Escorted & Package Tours

A number of nationally recognized companies offer tours that include Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks and surrounding areas. In most cases, all you do is pay, and then the outfitters arrange everything, including lodging, meals, and transportation. Offerings range from fairly standard bus tours to luxury adventure vacations, where you spend your days hiking or biking and your evenings being pampered with gourmet meals, hot tubs, and first-class hotels. You'll want to contact tour operators as far in advance as possible, as reservations are required and group sizes are limited. The adventure tour operators generally specialize in small groups and have trips for various levels of ability and physical fitness. Trips are offered in a range of price categories, from basic to luxurious, and are of varying lengths.

For a list of outfitters in Utah, as well as a lot of other useful information and Web links, contact the Utah Office of Tourism, Council Hall/Capitol Hill, 300 N. State St., Salt Lake City, UT 84114 (tel. 800/200-1160 or 801/538-1030; www.utah.com), or check out the website of Utah Guides & Outfitters, www.utah-adventures.com.

In addition to the companies listed below, one well-respected national company that offers tours to southern Utah's national parks is Tauck Tours (tel. 800/788-7885; www.tauck.com). A good online source for a variety of outdoor adventure trips offered by various outfitters is GORPtravel (www.gorptravel.com). Now, here are some of our favorite tour operators:

• Austin-Lehman Adventures, P.O. Box 81025, Billings, MT 59108-1025 (tel. 800/575-1540 or 406/655-4591; www.austinlehman.com), offers guided multiday hiking tours in Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks and surrounding areas.
• Backroads, 801 Cedar St., Berkeley, CA 94710-1800 (tel. 800/462-2848 or 510/527-1555; www.backroads.com), offers a variety of guided multiday road biking, mountain biking, and hiking tours in Zion and Bryce Canyon.
• Bicycle Adventures, P.O. Box 11219, Olympia, WA 98508 (tel. 800/443-6060 or 360/786-0989; www.bicycleadventures.com), offers guided multiday hiking and biking excursions in Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks.
• REI Adventures, P.O. Box 1938, Sumner, WA 98390 (tel. 800/622-2236 or 253/437-1100; www.rei.com/adventures), offers guided multiday hiking treks into Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, plus a unique trip on New Year's Day that includes a bit of snowshoeing.
• The World Outdoors, 2840 Wilderness Place, Ste. D, Boulder, CO 80301 (tel. 800/488-8483 or 303/413-0938; www.theworldoutdoors.org), offers a variety of trips, including hiking and multisport adventures in Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, as well as adventures in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks and the north rim of the Grand Canyon.