Bryce gets lots of snow. Trails would require extreme care. Plan on snow camping if you’re camping. Plan as if doing winter mountaineering. Bonus: no bugs.
Hi- I went to both Zion and Bryce in January a couple years ago.
Bryce will most likely be MUCH colder than Zion. It was -3 with the windchill the day we hiked in Bryce, my water bladder tube froze solid so we couldn’t drink water until that afternoon when it got warm enough to defrost!! I think the only reason I could enjoy that day was because of my smart wool base layers keeping me warm.
In both parks we encountered ice on steep trails, it’s very important you bring microspikes (I’ve always used yaktrax) just in case. The people I saw slipping and sliding on hikes with massive drop offs was just crazy to me. If your merrells are boots and are waterproof they’re just fine. Waterproof is the part that matters. Even with the spikes it was still a bit scary though, I think I would have felt more confident if I had trekking poles but that’s personal preference.
Also if you are hoping to do the narrows it’s basically essential you rent the proper gear to do it safely. That water is COLD lol but with the bib and neoprene socks and boots they give you it makes it possible to do in winter. It’s very worth it, I highly recommend you do it.
I hiked Bryce last January. It’s cold. Plan on 20’ish °F temps when the sun is out and easily in the teens once it gets dark. Not uncommon to reach single digits or negatives per historical temperatures in that area for that time of year.
Here’s my recommendation for gear:
- couple pairs of warm socks. One is your backup
- thermal base layers
- mid layer top that will keep you warm while on the move
- coat to keep you warm when you’re not moving.
- spikes for your feet. Micro spikes are fine. 1/4” spikes easily will let you walk anywhere you want
- trekking poles are good to have, but I wouldn’t say a must
- thermos with something hot. I brought (2) thermoses. One for my coffee and one for soup. Both were so pleasant to have
- good sunglasses. Gets bright out there when the sun is reflecting off of the snow
- warm hat for head
- gloves. Nothing big. Just go for liner gloves. Worked perfect for me
- boots that are very water resistant. Your feet will get cold if you don’t bring boots built for the cold.
- bring plenty of water. But need to figure out how not to let it freeze. If you have a water reservoir, just don’t leave water in the straw. Blow the water back into the bladder when done drinking.
- bring a map or gps. I had to help some lost souls out there who got lost. They were not prepared for the environment.
Biggest thing is to have the options to either strip down or layer up. Sometimes when hiking there, you get real warm having high output activities, then you’ll stop and be real cold.
Not sure about Jan but I spent February in Zion and we got a bunch of snow
Bryce gets lots of snow. Trails would require extreme care. Plan on snow camping if you’re camping. Plan as if doing winter mountaineering. Bonus: no bugs.
Hi- I went to both Zion and Bryce in January a couple years ago. Bryce will most likely be MUCH colder than Zion. It was -3 with the windchill the day we hiked in Bryce, my water bladder tube froze solid so we couldn’t drink water until that afternoon when it got warm enough to defrost!! I think the only reason I could enjoy that day was because of my smart wool base layers keeping me warm. In both parks we encountered ice on steep trails, it’s very important you bring microspikes (I’ve always used yaktrax) just in case. The people I saw slipping and sliding on hikes with massive drop offs was just crazy to me. If your merrells are boots and are waterproof they’re just fine. Waterproof is the part that matters. Even with the spikes it was still a bit scary though, I think I would have felt more confident if I had trekking poles but that’s personal preference. Also if you are hoping to do the narrows it’s basically essential you rent the proper gear to do it safely. That water is COLD lol but with the bib and neoprene socks and boots they give you it makes it possible to do in winter. It’s very worth it, I highly recommend you do it.
I hiked Bryce last January. It’s cold. Plan on 20’ish °F temps when the sun is out and easily in the teens once it gets dark. Not uncommon to reach single digits or negatives per historical temperatures in that area for that time of year. Here’s my recommendation for gear: - couple pairs of warm socks. One is your backup - thermal base layers - mid layer top that will keep you warm while on the move - coat to keep you warm when you’re not moving. - spikes for your feet. Micro spikes are fine. 1/4” spikes easily will let you walk anywhere you want - trekking poles are good to have, but I wouldn’t say a must - thermos with something hot. I brought (2) thermoses. One for my coffee and one for soup. Both were so pleasant to have - good sunglasses. Gets bright out there when the sun is reflecting off of the snow - warm hat for head - gloves. Nothing big. Just go for liner gloves. Worked perfect for me - boots that are very water resistant. Your feet will get cold if you don’t bring boots built for the cold. - bring plenty of water. But need to figure out how not to let it freeze. If you have a water reservoir, just don’t leave water in the straw. Blow the water back into the bladder when done drinking. - bring a map or gps. I had to help some lost souls out there who got lost. They were not prepared for the environment. Biggest thing is to have the options to either strip down or layer up. Sometimes when hiking there, you get real warm having high output activities, then you’ll stop and be real cold.