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Southwest Utah National Parks are absolutely stunning. High-contrast blue skies are pierced by vibrant red rock hoodoos. Vistas reveal thousands of feet of vertical topography. Dramatic smooth-wall slot canyons burrow into the earth, itself.
Our itinerary takes us deep into this amazing landscape! We camp each night inside two of my favorite National Parks. By day, we take on a “greatest hits” of moderate hikes and chow down on delicious guide-cooked meals. Highlights include a descent from the rim of Bryce Canyon, a trip up Zion’s famed Angels Landing, and an exploration of the Narrows, the world’s largest slot canyon.
Come join me this summer. Let’s visit some of the US’s finest hiking destinations. Register today!
Matt Stan, Bad Adventures founder
We keep it to no more than 12 adventurers plus a pair of guides.
We camp in National Park frontcountry campgrounds all four nights of the trip. Dome-style backpacking tents and self-inflating camping mattresses are provided.
All of our meals are guide-cooked at camp. Bring on the yum!
We hike up to 8 miles per day. Be ready to travel 3–4 hours at a time at a moderate pace. Previous hiking experience and a base level of fitness are required.
Our first hike in Bryce Canyon begins at the canyon rim with an altitude of nearly 9,000 feet. In Zion, temperatures may be over 90-degrees. The Angels Landing hike ascends 1,500 feet of elevation gain with significant exposure to drop-off’s near the top. These factors can make our hikes even more difficult.
The landscapes that we hike through are utterly stunning, and well-worth the effort!
This trip works well for couples, friends, and solo travelers. The adventures we plan seem to attract like-minded people. Odds are, you'll enjoy the company of your fellow travelers.
We meet you at any of the 7 designated gateway hotels near Las Vegas International Airport between 7:00 and 7:30 AM. We say our greetings, load up our gear, then point the van toward Utah!
How do the best adventures begin? With a delicious lunch, of course! A picnic of turkey and brie sandwiches at Bryce Canyon’s rim starts the trip off right.
Remember that Las Vegas heat? That’s long behind us. Pull a light jacket on because we’re at 9,000 feet! In the afternoon, we hike downhill from the Bryce Canyon rim, wandering through an alien-looking landscape of red rocks. The van meets us at the end for a transfer to our amazing frontcountry camp. We pitch our tents for the first two nights of the trip.
We dig into a fantastic guide-cooked dinner before enjoying the cool night and breathtaking stars. This is my kind of adventure!
Getting into the flow of the trip, we fuel up on a hearty breakfast and mugs of Bad Adventures’ signature “grows hair on your chest” extra-strength coffee.
Today’s hike invites us to descend Bryce’s breathtaking Wall Street canyon, while unique rock prominences called hoodoos look down upon us from high in the canyon.
We enjoy another delectable picnic lunch, more mouth-watering guide-cooked supper, and - of course - a session of thrilling, never-exaggerated campfire stories. Ahhh. This is the life.
You didn’t think one National Park was enough, did you?
Today we pack up camp and head to my (Matt Stan’s) favorite place in the world: Zion National Park.
We get the lay of the land via the Canyon Overlook trail. Later, we indulge in optional showers, stroll the town of Springdale, and enjoy dinner in town.
We pitch camp for the final two nights of the trip at a frountcountry group campsite in the heart of Zion National Park!
After an eggs and bacon spread that can’t be beat, be lace up our (included) canyoneering boots and head to the Temple of Sinawava trailhead. The beautiful riverwalk leads us along the Virgin River. But when the trail ends, we just keep going! With sturdy walking staffs, we take to the river, wading upstream into the world’s largest slot canyon, Zion’s Narrows! It’s absolutely otherworldly and not to be missed.
We return to camp for a late lunch, enjoy some down-time, and perhaps an optional mild hike nearby.
We tackle our biggest hike, Zion’s famed Angels Landing, on this final morning together. We chow down breakfast, pack up camp, and head to our trailhead. It’s a whopping 1,500 feet of elevation gain to the top! We switchback through Walter’s Wiggles, get a taste of the views to come from the prominence, Scouts’ Lookout, then crane our necks to view the final ridge to the top. This last, most difficult section takes us up a ridge with sheer drop-offs on both sides! We soak in the views, then begin our descent.
Want to decrease the physical intensity of the hike? Prefer to avoid traveling the final ridge of Angels Landing? You can make your destination Scout’s Lookout, which shortens the adventure to only gaining 1,100 feet.
Our last meal together is a picnic lunch in the park. We shed a tear, load up the van, and return to our gateway hotels in Las Vegas by 5:00 PM.
We stay at beautiful sites inside the National Parks! Tents and camping mattresses are included.
Friendly, accommodating, fully credentialed, and always professional.
All the the delicious meals are guide-cooked.
Sit back and relax! We've got the red tape covered.
Ride in style in a comfortable Ford Transit passenger van.
We’ll take care of the medical kit, satellite phone, and more.
You’ll be set for wading into Zion’s Narrows with the provided canyoneering boots and a sturdy hiking staff.
Airfare and other travel expenses to get to and from the trip, hotel accommodations before and after the trip, optional shower in Springdale, dinner on day 3, certain personal gear including a sleeping bag, travel insurance, and guide gratuity.
This adventure requires previous hiking experience and a base level of fitness. We hike up to 8 miles per day over rugged terrain, gaining up to 1,500 feet of elevation (for Angels Landing), with 6 to 10-pound daypacks.
Not sure if this trip is appropriate for you? Don’t hesitate to contact us.
Our day hikes are 3 to 8 miles long with up to 1,500-feet of elevation gain. I (Matt Stan here) would describe the intensity as a solid 3 out of 5 when including Angels Landing. However, I’d be tempted to call the adventure a 2.5 out of 5 if you decide to to forgo the optional final ridge section of Angels Landing and instead make your destination Scout’s Lookout on our day 5 hike.
Be aware that we start the hike descending from Bryce Canyon’s rim at nearly 9,000 feet of altitude, Zion may have temperatures in the 90’s, and the optional final section of the Angels Landing hike has sheer drop-offs on both sides of the ridge we travel. Those three factors contribute to making this a more challenging adventure.
We can pick you up from any of the following seven hotels, just south of Las Vegas International Airport, between 7:00 and 7:30 AM on the first morning. We'll retun to the same gateway hotels by 5:00 PM on the fifth day.
Baymont by Wyndham Las Vegas South Strip
55 E Robindale Rd, Las Vegas, NV
702-802-0440
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Las Vegas Airport South
355 E Warm Springs Rd, Las Vegas, NV
702-916-2100
Hampton Inn Las Vegas Strip South
7850 Giles St, Las Vegas, NV
702-936-8290
Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South)
7830 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV
702-453-7830
Home2 Suites by Hilton Las Vegas Strip South
7740 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV
702-710-7740
Residence Inn by Marriott Las Vegas Airport
7690 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV
702-407-1942
TownePlace Suites by Marriott Las Vegas Airport South
355 E Warm Springs Rd, Las Vegas, NV
702-916-2101
If arriving by private car, you may be able to make arrangements with one of the gateway hotels to leave your vehicle at their property during our adventure. Alternately, you can park a vehicle at Las Vegas International Airport and use a hotel shuttle bus or rideshare service to join the trip at one of the gateway hotels.
At Bryce Canyon’s 7,600 to 9,000 feet of elevation, in August, we’re likely to experience daytime highs in the 70’s and nighttime lows in the 40’s.
At Zion’s 4,000 to 5,000 feet of elevation, we may encounter daytime highs into the 90’s and nighttime lows in the 60’s.
Our gateway city of Las Vegas is just awful, though. It’s unbearably hot and miserable. Just brace for the worst. We’ll get out of town and into beautiful Utah ASAP.
Be sure to review the packing list carefully. The higher-value items you need to bring are a sleeping bag and a rain jacket.
Try to avoid overpacking. Bringing too much stuff will just slow you down!
We have spectacular tent camping every night of the trip. Our first 2 nights are in the heart of Bryce Canyon National Park. The final two nights are in Zion National Park. Both are amazing places to call home for a while!
Dome-style tents and comfy self-inflating camping mattresses are provided.
Yep. Showers are available for a fee in the town of Springdale, Utah. There will be free time to lather up on the afternoon of day 3.
We can accommodate many common food allergies, sensitivities, and dietary requirements. Please contact us to discuss your specific needs.
Nah. That’s pretty unlikely. This trip is solo traveler friendly!
You can reserve your spot today by paying a $349 deposit. The balance is due 60 days before the trip. Be sure to read the complete Trip and Course Policies.
We recommend taking out a travel insurance policy. Bad Adventures reserves the right to cancel trips and a travel insurance policy keeps you protected. See the Travel Insurance Page for more information.
There's no cancellation fee if you decide to cancel 90 days or more before the trip and we'll even refund your deposit! However, if you cancel less than 90-days before the trip, your deposit is nonrefundable. Additionally, there are significant cancellation fees if you decide to cancel your registration 59 days or less before the trip. Be sure to read the complete Trip and Course Policies.
We only advertise trips we plan to operate. Since our founding in 2013, Bad Adventures has never canceled a multi-day trip. However, we must reserve the right to do so. Be sure to review our Trip and Course Policies and purchase travel insurance.
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