Utah: Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks

VBT offers a shuttle from the St. George airport to the Red Mountain Resort, departing the airport at 11:30 a.m. and arriving at the hotel at noon.

Please meet the shuttle at the airport’s main terminal/pick up area. Your shuttle will display a “Show and Go” sign and the driver will be holding a VBT sign. The shuttle will depart promptly at 11:30 a.m. Please enjoy an early lunch or pack a snack to eat during your transfer. Or, you may plan to have lunch upon arrival at the Red Mountain Resort. If you are arriving after this shuttle departs or your flight is delayed, you can take the complimentary shuttle provided by the Red Mountain Resort until 6:00 p.m. Call the resort at 800.407.3002 to arrange this. If you arrive after 6:00 p.m., you must arrange a taxi service at your own expense. Travel time is approximately 30 minutes.

After settling in, meet your trip leaders at 2:00 p.m. for a safety and bike-fitting session. Your Bryce Canyon and Zion bike tour begins with a warm-up ride into Snow Canyon State Park. Your stunning route traces the paved Whiptail Trail on a slight ascent, passing the region’s famed red-rock and white Navajo sandstone into an otherworldly landscape of ancient lava flows and soaring cliffs. There’ll be time to explore by foot if you wish. Reach the highest point near the Gila Trailhead, then return as you came or enjoy a longer loop. Tonight, get to know your fellow travelers and learn about the upcoming week during a casual reception hosted by your trip leaders, followed by a delicious welcome dinner sourced from local ingredients.

Accommodation: Red Mountain Resort, Ivins
Included Meals:Dinner

Today’s Ride Choices:
Cumulative Distance Range: 10 – 17 miles
Afternoon
Warm-up St. George to Snow Canyon Out and Back: 10 miles
OR
Warm-up St. George Out to Snow Canyon Loop: 17 miles

What to Expect: Ride from the hotel to Snow Canyon State Park on the paved Whiptail Trail, taking in spectacular views as you ascend into the park. You may stop if you’d like and explore the park by foot. Once you have reached the highest point of today’s ride near the Gila Trailhead, you have the choice to return to the hotel by retracing your path along the Whiptail Trail through Snow Canyon or taking a longer loop ride on the bike path along Highway 18.

After breakfast, you shuttle to Panguitch. One of Utah’s most historic settlements, this classic frontier town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Enjoy an included lunch here, then cycle to Bryce Canyon.

Your route today passes the dramatic contours of Utah’s wilderness, a breathtaking tableau of an Old West desert. Ride into the Dixie National Forest, stopping at the Red Canyon Visitor Center. Then continue on the Red Canyon Bicycle Trail, pedaling past low shrub, red earth, towering walls and majestic ponderosa pines. The colors of the earth here are spellbinding: red-rust, deep orange and ghostly striations of white. Pause to marvel at some of the most inspiring vistas you’ll ever see, from massive buttes to spindly hoodoos. A highlight of your ride is the Red Canyon Arch, a spectacular natural formation etched into the sandstone.

At ride’s end, you arrive in Bryce Canyon City, known as Ruby’s Inn until a name change in 2007. The town has been built on tourism since its founding in 1916 by Reuben C. “Ruby” Syrett. It remains a tiny settlement today, with a population of just a couple hundred. Dinner here is on your own.

Accommodation: Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn, Bryce Canyon City
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today’s Ride Choice:
Cumulative Distance Range: 22 miles
Afternoon
Panguitch to Bryce Canyon: 22 miles

What to Expect: After lunch in Panguitch, you ride to Bryce Canyon City. The first portion of the ride from Panguitch is on Highway 89 and Highway 12; you ride on the road’s shoulder with passing traffic. If you prefer to avoid highway cycling, you can transfer with your trip leaders to the start of the Red Canyon Bicycle Trail. The bike trails ascents through the buttes and hoodoos. After reaching the highest point of today’s ride near Coyote Hollow Trailhead enjoy the gentle descent to the hotel. Along the bike path you see the Red Canyon Arch.

The natural spectacle of Bryce Canyon National Park is yours to explore today. Pack a lunch that you can enjoy along the bike route, or plan to have lunch back at the hotel.

After breakfast, you get an early start on the Bryce Canyon Shared Use Path. At the entrance to the park, you stop at the visitor center. Its exhibits provide a preview of the geological wonder about to unfold before you.

Your route leads you into the park, passing stunning rock formations and stands of ponderosa pine. When the path was completed, it provided leisurely outdoor access from Bryce Canyon City to Inspiration Point, your first destination. Though Inspiration Point lies at 8,100 feet, the bike trail never exceeds a grade of 6%, making for an easy-to-moderate ride. Once you arrive, you gaze upon a spectacular canvas of finger-like hoodoos standing in a natural amphitheater
the Boat Mesa stretching out behind.

You may return to the hotel the way you came, or our longer option follows the Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive. This magnificent route runs the entire length of the park, 18 miles. You pause along the way to take in remarkable views of the Natural Bridge, an 85-foot-long arch eroded away over millennia, and the sweeping expanse of Agua Canyon, home to the majestic condor. The culmination of your ride is Rainbow Point, at 9,100 feet, from where you can gaze across the entire park.

This afternoon, your trip leaders are happy to help you plan some hiking in Bryce. After a full and rewarding day, gather together for an included dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn, Bryce Canyon City
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today’s Ride Choice:
Cumulative Distance Range: 41 miles
Morning
Bryce Canyon National Park: 41 miles

What to Expect: Today’s ride starts at the hotel and offers numerous opportunities to stop and take in the magnificent vistas of Bryce Canyon National Park. The first portion of the ride is on the Bryce Canyon Shared Use Path. There’ll be time to stop at the Visitor Center before following the path to Inspiration Point. After, you may choose to return to the hotel or continue to ride on Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive. You share the road with cars on this portion of the ride. The ride, with a steady ascent with never more than a 6% grade, ends at the highest point in the park, at Rainbow and Yovimpa Points.

This morning you shuttle to Mount Carmel Junction, perched in the high desert of Utah’s Colorado Plateau. After lunch at a local restaurant, you cycle into Zion National Park. Remarkably, Zion’s many mountains, canyons, buttes, and mesas are home to four life zones that host an impressive diversity of flora and fauna. Keep your eyes open for them throughout your visit.

Your ride leads past red rock walls and fantastic sandstone formations. Pause to wonder at the Checkerboard Mesa, a massive, steep conical slope marked by unusual crisscross striations. You also pass the monolithic East Temple, an enormous mound of Navajo sandstone. You continue along Pine Creek, then return to the shuttle for a thrilling drive through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, cut laboriously through 1.1 miles of sandstone. When it was completed in 1930, it shortened the distance between Zion National Park and Bryce National Canyon by 70 miles.

At the other end of the tunnel, you return to your bike and ride a scenic switchback, descending to the Virgin River. For the remainder of your ride, follow the Pa’rus Trail along this waterway, which delivers you to your hotel in Springdale. Tonight, you have ample choices for dinner on your own.

Accommodation: Cable Mountain Lodge, Springdale
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today’s Ride Choice:
Cumulative Distance Range: 25 miles
Afternoon
Mt. Carmel Junction to Springdale: 25 miles

What to Expect: Today’s ride starts in Mt. Carmel Junction and follows Route 9. The first portion of the ride traverses a ponderosa forest. As you enter Zion National Park, rock walls begin to rise beside you and splendid vistas unfold. Bikes are not allowed in the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel; your trip leaders will meet you near the entrance so you can shuttle through by van. Exit the tunnel, then return to your bike and ride the switchbacks that descend to the Virgin River. The Pa’rus Trail follows the river into Springdale and to your hotel.

Leave the bikes behind today to explore Zion National Park by foot. Your trip leaders will help you choose a trail that suits you. Perhaps walk the Emerald Pools Trail, a series of short trails along a lush river whose waters form several scenic pools. The Scout
Lookout Trail leads to spectacular views of Zion. And the West Rim Trail features a dramatic zig-zag up a soaring rock wall. No matter your choice, the scenery is sure to inspire you. Plan for lunch on your own.

If you prefer a restful day, relax at the hotel pool or indulge in a spa treatment, explore Springdale or browse the Zion National Park Visitor Center. Alternately, uncover the past of the region at the Zion Human History Museum. This evening, celebrate your week during a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Cable Mountain Lodge, Springdale
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today’s Ride Choice:
Non-biking Day: Hike in Zion National Park and explore Springdale at your leisure.

What to Expect: Take a break from your bike to enjoy hiking in Zion or spend time in Springdale. Spend the day at your own pace.

Return to Zion National Park by bike this morning, following the Pa’rus Trail along the Virgin River. At trail’s end, you meet the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, car-free except for park service shuttles. Ride past magnificent sandstone monoliths throughout your final ride, a perfect way to say farewell to one of the most scenic regions of the American West. There’ll be many opportunities to stop and take in more breathtaking panoramas. Your destination is the spectacular Temple of Sinawava, an incredible vertical wall and amphitheater 3,000 feet deep. After time to admire its splendor, you ride back to the hotel.

VBT has made arrangements for a shuttle from the hotel back to the St. George airport, arriving at 1:30 p.m. We recommend flights departing no earlier than 3:30 p.m. If you need to get back to the airport prior to that time, the transfer back to St. George will be at your own expense.

Included Meals: Breakfast