Bryce Canyon’s iconic hoodoos and majestic red rock landscape draws more than a million visitors each year. Learn how to make the most of your visit to Bryce Canyon National Park!
Visitor Center
Start your Bryce Canyon National Park trip at the visitor center, located about 1.5 miles inside the main entrance. The visitor center boasts a museum with interpretive displays about Bryce Canyon’s unique geology, Native American and pioneer history, and wildlife. The visitor center is the place to obtain back-country permits, chat up the rangers, and get info and maps. There’s also a gift shop and restrooms. Be sure to catch the award-winning short film about Bryce Canyon, shown every half hour. The visitor center is open year round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Setred epipp nybelt om tins makront. Sost sat. Besm dases premyr sös prelig. Nod lasör är spen. Tringar kvasifar plaras exobol, megajäledes.
Spera firtad kvasilig. Desävärade sende, än googla i boheten. Sagisk äskap trerade i sms-anställning eftersom durende.
Rim Road Drive/ Rim Trail
The 20-mile scenic Rim Road through the park gives a great overview of Bryce Canyon’s majestic beauty, and it’s a great option if you only have a few hours to see the park. The Rim Road Drive leads to 16 scenic overlooks including these visitor favorites:
- Sunrise Point and Sunset Point — appropriately named for best viewing times
- Bryce Point — also perfect for watching the sun rise
- Natural Bridge — actually a natural arch, located about halfway along the scenic drive
- Rainbow Point — the furthest overlook from the visitor center and the highest point in the park
To fully take in all the Bryce Canyon National Park has to offer takes more than a scenic drive, so take your time and plan to stay for a couple of days. The Rim Trail is a lengthy 11-mile round trip along the rim from Fairyland Point to Bryce Point, connecting all the scenic overlooks in between. This is a great way to see the hoodoos and views from the rim, without being confined to your car. Both the scenic drive and Rim Trail lead to several hiking trailheads.
Take a Hike
Some of the best experiences at Bryce Canyon come from descending the hiking trails into the amphitheaters and walking amongst the hoodoos. There are several trails designed for day hikes including the very popular Navajo Loop Trail, a moderately difficult 1.3-mile roundtrip loop that descends 520 feet in less than a mile. Descend into the amphitheater from the rim at Sunset Point via a series of switchbacks, head through Wall Street where you’ll see ancient Douglas Fir trees, then loop back up to the rim or connect to Queen’s Garden (4.9 miles total) or Peekaboo (2.9 miles total).
Easy/short hikes include Upper Inspiration Point (about half-mile along the rim), Mossy Cave Trail (great for families at just 1 mile round trip), and Bristlecone Pine (another family-friendly, 1-mile hike), and the 3.8-mile Hat Shop Trail. Lengthier hikes include Peekaboo Trail, a steep 5.5-mile round trip shared horse trail that begins at Bryce Point; Fairyland Loop, a strenuous 8.3-mile hike that leads to Campbell Canyons and Boat Mesa; and Tower Bridge Trail, another 8.3-mile hike that spurs of Fairyland Loop. Just keep in mind whenever you’re hiking down into the amphitheaters that you’ll also have to hike back up!
Hit the Backcountry Trails: Bryce Canyon National Park’s backcountry trails offer rugged adventure in the midst of unimaginable beauty and solitude. Backcountry hikes include the 22.9-mile Under-the-Rim Trail and the 8.8-mile Rigg Springs Loop trail. Expect serious changes in elevation (from 6,800 feet to 9,115 feet) and know your personal limits. There are first-come campsites along both trails and permits are required for all overnight stays. You can also hike into Bryce Canyon from the nearby town of Tropic. Permits are only issued in person at the Visitor Center, and range from $5-15 depending on the size of your group.
We’re Here All Year: Bryce Canyon National Park is open year round. Most visitors flock here in the peak warmer months. At the high elevation (6,800 to 9,000 feet), you can almost always beat the summer heat, especially in the evenings when temperatures drop dramatically. But you can also beat the crowds by visiting in fall or winter, when the snow-capped hoodoos and spires look more beautiful than ever and the air is crisp and dry. It’ll be chilly, but since Bryce Canyon is high desert, it rarely drops below freezing.Don’t Forget Your Camera: Bryce Canyon’s incredible beauty lends itself to outstanding photo opps. The colorful, sculpted hoodoos stand proudly beneath breathtaking blue skies. Stunning, expansive vistas, massive buttes and eroded fins, windows and spires create a mystical wonderland just waiting to be captured on camera. Sunrise and Sunset Points are aptly named to set the ideal stage for magic through the lens.
Ranger Programs: Take advantage of Bryce Canyon National Park’s free ranger-led programs, including a Junior Ranger program for kids, full moon guided hikes, and an astronomy program. Sign up at the Visitor Center for these programs.
Wish Upon A Star: Bryce Canyon has some of the clearest skies in the country and a 7.4 magnitude night sky, one of the darkest in North America. On a clear night, stargazers can see an estimated 7,500 stars with the naked eye —compared to the dozens typically viewable in brightly lit cities. The annual Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival attracts thousands of visitors. Check at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center for stargazing programs that may be available when you visit.
And That’s Not All: Bryce Canyon National Park is just the beginning of what Mother Nature has to offer. Red Canyon is just a quick scenic drive along Scenic Byway 12 or ride on the Red Canyon Bike Trail. Known for the 67 towering sand pipes that dominate its desert landscape, Kodachrome Basin State Park is a photographer’s paradise. Grosvenor Arch is another must-see, just a short drive through rugged Cottonwood Canyon via Cottonwood Canyon Road.
Sleep and Eat: There are two campgrounds and a lodge inside Bryce Canyon National Park, but if you’re looking for other options, there are a variety of lodging, restaurants and other amenities throughout Bryce Canyon Country. Bryce City, Cannonville, Tropic and Panguitch are the closest towns with lodging to Bryce Canyon National Park, but just about anywhere in Bryce Canyon Country is within a reasonable driving distance. Be sure to check out our interactive trip planner, and plan to stay awhile!
Read Part One of the Insider’s Guide to Bryce Canyon – here.
Read more about the Insider’s Guide to Bryce Canyon National Park – here.
