Bryce Canyon National Park in Bryce, Utah is one of my favorite places in the entire world! Daylen and I love seeing the national parks, and Bryce ties with Yellowstone for us on our favorite national parks list. We visit with our annual national parks pass - *$80 for a year of unlimited access to any national park, and have hiked through a lot of the **hoodoos! Just ask my 'I Hiked the Hoodoos' sticker. The longest loop we have hiked is the 8.3 mile Navajo Loop / Peek-a-boo Loop Trail, and it was breathtakingly beautiful!
Bryce Canyon was officially made a national park in 1928. It is named after an early Mormon settler, Ebenezer Bryce, who lived near the canyon nicknamed 'Bryce's Canyon' in 1874. President Warren G. Harding later made Bryce Canyon a national monument in 1923, with Congress eventually re-designating it as a national park in 1928. The rim of Bryce Canyon sits at about 8,960 feet and is almost double the elevation of our hometown, Logan, Utah. Because of the high elevation, temperatures at Bryce Canyon are around 20 degrees cooler than nearby Zion National Park, so bring a coat if you're going in spring, and expect lots of snow in the winter!
Things to do at Bryce Canyon National Park:
1. Look out over the rim! The rim has many very easily accessible points. Visitors will be able to view the entire amphitheater of hoodoos and rock formations from the various points on the rim. Our favorites are Sunset Point and Inspiration Point! Make sure to come back at sunrise or sunset to photograph the hoodoos from the rim. The rim is wheelchair accessible. You can hike the entire 11 mile rim trail as well.
2. Hike the Navajo Loop Trail! The Navajo loop is a moderate level, 3 mile hike that takes hikers down into the bottom of the amphitheater. You'll also walk by the famous hoodoo, 'Thor's Hammer!' This is my favorite hoodoo in the park. There is some steep downhill and uphill on the trail, but most people are able to go on the Navajo Loop. It is almost flat at the bottom of the canyon. The trail is wet in the spring from snow-melt, so make sure you wear shoes with lots of traction that can get dirty! In summer and fall, it is dry. My recommendation is to go down the Wall Street way, and back up the Thor's Hammer way. You'll also hike by Two Bridges, which is a super cool rock formation!
3. Photograph the Natural Bridge! The Natural Bridge can either be seen on one of the many trails at Bryce, or from an easy pull-off. It is a natural bridge-like arch that is 85 ft. long and 125 ft. high! The Natural Bridge is a can't miss rock formation at Bryce Canyon. No hiking required!
4. Hike the Peek-a-boo Loop Trail! One of the harder trails at Bryce Canyon, the Navajo - Peek-a-boo Trail shows off some amazing sights. You'll start on the Navajo Loop Trail and see Wall Street Gorge, Thor's Hammer, Two Bridges and the zig-zag paths to the bottom. On the bottom of the loop, you'll start the Peek-a-boo Loop Trail and see The Cathedral, The Wall of Windows, The Alligator and more. The total distance of both connecting loops is about 8.3 miles. It is a hard 8.3 miles of up and downhill, so only hike this long loop if you are prepared with good hiking shoes and water! But, it is so worth the views and experience.
5. Hike the Mossy Cave Trail! This one is a little out of the way so not many people know about it! That means it's a lot less busy too. If you're starting at Ruby's Inn area, to get to Mossy Cave you head out the opposite way of the park entrance to the roundabout and go towards Tropic. It's only five minutes down the road! It's technically in the park, just not the main area. There is a gorgeous waterfall and cool mossy cave! It forks off at the top to go to each thing separately. So gorgeous! And the only place in the park with a small river. In the winter, the mossy cave has beautiful icicles. 0.8 miles roundtrip, easy.
6. Hike the Queens Garden Trail! This is an easier 1.8 mile hike that starts out at Sunrise Point on the rim. This trail has great views, and doesn't quite have the altitude change of trails like the Navajo Loop. You'll see the beautiful Queen Victoria rock formation, along with a panoramic view of the rim hoodoos! It does go into the Navajo Loop trail at the bottom as well so you can go back up to Sunset Point instead of Sunrise.
7. Hike the Fairyland Loop! The Fairyland Loop is right outside of the fee station, so if you aren't going into the park and just have a couple hours, this is a good hike to go on. It's so beautiful! You'll hike down into the bottom of the canyon and over near Sunset Point. There are some great views and photo spots! And it's typically less crowded since it's not in the main area of the park. Trail pictured below.
8. Stargaze 'Bryce at Night'! Stargazing is one of the coolest things to do at Bryce Canyon! The park is open 24/7, and they even have a summer stargazing festival for stargazers and photographers. We drove into the main overlook at about midnight and setup my camera for a long exposure and it was such a cool experience! We turned our headlamps off while the camera was taking photos, and listened to the wind rush through the hoodoos. It was pretty eerie, but I'll never forget it.
9. Visit the Visitor's Center and shops! The Bryce Canyon Visitor's center is one of my favorites. You can walk through their mini museum teaching you all about Bryce Canyon and their prairie dogs, get a stamp on your national parks passport, and buy all the souvenirs your heart desires! There are also some cute little shops in town across from Ruby's and one has ice cream! At the visitor's center, you can grab a Jr Ranger program (any age) or ask about the "I hiked the hoodoos" program. "I hiked the hoodoos" is so fun! You'll need to take 3 photos with medallions that are at the top of hikes around the park (or 2 medallions but 3 miles hiked). If you bring your photos with the sign medallions into the visitor's center, you'll get a cool "I hiked the hoodoos" sticker for free!
10. Get professional photos taken! Bryce Canyon is my absolute favorite place in the entire world for photo sessions. From senior to family to wedding, your photos will look AMAZING. Bring your fancy clothes and have photos taken in the red rocks. I am always up for traveling to Bryce Canyon for sessions! Click here to learn more about adventure sessions and book one in Bryce.
Bonus: Red Canyon! Red Canyon isn't technically part of Bryce, but you'll drive through it on the way to the park. It is public land in the Dixie National Forest so you can camp there, bring dogs (unlike the park where the Paws on Pavement rule is in effect), hike, bike, etc. It's a great place for an evening walk or morning bike ride!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope your Bryce Canyon National Park trip is absolutely terrific. Comment if you have any questions or thoughts! You can order prints of these Bryce Canyon images in our shop. See more on my Instagram and Pinterest. Below are our other Bryce Canyon recommendations!
Lodging:
Ruby's Inn, Bryce, UT - Click here to see their website. (pictured)
Local camping on BLM land. (pictured)
Food:
Family / Wedding Photography:
Abigail Erin Photography - Click here to see their website.
Nature Photography:
Abigail Erin Photography - Click here to see their website.
Souvenirs:
Bryce Canyon Visitor's Center
Ruby's Inn Gift Shop - Click here to see their website
*The Annual National Parks Pass can be bought at any national park. Not valid for state parks.
**Hoodoos are the colorful rock formations at Bryce Canyon NP, similar to pillars. Natives thought they were people turned to stone by coyotes.