos, and some of them appear here, looking like gigantic chess pieces as rendered by Salvador Dali. Even his palette could not do justice to the contrasting colors.
3. Natural Bridge
Actually an arch chiseled out by dripping and frozen water (bridges are the product of streams), this is an amazing sight nonetheless.
4. Bryce Point
Here the full sweep of the Bryce natural amphitheater becomes apparent, as it does from nearby Inspiration Point, Sunset Point and Sunrise Point. At dawn or late afternoon, the orange and red and white hoodoos look translucent. Trails below the rim wind through Queen’s Garden, Wall Street and other weird features.
5. Fairyland Point
Often skipped because of its location a mile off the beaten scenic highway, this assortment of spires and hoodoos with the Aquarius Plateau, Pink Cliffs and Navajo Mountain as backdrop should not be missed.