MORE ABOUT UTAH HIKING VACATIONS
WHY A UTAH NATIONAL PARK HIKING TOUR?
Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Paria Slot Canyons…these are big name, big adventure, big WOW hiking destinations! Probably, the question should be “why not a Utah hiking vacation?” but let’s focus on why to do one. First, you get to see the very best of Utah’s Canyon Country, which essentially offers an endless number of fantastic options. Second, Wildland Trekking takes care of nearly everything so you can focus 100% on hiking and enjoying Utah’s stunning national parks. You can travel light, as we provide gear and meals; and you can travel worry-free as we handle permits, local transportation, accommodations and more. Third, you will learn a tremendous amount about Utah’s fascinating natural and cultural history – more than you can easily learn on your own.
Finally, going with a professional Utah guiding company like Wildland Trekking provides a higher level of safety in a landscape with plenty of dangers and hazards. This is particularly true on Utah backpacking trips, where our groups head way off the beaten path into the wilderness of the Canyon Country. Knowing the routes, water sources, wildlife, logistics of drop-offs and pick-ups, how to tread through the Utah landscape with the smallest amount of impact, and more are all critical aspects of responsible backcountry travel. Backpacking with expert guides is a solid way to check all of these boxes in one motion.
Even on Bryce and Zion hiking and walking tours there are hazards that a good guide company will help you navigate. These include everything from lightning and flash flooding to simply traveling in a group and with a local expert, particularly if you’d otherwise be traveling solo.
which trip style to join?
With 6 major destinations and 4 trip styles (backpacking trips, inn-based hiking tours, basecamp tours, and day hikes), there’s a lot to choose from in Utah! Above we talk about where to go, so here let’s talk about what type of trip to do. Utah backpacking trips are great for people who want to experience the wild side of Utah and challenge themselves in canyon country wilderness. These trips take guests to amazing, backcountry oases, arches, stunning vistas, and fascinating geological sites. Utah camping tours and inn-based tours combine a diversity of exceptional hikes into a single hiking package, with either tent camping or canyon country lodges/hotels/inns as our accommodations. If you prefer comfort more, we recommend an inn-based tour; if you prefer more of an outdoor experience, then check out the basecamp tours. Finally, we offer day hikes in Zion National Park for guests who want to make the most of their time in Zion and are limited on time. Feel free to call us at 800-715-HIKE with any other questions you have!
which utah destination to go with?
We offer many options for an unforgettable Utah hiking trip. Zion and Bryce hiking tours, and Arches National Park tours are for people who want to see the famous sites, explore the source of the amazing Instagram pictures online, and be awed by Utah’s natural scenery. Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Canyonlands, and Paria Slot Canyons are for people who want to get more off-the-beaten-path and explore the wilder, more remote side of Utah. Many of our tours feature multiple parks, which allow you to combine the highlights of Utah’s most popular national parks with more obscure and remote destinations. (In Paria and Capitol Reef we exclusively offer backpacking trips that are centered on those specific areas.)
zion and bryce hiking tours
Zion and Bryce hiking tours are opportunities to explore and experience the most popular destinations in Utah on one tour. Wildland offers four amazing hiking vacation packages that combine these quintessential national parks into a single tour. The Best of Utah Basecamp Tour, which is a hiking and camping experiences of Zion and Bryce plus the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Best of Utah Inn-based Tour combines the same national parks and hikes but with amazing accommodations that put us right in the action. Our Zion and Bryce 4-day Tour is exactly that – a 4-day tour to see the best of these national parks in one, relatively short, lodge-based tour. And, last but definitely not least, is our Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon Tour which is also inn-based, and combines Zion and Bryce plus the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park into one action-packed hiking experience.
when to hike in utah
Utah’s Canyon Country, including Zion and Bryce, is really great for trekking and walking vacations year round. However, which type of trip you want to join will depend on when you’d like to visit. In the Spring and Fall, all trips – backpacking trips, inn-based tours, basecamp tours – are fantastic! These months include March, April, May, September, October and November. In the summer and winter, due to peaks in heat and cold, we recommend sticking with lodge-based tours. Average temps in Utah’s Canyon Country are displayed in the table below:
| Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit) |
|
|
Month
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Dec-Feb
|
43°
|
18°
|
|
March
|
55°
|
27°
|
|
April
|
64°
|
33°
|
|
May
|
73°
|
40°
|
|
Jun-Aug
|
88°
|
55°
|
|
September
|
79°
|
45°
|
|
October
|
67°
|
35°
|
|
November
|
53°
|
25°
|
Utah is home to a wealth of stunning canyons, geological sites, desert oases and vast wilderness areas. Our Utah hiking tours feature Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National park, the Grand Staircase-Escalante, Paria Slot Canyons, Arches National Park and/or Canyonlands National Park. These destinations represent the very best of Utah’s amazing canyon country!
