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Grand Canyon, Bryce & Zion Multisport

Grand Canyon, Bryce & Zion Multisport

Big fun on a big scale is yours for the taking in the spectacular playgrounds of Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion. Your family will enjoy discovering the high-desert landscape, otherworldly rock formations and jaw-dropping vistas of three of the nation’s most colorful natural parks. Immerse yourselves in the beauty of the Grand Canyon following scenic trails on foot (and perhaps even on the back of a mule!), and hike among the spindly spires and pinnacles of Bryce. Venture along one of the many footpaths that zigzag through Zion Canyon. Plenty of options, time to explore at your leisure and Backroads leaders who know the native flora and fauna inside and out make this a fantastic journey for the whole family!

Days 1-2 Grand Canyon

Meet in St. George  Journey to the Grand Canyon across the high-desert landscape with spectacular views of the Kaibab Plateau Revel in the vastness of the canyon as you walk to our historic lodge, perched right on the North Rim  While kids discover the canyon the way early explorers did - on the back of a mule! - adults hike into its depths If you're up for more, follow the secluded Widforss Trail for wide-open vistas across the canyon or take the scenic drive to Cape Royal, where you can see superb views of the Colorado River as it slices through the Earth. 

Days 3-4 Bryce Canyon

En route to Bryce Canyon National Park admire expansive high-desert views of the Grand Staircase, stop for a picnic and walk to the remarkable Vermillion Cliffs Hike along the rim of Bryce Canyon  On a trek to Queen’s Garden, discover pink hoodoos and vivid rock formations sprouting from the canyon floor  Adults and older kids with strong legs can opt to bike a hilly route to Rainbow Point, the highest spot in Bryce Keep your eyes open for desert creatures, like lizards and chipmunks, as they dart playfully across the landscape  Relax at our lodge set amid the pines.

Days 5-6 Zion

Savor a breezy descent out of Bryce and along a quiet bike path through red rocks and spires toward Zion National Park Venture into the Virgin River on one of Zion’s most famous hikes, the Narrows Kids learn canyoneering basics from experienced guides and instructors, while adults cap off the trip with an easygoing walk past Emerald Pools, a thrilling climb to Angels Landing or a challenging hike to Observation Point - all with spectacular views   Return to St. George.

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WILD WEST: Casual Inns

Grand Canyon Lodge-North Rim (2 nights): Perched above the grandeur of the North Rim, this rustic stone-and-wood lodge is conveniently located near numerous hiking trails.

Bryce Canyon Lodge (2 nights): Listed on the National Historic Register, this simple park lodge is nestled in a pine forest just steps from the canyon rim.

Cliffrose Lodge & Gardens (1 night): A riverside oasis in the Southwest, featuring lush gardens, an inviting pool and hot tub, play areas and a riverside beach.

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

On this Family Trip, our routes follow gentle terrain with no significant gain or loss in elevation. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking & Hiking
Level 1 2-3 hours 10-20 mile 2-5 miles
Level 2 2-4 hours 21-30 miles 5-7 miles
Level 3 3-5 hours 31-40 miles 7-9 miles
Level 4 4-6 hours 41-55 miles 9-11 miles
Level 5 5-7+ hours 56-75+ miles 11-13+ miles
2010 DATES
FAMILY TRIPS
Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 6 years

Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 7 years

Minimum age restriction for canyoneering: 6 years

Minimum age restriction for mule ride: 7 years

General Info on Minimum Ages:

We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Guest Trip Reviews

This was the best trip ever—it combined the right amount of adult time with family time, exercise and leisure. Given the five-year difference in our kids' ages, combined with our younger son's endless energy, we wanted to find the family vacation that satisfied all our needs and goals, and Backroads fulfilled this in every way. Additionally, our leaders' willingness to be flexible with regard to our itinerary made the trip even more tailored to us. A perfect blend of activity, downtime, family, new friends. We are new fans!
Janet Myers - Menlo Park, CA

What an amazing family experience!! We could never have accomplished near this amount of activities, left to our own devices. Nor have challenged ourselves as much. We enjoyed the entire experience, and hold its memory dear!
Cathy Kaempfer - Saint Augustine, FL

Backroads is the way to travel - it was great having all the logistics taken care of. We could just relax and enjoy the trip. The sights were incredible and the activities fun. My children, ages 6-17, all had a wonderful vacation. I cannot say enough nice things about our leaders - they were awesome. I would recommend this trip to anyone who likes to be active and appreciates nature.
Pat English - Wauwatosa WI

This has been the best trip our family has ever taken. Please extend my sentiments to the owner of Backroads: "the quality of the backroads experience…is unsurpassed. I will be back. Thank you very much.”
John Storment - Lafayette, LA

This trip exceeded our expectations in every way. I kept telling my friends for weeks afterwards about Backroads and the fact that not a detail was missed. All of our leaders were excellent. We liked that there were always options in terms of length of hikes or bike trips. We liked the options. We can't say enough good things about our Backroads experience.
Elizabeth Cohen - Wilmette, IL

The trip in the canyon areas exceeded my high expectations. Our family had a wonderful time and truly enjoyed our vacation together. This was our second Backroads trip and reinforced our pre-existing belief that Backroads trips are the best way to see new areas.
Ken LeClair - Needham, MA

The trip exceeded all our expectations - which had been set pretty high by previous Backroads clients we know.
Ken Hoyt - Hopkinton, MA