Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is a small national park with a huge wow factor. The moment you step up to the rim and gaze across the hundreds of hoodoos, spires, and rock formations, it will take your breath away.
Bryce Canyon National Park is a fantasyland of hoodoos, sandstone pillars, and bizarre looking rock formations. It is an extraordinary place to visit and its unique landscape sets it apart from other national parks.
This national park is small and very easy to visit. Take in the views from the rim, hike a trail or two, or fill your cameraโs memory card with beautiful photos.
Bryce Canyon National Park Stats
Founded: February 25, 1928
Annual Visitors: 2.5 million in 2024
Size: 36,000 acres
Location: Utah
Entrance Fee: $35, valid for 7 days
Top Experiences in Bryce Canyon
Best of Bryce: 8 Amazing Things to Do in Bryce Canyon
Hoodoos, hiking trails, and jaw-dropping scenic viewpoints: here are the very best things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park.
Visit the Overlooks and Viewpoints. There are numerous places to get a view of the thousands of hoodoos that sit in the amphitheater of Bryce Canyon. Most of these are a short walk from parking lots, making them easily accessible. Not to be missed are Sunset Point, Sunrise Point, Inspiration Point, and Bryce Point.
Walk the Rim Trail. This short trail runs along the rim of Bryce Canyon. From here, you can take in the view from multiple viewpoints, such as Sunrise and Sunset Points. Itโs flat and easy to walk and one of the best experiences in the park.
Watch the Sunrise. Watching the sunrise over Bryce Canyon is amazing. As the sun rises, it illuminates the hoodoos and spires in a golden light. In the national parks, this is one of the best sunrise experiences and itโs worth rolling out of bed early to see this.
Hike the Queenโs Garden and Navajo Loop Trail.ย This hikeย is just under 3 miles long. Itโs short, itโs tons of fun, and itโs great for all ages. Hike past hoodoos, through small tunnels in the rock, and enjoy great views of Bryce Canyon every step of the way.
See Thorโs Hammer. Thorโs Hammer is one of the most photographed hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. You will hike past it on the Two Bridges Trail, part of the Queenโs Garden and Navajo Loop Trail mentioned above.
Go for a Walk on Wall Street. Wall Street is a slot canyon in Bryce Canyon that can be added to the Queenโs Garden and Navajo Loop. Just be aware that Wall Street is closed during the winter months.
Go Stargazing. Bryce Canyon gained Gold Tier International Dark Sky status in 2019, making it a great national park to go stargazing.
Take Your Pick from More Hikes in Bryce Canyon. There are many more hikes to do in Bryce Canyon. Go deeper into the amphitheater, hike to Mossy Cave, or hike to more remote overlooks and sections of the park. Get the full list in the next section of this guide.
ULTIMATE ADVENTURE
For the ultimate adventure, hike the Fairyland Loop Trail, a strenuous 8-mile hike with more views of hoodoos but far fewer people than the Queenโs Garden or the Peekaboo Loop Trail.
Top Hikes in Bryce Canyon
12 Epic Hikes in Bryce Canyon Rated from Easy to Hard
In this guide, we cover the top hikes to do in Bryce Canyon, starting with the easiest of the bunch and ending with the most challenging. At the end of this guide, weโll share our favorites, to help you pick out which ones to do.
Hiking Bryce Canyon: Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop Trails
Bryce Canyon National Park may be small in size but it has an enormous wow factor. With its orange and pink hoodoos and sandstone rock formations, Bryce Canyon is one of the most unique national parks in the United States. By hiking Bryce Canyon and visiting its numerous viewpoints, you can have the best experience […]
The Amazing Fairyland Loop: An Underrated Hike in Bryce Canyon
Tucked away from the parkโs busier viewpoints, the Fairyland Loop offers jaw-dropping vistas, towering hoodoos, and a sense of solitude thatโs hard to find on more popular routes. Itโs a tough hike, but the reward is a scenic walk through one of the most beautiful landscapes in the American Southwest. The Fairyland Loop is often […]
Whatโs a Hoodoo?
โHoodooโ can also be defined as a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin. Geologically, hoodoos are found all around the world, but they occur in the most abundance in Bryce Canyon. Here, hoodoos are the main ingredient of this unique landscape. The thousands of hoodoos in Bryce are what attracts so many visitors every year.
Best Time to Visit Bryce Canyon
The best time to visit Bryce Canyon National Park is in the spring (March through May) and the fall (mid-September through November), when temperatures are mild and crowds are below their peak.
Bryce Canyon sits at a higher elevation than the other national parks in Utah, keeping temperatures cooler here all year long. During the winter months, snow is a very good possibility and if you donโt mind cold temperatures, Bryce Canyon is a magical place to visit when it is covered in a blanket of snow.
WINTER: During the winter months, the average high barely gets above freezing. Daytime highโs are in the mid to upper 30โs and the lows are in the teens. 18 to 20 inches of snow can fall each month. However, visitation is at its lowest for the year.
SPRING: By the end of March, the average high is about 50ยฐF and by the beginning of June, you can expect temperatures of 70ยฐF during the day. Snow is likely in March and April could still get an inch or two. May is a beautiful time to visit Bryce Canyon, but visitation also really picks up. Crowd levels double from April into May.
SUMMER: The weather is warm, with average daytime highs hitting 80ยฐF. During unusually warm weather, itโs possible for the temperature to get up well into the 90โs. August tends to be the wettest month but rain usually occurs as an afternoon thunderstorm. Crowds are very high from June through September, peaking in July.
FALL: Temperatures cool off and crowd levels diminish. Like the spring months, temperatures range from 70ยฐF to 50ยฐF, depending on month. October is a beautiful time to visit Bryce Canyon, with great weather and lower crowds than the summer months. Crowds dramatically drop off in November, so if you want some solitude and a chance to see Bryce Canyon with a dusting of snow, November is a good month to plan your visit.
In our US National Parks Month-By-Month Series, Bryce Canyon appears in March, April, and November.
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14 Best US National Parks to Visit in April 2026
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12 Best US National Parks to Visit in November 2025
Planning a trip to the US national parks in November and donโt know which ones to visit? The cooler weather in November makes this one of the best times of the year to visit the parks across the southern part of the USA. Road trip through Utahโs Mighty 5, go sledding on sand as white […]
How Much Time Should You Spend in Bryce Canyon?
One Perfect Day in Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is a relatively small, compact park.ย One day is all you need to visit the highlights,ย which include the viewpoints along the rim and hiking the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop Trails.
With more time, you can add on more hikes, such as the Peekaboo Loop Trail and the Fairyland Loop Trail.
Places to Go Near Bryce Canyon
If you are looking for more things to do in the area, you can explore a colorful state park, hike through a slot canyon, and go on a scenic drive. Kodachrome Basin State Park, Willis Creek Slot Canyon, and Cottonwood Canyon are all a short drive from Bryce Canyon. Zion National Park is about a 2 hour drive from Bryce Canyon, plus you can go exploring in Grand Staircase-Escalante.
A Quick Visit to Kodachrome Basin State Park
With colorful sandstone spires, red rock mountains, and bright blue skies, Kodachrome Basin is a gorgeous little spot to explore. Its name, Kodachrome, fits it perfectly, describing the multitude of vivid colors that are found here. Laced with hiking and horseback riding trails, you could spend a few days here. In fact, Kodachrome Basin makes […]
Hiking the Willis Creek Slot Canyon in Utah
The hike along the Willis Creek Slot Canyon is so much fun! And to think that we almost skipped this hike. After a long day of hiking and exploring both Bryce Canyon National Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park, we wondered if we should tack on Willis Creek to the end of our day. Would it be […]
Whatโs It Like to Drive Cottonwood Canyon Road?
Cottonwood Canyon Road is a scenic, unpaved road that travels through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It connects the town of Cannonville with Highway 89, just west of Big Water. Tim and I drove this road during our road trip through Arizona and Utah. Since we were traveling from Page, Arizona up to Escalante, Utah, Cottonwood Canyon […]
Zion National Park Itinerary: How to Spend 1 to 6 Days in Zion
If you are planning your Zion National Park itinerary, this is a great place to start. Zion National Park is a hikerโs paradise. This relatively small park is packed with some of the most thrilling hikes in the United States. From the awe-inspiring hike up Angels Landing to the bucket list-worthy Zion Narrows to the […]
5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Devils Garden in Grand Staircase-Escalante
Devils Garden is a fun to explore, scenic spot to visit in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. If you have plans to drive down Hole-in-the-Rock Road, here are five reasons why you should visit Devils Garden. #1 This Place is a Beauty! With hoodoos, crazy rock formations, and arches, Devils Garden is a beautiful spot to […]
A Photojourney through Peek-A-Boo Gulch and Spooky Gulch
If you are looking for a super fun hike to do, put Peek-A-Boo Gulch and Spooky Gulch on your list. Just their names make this hike sound enticing. These slot canyons are located in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Getting here can be a mini-adventure, driving over 25 miles down a rough, dirt road […]
Bryce Canyon National Park Map
Bryce Canyon National Park Photos
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