Where to stay for Zion and Bryce Canyon: Springdale, Hurricane, Kanab or Panguitch?

The short answer

• Springdale if you want to walk to the Zion shuttle and do not mind paying the highest prices in the area.
• Hurricane if Zion Canyon is the focus, you want lower prices, and you are happy to drive in each morning. Like Springdale, it lets a large RV reach Zion Canyon without using the tunnel road.
• Kanab if you want one base for both parks, or plan to add Lake Powell or the Grand Canyon's North Rim.
• Panguitch if Bryce Canyon is the priority and you want sunrise at the rim without Bryce Canyon City prices.
• Both parks in three nights or more? Split it: one or two nights near Zion (Springdale or Hurricane), then one or two near Bryce (Panguitch), rather than driving four hours in a day.

Distances and times below come from the National Park Service, Visit Utah and the other sources listed at the end. Hotel scores and prices are from our own checks of Booking.com on 17 Oct 2026. Park rules and prices change, sometimes within a season, so check the official pages before you go.

How far apart are Zion and Bryce Canyon?

The two parks are about 86 miles (138 km) apart, roughly a two-hour drive, according to the National Park Service. The usual route goes east from Zion on the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway (UT-9), through the tunnel, to US-89, then north towards Panguitch and east on Scenic Byway 12, the route Bryce Canyon's own directions page gives. That is why the choice of base matters: a day trip from Springdale to Bryce, or from Panguitch to Zion Canyon, means about four hours in the car before you start walking.

Sources: National Park Service (Zion to Bryce), Visit Utah (Springdale, Kanab, Panguitch and prices) and Kane County Office of Tourism (Kanab to Bryce). The drive times from Hurricane and Panguitch, and from Kanab to Bryce, are our rough estimates; check a map app for your route.

Is it worth paying for Springdale?

Yes, if your trip is mostly about Zion Canyon and you want to start early without driving: Springdale is the closest town to Zion's South Entrance, and Visit Utah notes that most of its hotels are within walking distance of a stop on the free Springdale shuttle. That shuttle connects the town with the park's pedestrian entrance, and from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center the park shuttle runs up the canyon to the trailheads for Angels Landing and the Narrows.

The catch is the price. Visit Utah describes Springdale as charging a premium for its closeness to the park, and points to Kanab, St. George and La Verkin, next to Hurricane, as cheaper options. We do not list any Springdale hotels in this guide yet, so compare prices yourself on the dates you need. If you are visiting in the off-season, the walk-to-the-shuttle advantage disappears for part of the year (see below).

Why stay in Hurricane rather than Springdale?

Because it is cheaper and on the same side of the park as Zion Canyon, at the cost of a daily drive. Hurricane is in the Hurricane Valley on UT-9, between St. George and Zion, and the road to Springdale and the South Entrance does not use the tunnel. Visit Utah puts St. George about 45 minutes from the South Entrance; Hurricane is closer, roughly 35 minutes by car.

Hotel Zion Inn is a motel in Hurricane, about 28 km (17 miles) in a straight line from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. It scores 7.4 on Booking.com from 2,368 reviews (checked 17 Oct 2026), with its highest sub-score for location (8.4). It accepts pets (charges may apply), has a guest laundry and a 24-hour front desk, and the lowest price we found was around €48 a night for two in mid-January 2027. The hotel lists a minimum check-in age of 21.

Two practical points. The park says its parking lots often fill early in the day, so start early. And since 1 March 2026 there is a park-and-ride in Virgin, between Hurricane and Springdale: you park at Zion White Bison Resort and take a shuttle into Springdale for $5 each way, according to the Town of Virgin and Greater Zion. Check its current schedule before you rely on it.

Is Kanab a good base for both parks?

Yes, Kanab is the most central of the four, but every park is a drive. Visit Utah puts Kanab about 30 minutes from Zion's East Entrance and about an hour from the South Entrance; the county tourism office puts Bryce Canyon at 77 miles and the Grand Canyon's North Rim at 78 miles. Visit Utah also says Kanab generally has lower nightly rates than Springdale.

The weak point is Zion Canyon itself. From Kanab you enter through the East Entrance, cross the tunnel and drop down to the visitor centre, where in shuttle season you leave the car and take the bus. It works, but it is an hour each way, and with a large RV it is not possible (see the next section).

Two independent places in Kanab:

• Red Canyon Cabins has cabins and lodge rooms with a garden, picnic area and barbecue, about 1.7 km in a straight line from the Kanab visitor centre. It scores 8.5 on Booking.com from 1,914 reviews (checked 17 Oct 2026), with 9.2 for location, and 4.4 on Google Maps from 838 reviews. Pets are allowed (charges may apply). Around €61 a night for two in mid-January 2027 when we checked.
• Travelers Motel is the budget option: around €37 a night for two in mid-January 2027, the cheapest room in our southern Utah guide. It scores 7.8 on Booking.com from 45 reviews (checked 17 Oct 2026), a small sample. It has a shared kitchen, does not accept pets and takes cards only.

Can you drive an RV through the Zion tunnel?

Not if it is large. Since 7 June 2026, vehicles longer than 35 ft 9 in (10.9 m), wider than 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m), taller than 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m) or heavier than 50,000 lb (22,680 kg) are not allowed on the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance. The limits are on the park's large-vehicle page; the start date was reported by KUER. For a vehicle with a trailer the limit is 50 ft (15.24 m) in total, with the trailer no longer than 26 ft (7.92 m) from hitch to rear axle. The measurements include mirrors, tyres and attachments such as bike racks.

This changes the choice of base. With a large RV, Kanab and Panguitch cannot reach Zion Canyon through the park; you would have to go round on other roads. Hurricane, St. George or Springdale, all on the south side, avoid the problem. The park says vehicles over the limits that arrive at the South or East Entrance are given instructions for turning around, so check your measurements before you set off.

Where should you sleep for Bryce Canyon?

In Panguitch or Bryce Canyon City if sunrise and sunset at the rim are the point. Bryce Canyon City is just north of the park, and the park says its shuttle starts at the shuttle station there. Panguitch, a small town that Visit Utah says was settled in 1864, is about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of the park. Both are high: the park gives 7,894 ft (2,406 m) for the Bryce visitor centre, and Visit Utah puts Panguitch above 6,600 ft (about 2,000 m), so nights are cold for much of the year.

Bryce Gateway Inn & Cabins has log cabins on Highway 12 near the mouth of Red Canyon, outside Panguitch on the way to Bryce, about 5.5 km in a straight line from Red Canyon and 21 km from the Bryce Canyon visitor centre. It scores 7.4 on Booking.com from 902 reviews (checked 17 Oct 2026), with its lowest sub-scores for staff (6.9) and Wi-Fi (6.8). It has a restaurant, Harold's Place, under the same name Booking.com still uses for the property. No pets. Around €50 a night for two in mid-January 2027 when we checked.

How do the shuttles work at each park?

The Zion shuttle is the main way into Zion Canyon for most of the year, while the Bryce shuttle is optional. At Zion, the park says the shuttle runs daily from March to November and over the late-December holidays, and that during the shuttle season the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private cars, even before the first and after the last bus. From 25 October to 28 November 2026 the first bus leaves at 7:00 and the last leaves the visitor centre at 17:00; there is no service from 29 November to 25 December. The shuttle is free and needs no ticket, but you still pay the park entrance fee. Angels Landing needs a separate permit.

At Bryce, the 2026 shuttle season runs from 3 April to 18 October, free with park admission, from the shuttle station in Bryce Canyon City; the park describes it as not mandatory but highly recommended. Pets are not allowed on either park's shuttles.

How much are the entrance fees in 2026?

Each park charges $35 per private vehicle (at Zion it is valid for up to seven days), and visitors who are not US residents also pay $100 per person aged 16 and over at each park. The nonresident fee applies at 11 parks, including Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon. It is waived if you enter with an annual pass or an America the Beautiful pass, which costs $250 for nonresidents and $80 for US residents, and covers everyone in the passholder's private vehicle.

For a couple from abroad visiting both parks in one car, that is $35 plus $200 at Zion and the same again at Bryce, $470 in all, against $250 for the nonresident annual pass. Adding the Grand Canyon makes the pass even more worthwhile. Bryce does not accept cash; Zion prefers cards. In 2026 the fee-free days are for US residents only. See Grand Canyon entrance fees in 2026 for how the same rules work there.

Before you book

• Zion is open 24 hours a day, all year. The Zion Canyon Visitor Center was open 8:00 to 17:00 when we checked.
• Prices here are snapshots. The euro prices are the lowest Booking.com rate for two adults for 12–15 January 2027, converted from dollars, checked on 17 Oct 2026. Summer and autumn weekends usually cost more.
• Rules change. The tunnel limits, shuttle dates and fees above are from the park pages in October 2026; the tunnel limits (since 7 June) and the nonresident fee (since 1 January) are both new this year. Check the Zion and Bryce Canyon pages before you go.

For every motel and cabin we cover in the area, with a map, see where to stay for Zion and Bryce Canyon. How we choose and score places: how we review.