Bryce Canyon National Park, with its otherworldly landscape of orange, pink, and yellow hoodoos, is a hiker’s paradise. Most hikers choose to spend 1 to 2 days exploring this park’s trails and hoodoos. Whether you have a single day or a whole weekend, this itinerary will guide you through the best trails and experiences Bryce Canyon has to offer.
Gearing Up: Driving from Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon National Park lies approximately 80 miles east of Zion National Park. The scenic drive takes about 2 hours, offering stunning views of southern Utah’s diverse landscape through Mt. Carmel Junction.
Head east on UT-9 from Springdale, then take US-89 north. Finally, take UT-12 east which will lead you directly to the turn off for Bryce Canyon City.
Bryce Canyon City: Your Home Base
Nestled just outside the park entrance, Bryce Canyon City offers a variety of lodging options, places to eat, and stores to visit. This area of Utah is somewhat remote, so staying in or near Bryce Canyon City
- Lodging: Choose from hotels, lodges, cabins, and campgrounds to suit your needs and budget.
- Restaurants: Find a variety of restaurants offering casual dining and mostly American food.
- Shops: Gear up for your hikes with outdoor apparel stores or browse souvenir shops for mementos of your trip.
Finding an Airbnb
If you’re on a budget, try searching for rentals via Airbnb. We found a clean, quiet, and well-located one in nearby Tropic, Utah. It was only about a 20 minute drive from the park entrance and it helped us save a bit of money. Plus, it was located right on the main street (still very quiet) so we could walk across the road to grab dinner.
10 Trails at Bryce Canyon Ranked Hardest to Easiest
Bryce Canyon National Park offers a diverse range of trails catering to all experience levels. Whether you’re an adrenaline-seeking hiker or a casual sightseer, you’ll find the perfect path to explore the park’s breathtaking hoodoos and scenery. Here’s a breakdown of 10 challenging, moderate, and easy trails at Bryce Canyon, including their distance, elevation gain, and estimated time to complete.
Hardest Trails:
- Under-the-Rim Trail: Strenuous back country trail with varied terrain, taking you through forests and along canyon edges.
- Distance: Varies (typically 23 miles one way)
- Elevation Gain: 5,500 feet
- Average Time: 2-3 days
- Riggs Spring Loop: A demanding trail leading you through spruce, fir, and bristlecone forests to a secluded spring. Steep ascents and descents are along this back country trail.
- Distance: 8.5 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet
- Average Time: 5-7 hours
- Fairyland Loop: Demanding trail showcasing unique rock formations, like Tower Bridge and Sinking Ship, with steep descents and climbs along the way.
- Distance: 8 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 1,900 feet
- Average Time: 4-5 hours
- Peekaboo Loop: Challenging hike with lots of hoodoos and switchbacks. Enjoy views of the Wall of Windows, Cathedral, and Hindu Temples.
- Distance: 5.5 miles round trip (from Bryce Point)
- Elevation Gain: 1,555 feet
- Average Time: 3-4 hours
- Hat Shop Trail: A challenging route with narrow paths and some scrambling sections. Walk to a cluster of narrow, orange pinnacles with “hat” like gray boulder formations.
- Distance: 4 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 1,380 feet
- Average Time: 3-4 hours
Moderate Trails:
- Navajo Loop: A moderate hike showcasing iconic Bryce Canyon formations like Wall Street and Thor’s Hammer, with moderate inclines and descents.
- Distance: About 1.3 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 515 feet
- Average Time: 1-2 hours
- Queens Garden Trail: Descend into the canyon, passing by Queen Victoria and ET Hoodoo formations with beautiful views.
- Distance: 1.8 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 450 feet
- Average Time: 1.5-2 hours
- Mossy Cave Trail: A moderate hike to a unique cave with moss-covered walls, perfect for families and has views of a waterfall.
- Distance: 0.8 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 150 feet
- Average Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Sunset Point to Sunrise Point Trail: A moderate walk along the rim of Bryce Canyon, providing stunning views at any time of day without significant elevation changes.
- Distance: 1 mile one way
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Average Time: 30 minutes
- Bristlecone Loop: Hike in the southern part of the park through bristlecone pine trees up to 1,800 years old with sweeping vistas of the canyon.
- Distance: 1 mile round trip
- Elevation Gain: 200 feet
- Average Time: 1-1.5 hours
My 1.5 Day Bryce Canyon Itinerary
We visited Bryce on a trip that also included flying into Las Vegas and hiking in Zion National Park, Kanab, Grand Canyon (North Rim), Buckskin Gulch, and Valley of Fire.
Going west to east, we allotted 1.5 days to spend at Zion and another 1.5 days at Bryce. So, one of the mornings, we woke up super early because we had won the earliest lottery time to hike Angels Landing (oh joy). After that amazing, adrenaline-pumping trek, it was only mid-morning (maybe around 10 am by the time we were back at the car). So, we still had plenty of daylight left for exploring and headed out on the road from Zion to Bryce.
Exiting Zion via the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway is a renowned scenic drive in itself. You wind through curves around impressive sandstone cliffs and checkerboard mesas. Plus, the views are even more grand when emerging from the darkness of a tunnel. As you continue driving northbound, the views shift to more farm land with Dixie National Forest nearby. Forests of dense pine trees surround Bryce, and as you get closer, they shade the impressive hoodoos and amphitheater almost right until the end.
Half Day Itinerary at Bryce Canyon – Upon Arrival
Instead of driving to our Airbnb to unload, we went straight to the park. Although our legs were tired from the day’s earlier hike, I didn’t want to lose out on this trip and not take advantage of our valuable hiking time. We decided on hiking from Fairyland Loop Trailhead to Tower Bridge to get our first below the rim experience immersed with the hoodoos.
I chose this trail because I wanted to get to see each area of Bryce Canyon National Park. Fairyland Loop is a bit away from the more crowded areas, and its elevation gain didn’t seem like a huge challenge (at first). This was a 3.5 mile moderate hike that ended with views of the impressive natural arch of Tower Bridge. We also got to see formations like Cresent Castle, Oastler Castle and the Chinese Wall.
A few hours later, we had made it back to the rim and we were exhausted. We packed up our gear and headed to check in at our Airbnb in nearby Tropic, Utah. Our room was right on the main road and within walking distance of a couple restaurants. We chose the Pizza Place across the street – mainly because it was the closest!
Day Two – Sunrise at Bryce Canyon
The next day, we woke up before sunrise – we are on east coast time, so early rising while out west isn’t much of a struggle. I had wanted to watch the sunrise at Bryce, so we were sure to arrive just as the day’s light was beginning to shine. However, we didn’t get much of that precious daylight because it turned out to be a cloudy day!
There are two well known spots along the rim called Sunrise and Sunset Points that you may want to stop at during your visit. We chose Sunset Point for sunrise because it was the trailhead for our hike. So, once realizing the sunrise wasn’t going to be as magical and eye opening as I had hoped, alas, we headed out on our first trek for the day.
Bryce Canyon Figure Eight Trail
The Figure Eight Trail at Bryce involves hiking Wall Street, Navajo Loop, Queens Garden, and Peekaboo Loop. It’s a 6.3 mile moderately challenging hike with about 1,500 feet of elevation gain. I loved this combination of trails because we got to do the park’s most popular and worthwhile trails in one fellow swoop. It’s a solid half-day hike with the mileage and considered to be strenuous by the NPS.
Wall Street itself is an incredible natural wonder. Hiking down the switchbacks of this narrow slot canyon was an amazing experience I’ll always remember.
Once on Navajo Loop, you’ll understand the terrain for most of the rest of the hike below the canyon rim, with a wide, mostly dirt, and well-maintained path. Magnificent, towering hoodoos and unique rock formations will be waiting around every turn for the remainder of this hike on Peekaboo Loop Trail.
One of my favorite parts of Bryce Canyon were the rock passageways and tunnels – I think we passed through at least 3 separate ones on this trek!
Give yourself about 4 hours to do this trek, and be prepared to share the trail with passing horses and mules in the warmer seasons.
Drive the Scenic Park Road
Our legs were pumping after this trek, and the clouds were rolling in a bit heavier by mid-day. Rain was headed our way quickly, but we still had more to see.
Once in the car and headed south from Sunset Point, we stopped at the overlook of Inspiration Point. This is a MUST while at Bryce as it’s one of the best expansive views of the hoodoo-filled canyon you can experience. There is a very short, paved path that leads you to the Lower Inspiration Point overlook.
Continuing the drive, there are several other overlooks, but the next one I’d strongly recommend is for Natural Bridge.
I had wanted to drive all the way to the end and reach Yovimpa Point, where you can access the Bristlecone Loop and Rainbow Point. But, rain was steadily falling at that point, and we were ready for a nap! We ended up relaxing in our rental car for an hour at the stop for Natural Bridge while it rained. Then, when the drops began letting up, we were starving and headed out of the park to get something to eat.
Explore the Shops of Bryce Canyon City
Bryce Canyon City was made for tourists. It’s got all your signature, cliche restaurants, lodges and shops, but it’s still fun to explore, and grab some ice cream to reward yourself for all those steps! You can grab something to eat here (no fast food but all sit down restaurants), or drive further out of the “city.”
A quick google search gave us Bryce Canyon Pines restaurant off US-12 when exiting the park. This was such a hearty and yummy meal, with country esthetic and welcoming staff. I’d recommend this place for a bite if you have time!
Afternoon Hike at Mossy Cave
Once our bellies were full and legs tired, it was only about 2pm! So, we HAD to do another hike because who knows when we’ll be back to this area! We chose an easy hike along Mossy Cave Trail (0.8 miles out and back). The trailhead is located separate from the main park entrance, in the northernmost section of Bryce Canyon. It was a shorter drive to this trailhead from our Airbnb in Tropic.
This is a beautiful, short, family-friendly hike that rewards you with views of a unique grotto and a waterfall (Tropic Ditch Falls). It was a wonderful way to end the day without overexerting ourselves. Once we were finished, we headed back to our Airbnb, showered, ate some snacks, and rested up for the next morning when we would drive to Kanab for more exploring!
Seasonal Considerations for Planning Your Visit
Bryce Canyon experiences four distinct seasons, each offering unique advantages.
In the spring (April-May), you can enjoy pleasant temperatures and vibrant wildflowers blooming along the trails with occasional rain showers.Summer (June-August) has warm weather and longer daylight hours, ideal for longer hikes. Crowds can be larger during this peak season though.
In the fall (September-October) you get to see the canyon transform as the hoodoos vibrant shades of orange, red, and yellow coexist with the changing foliage. Cooler temperatures make for comfortable hiking in autumn. Winter (November-March) can either be a wonderland, with snow-covered hoodoos and fewer crowds, or dangerous and potentially closed trails due to icy conditions.
