Bryce / Zion in September...

We camped two weeks at Bryce in July. We have a 33 foot fifth wheel. Several spots in Sunset available everyday. Many of the sites are first come. Reservation sites are mostly out of country visitors. If you like to hike, Bryce is fantastic.

According to your Profile you have a 20' RV. You will definitely find a spot in both Zion and Bryce in September especially if you can arrive during the week and by early afternoon.

We were always able to get sites with our 40' motorhome by arriving early. We rarely made reservations. Have a good trip - from another Michigander!

Don't forget to look out the east side of Zion. We stayed in Glendale a couple years ago, took a little drive to get to the park, but great scenery. Another thought out the east is down to Kanab, UT and possibly Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Nice camping loops and Google Maps shows about a 45 minute drive one way. We did see other campgrounds closer to the park, but we haven't been in them. An upside is driving through the tunnels both ways, beautiful scenery and a nice drive. A downside is driving through the tunnels, if you get a late start, you can get hung up by traffic shutdowns for oversized loads.

First, about the Midnight thing. I tried that for another park recently and was told to wait until 10am (I think Eastern Time).

The Watchman campground has electricity which is important in the summer and fall for to run your A/C. If you're in the self-serve campground inside the park that time of year should be OK as others have advised.

If you stay in Springdale, just outside the park the shuttle system can be caught there too. Since it looks like you have a TT and truck, you can stay as far away as you'd like (e.g. Zion River Resort is pricey and very nice), but being inside the park at dawn/dusk is pretty special. I live 45-minutes away and make regular day trips. Last November was our first camping trip inside since 2000 and we were very glad to do it.

Don't skip Zion!
We've been to most national parks and Zion is a favorite.

"On April 12, 1995, heavy rains triggered a landslide that blocked the Virgin River in Zion Canyon. Over a period of two hours, the river carved away part of the only exit road from the canyon, trapping 450 guests and employees at the Zion Lodge." Quote from Wikipedia.

This event was reported on by a trapped newsperson. Who did not really want to be rescued as they had been enticed with the charm of the park.

This triggered lots of interest in the park which never subsided and resulted in the shuttle service starting in 2000.

Believe me before the 1980's the park without many people was even more wonderful.
We have a picture of our 50 year old son drinking an orange soda there when he was about 4.
Even broke my arm in Zion on a family camping trip in the early 1950's, I was just 7 or 8.

Would never pass an opportunity to go back.
Well maybe I just have a lot of good memories of a spectacular place.

On Edit:
A fun thing to do at Bryce Canyon is to stand at Sunrise point when a tour buss unloads and listen to the gasps when people see into the canyon for the first time.

We camped at Zion and Bryce last year got to the campgrounds before noon had no problem finding camp,site.i would think Sept would be less crowded .we were there middle of Aug.

The biggest advantage of camping in Zion is that the shuttle service allows you to walk from camp to the shuttle stop and ride from there. (You can't drive your vehicle into the canyon itself.) As for Bryce, You can generally find a non-reservable spot that time of year as long as you don't arrive on a Friday or Saturday night. There's also Red Canyon NFS CG nearby that is first-come, first-served.

But whether it's campgrounds or boondocking locations, you'll find yourself in some competition on weekends as southern Utah is popular in the fall when it gets a little cold and snowy to camp in the mountains.

There is a lot of good boondocking near Kodachrome, south and east of Bryce. But I would investigate the campground at Kodachrome -- it is less crowded than the national parks, and very quiet most of the time.

This is a view from a hilltop near the campground:



Here is our blog posting, with lots of pictures:

Kodachrome, Bryce, and Zion

Those parks are worth the effort including staying outside the park as required. We've stayed at Panguitch which gave good access to other areas and at a not so great CG right at the beginning to the road to Bryce.

Thank you for the reassurance ... I'll be hitting the road in the fall and see what I see.

Reading about places to visit, I get overwhelmed by all the rules and like you said, competing with the masses.