Plitvice from Split - via Zadar or direct?

We will be in Croatia in mid-late September this year. We are traveling from Korcula to Split (possibly staying in Trogir rather than Split - not yet decided). We would like to go to Plitvice National Park on our way to Zagreb and are trying to figure out the best way to do that (we are traveling by public transportation). It looks like it might be easier to get to Plitvice from Zadar than it is to go directly from Split. Is the trip along the coast by bus to Zadar and possible overnight in Zadar worth doing? Is it easier to get to Plitvice from Zadar than it is from Split by bus? We would probably stay overnight in Plitvice to have a little more time there; not sure if we might need to book two nights to deal with transportation. I'm finding bus information to be not all that clear, so part of the issue is when buses leave/arrive from all these places. I also understand that not all buses stop at Plitvice. It looks from our initial planning that we may end up in Plitvice on a Saturday and/or Sunday (not because we want to be there on the week-end but fixed trip out of Dubrovnik will likely mean that is the way the timing falls out.) I'd also be interested in any suggestions re: where to stay in Plitvice. Thanks!