May is a great time of year to visit this area. Zion is beautiful and May will be perfect for car camping and day hiking there. Cold nights and warm days. I’ve done the Narrows top-to-bottom overnight backpacking trip and it was amazing. But the water levels may not allow this in May (I did it in late September). Depending on the river levels, you could also possibly day hike up the Narrows and see the best parts (be ready for crowds). There are outfitters in town that can rent you gear (dry boots/pants) for this….highly recommended. Angels Landing is another iconic day hike there. Bryce isn’t too far from Zion (a couple of hours) and is a beautiful place for day hiking. It is at higher elevation and will be colder at night….you might want to check the average overnight lows for May and make sure you have a warm enough sleeping bag. Then from Bryce, you could go to Page, AZ Â (possibly Escalante before that?) and check out Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. From Page, enter the east side of Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim). The rim is higher elevation and cool at night. Backpacking in GC is amazing and the hike down to Phantom Ranch (down on South Kaibab trail and up on Bright Angel trail) should be on everyone’s bucket list. No need for a guide. These main trails are easy to follow, but make sure you are researched and prepared. The inner canyon will be pretty hot in May, and this is a very strenuous hike, one that you should definitely train for. If you decide to do it, you can always try to get a backcountry permit and camp at Bright Angel Campground (next to Phantom Ranch). I’d try for 2 nights there, or 1 night there and 1 at Indian Garden, to split up the hike out of the Canyon. You can hire a mule duffel service to haul your camping gear down to the river (and back up) for a fee. Â From Grand Canyon, I recommend a trip to Sedona. There is a lot to see and do there. There is also camping and Sedona lies at a lower (warmer) elevation.
If you hit all of these areas, and don’t do any backpacking, I’d spread them out something like this:
Zion 2-3 days
Bryce 1 full day
**Escalante 1-2 days?
Page 2 days
Grand Canyon 1 day (more if backpacking of course)
Sedona 1-2 days
**Someone else could tell you more about Escalante….it would probably be good for a day or two between Bryce and Page, but I’ve never been there and can’t give you much advice. I’ve been wanting to check out Peekaboo and Spooky Canyons in that area…probably lots more there that I don’t know about.
No matter what you decide, if you need permits for backpacking or campsite reservations in a national park, you need to work on getting those ASAP. These places are very difficult to book at the last minute…and you may be too late to get some of the more popular reservations. You’ve picked a fantastic area and a good time of year. Enjoy!
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