Bryce Canyon City, Utah
General Information
Bryce Canyon is one of Utah's Mighty Five and is the closest of the five to Zion National Park. At only two and a half hours away from Zion, many people will often add Bryce to their Utah itinerary. Similar to Zion, Bryce has also implemented a shuttle system to help with crowds and visitor experience, but that is where the similarities end. The shuttle system at Bryce runs from outside of the park to several stops, including Ruby's Inn, to all of the points except Fairyland Point along the rim, and the campgrounds and lodges inside of the park. The shuttle system does not operate year-round, and the operating times and frequencies vary depending on the season. The shuttle system works fantastic if you are planning on visiting the Bryce Amphitheater. The visitor center parking lot is very small, but there is extensive parking outside of the park. Aside from the visitor center, it is possible to park at the parking lot at trailheads, but these fill up very quickly and often stay full. Visitors are allowed to drive inside the park, and if you are going to Moss Cave, Fairyland, or further south than Bryce Point you will need to drive.
The park has a lot to offer in terms of amenities. You can rent a bike, either normal or e-bike, for a reasonable rate from inside the park, as well as take off on a guided horseback tour into the Bryce Amphitheater. There are several dining spots inside of the park offering great food and views, and even some brews. If you want to sit down for a nice experience, the Bryce Canyon Lodge has a full-service fine-dining restaurant, and yes, reservations are recommended. A more casual experience is the Valhalla Pizzeria and Coffee Shop located near the Lodge. If you're further into the park and get a hankering for tacos, supposedly the Lodge has a taco truck set up at Farview Point. You'll need to check the operating times and days if you want to stop by, this truck is only open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm until supplies run out. If you're looking for something to take on the go or for some snacks and drinks, there is a general store near the lodge where you can grab food and camping and hiking supplies if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are hoodoos?
Hoodoos are created over a very long time as a part of the weathering process. The composition of the hoodoos is primarily of rock types that contain a high level of calcium carbonate which dissolves when in contact with water that has a pH balance of less than 7.0. Hoodoos start off as a wall of rock before breaking down into a window. From there the window continues to degrade until a hoodoo or two is left standing.
Can you drive in Bryce Canyon?
Yes, you can! The better question is should you, and that answer is no if you're planning on going where the shuttle operates. The parking lots along the rim fill up extremely quickly and tend to stay full until late in the afternoon. Using the shuttle will help reduce pollution and congestion and will honestly save you time from circling the park looking for a parking spot.
Can you visit Bryce Canyon in the winter?
You can visit most parts of Bryce Canyon during the winter. During severe weather scenarios, the deeper areas of the park may be closed but the majority of the Amphitheater can be accessed.
How far is Bryce Canyon from Las Vegas?
Bryce Canyon is about four hours from Las Vegas, and also four hours from Salt Lake City. Depending on what you want to do and how the flight schedules are working out, you have options for flying in.
When is Bryce Canyon open?
You are able to visit the park 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Park services and amenities are what close on holidays. Operating hours and days may change throughout the year for the in-park services, so be sure to check the website before visiting.
When is the best time to visit?
The best time to visit is always a complicated question. Most visitors to Bryce visit from June to September. However, I went in the middle of May and found the weather to be fantastic. There's usually a month before or after the peak seasons when you still have fantastic weather and fewer crowds.
Which is better of the Utah parks?
There's really no way to decide what is better, it depends on what you want to see. All of the parks in the American Southwest have the same visiting seasons, and they are often visited in groups so you're running into similar crowds. Zion is absolutely beautiful, Bryce is magical, Canyonlands is as awesome as the Grand Canyon, Arches is very unique, and Capitol Reef is otherworldly.
My Experience
When planning my road trip, I ran into a bit of an issue with finding a place to stay for Bryce. The issue was that the ability to advance reserve campsites was unavailable for the nights I wanted to stay. They opened up for reservation the day after I left which was funny in the way that things aren't funny, if you know what I mean. While I was doing my planning, I looked into a few alternate locations if I wasn't able to get spots at the North or Sunset Campgrounds, but my best alternatives at the time seemed like dispersed camping. The NPS had updated their website saying that the campgrounds were usually full by early afternoon, so I had decided to take off from Zion as early as possible. It's a little under a two-and-a-half-hour drive to get inside the park, but the drive was interesting. Unlike most national parks, I could see no evidence of Bryce Canyon on my way in. Even inside the park, I couldn't see the infamous hoodoos until I was on the canyon rim. Before I got to that point, though, I had made sure to locate a camp spot. Because it was first-come-first-served (FCFS) camping, I actually got to scope out the campground to pick out my spot. For me, this means getting off the main camp road, trying to limit the number of campers I see behind my site, being close enough to the restrooms to feel comfortable walking in the middle of the night, being as far as possible from the dumpsters, and having at least two bars and LTE of cell service. As far as the sites and whether or not they were particular about who stayed where, I felt that Bryce was pretty specific about what type of vehicle could stay in what loop.
After getting my campsite secured, I hopped on the shuttle, which you should absolutely take if possible, and headed to Bryce Point, the farthest south point of Bryce Amphitheater. If you are planning on seeing all the points around Bryce Amphitheater, I recommend starting at Bryce Point. Whether you choose to take the Rim Trail or the bus, starting at Bryce Point and ending at Sunrise Point is the easiest way to travel along the rim. I chose to hike the rim trail, The trail does extend from Bryce to Fairyland Point, but I think stopping at Sunrise cuts the hike down to three-ish miles. It's a well-maintained trail and doesn't have any significant elevation gain. It was, in my opinion, a much better way to see the points. There are several impressive viewpoints along this trail where you won't have to figure out the best way to take a photo without showing just how many people are there. It was an easy introduction to the elevation and an awesome way to see the hoodoos. If you're getting in late in the day, and aren't from a place that has an elevation in the four digits, I would recommend this trail. After that nice little introduction to Bryce, I headed into town to pick up some groceries for dinner. I had been set on chicken fajitas but I couldn't find chicken at either Zion or Bryce to cook, interestingly. I got groceries at Ruby's Inn which would be a great one-stop shop for anyone visiting Bryce. It had a general store, rooms, campgrounds, and a restaurant. Anything you need you could find there and it was on the shuttle route.
My first full day at the park I had wanted to venture outside of the Amphitheater. I was torn between the Fairyland Loop and the Hat Shop trail. I had wanted to stay on lesser traveled trails so I chose to do Hat Shop which ventured into the Bryce Wilderness. Unfortunately, I had read that those backpacking in the Wilderness were supposed to bring bear canisters so I got a little... bear-anoid. I had made it about two miles in, nearly to the Hat Shop when my worry got the best of me. As a solo hiker, I don't want to have to keep my head on a swivel, and knowing I was outside of cell service made it a little worse. I did feel a little bit silly though when not even a quarter mile after turning around I ran into several other hikers. Sadly, I did not choose to go back and finish but instead headed to do Fairyland Loop. This trail starts as a series of steep switchbacks but is well worth it in a lot of the right ways. There are a lot of cool features and viewpoints on this trail, but I definitely won't spoil them for you. What I will say is that if you hike this loop counter-clockwise, it's going to feel like a lot more up on the ups and downs. I know the trail description says to hike clockwise, but I think both will have their own difficulties. I did need to stop for a little break about halfway through and there was a lovely little overhang with benches underneath that I was able to snack at and get out from under the sun. Once I started again, I noticed some clouds out in the distance that looked a little angry. The NPS did a good job of broadcasting that when you hear thunder, stay undercover, so these clouds were a bit worrying. I think the biggest danger is the threat of lightning strikes, and the end of this trail is quite exposed. As the clouds grew closer, I was speeding to try to get back to the trailhead. By the time I got to the top, I was wiped. I took the bus back to my campsite, changed for a relaxing afternoon, and waited for the rain to come. It never did. There was lots of thunder to listen to, but only a few drops. I was honestly sad because I had wanted to sit under my vehicle shelter and enjoy a nice rainstorm. Sadly, this became a very unproductive afternoon for me. My feet had really started to feel the strain of walking miles each day on rocky and uneven terrain and they needed a break. While the level of activity I was participating in was definitely unique and not one I'm likely to experience again, it taught me that I hadn't been taking very good care of my foot health and strength.
My second, and last, full day at Bryce was spent tackling the Queen's Garden and Navajo loop. My original plan had been to do the Figure 8 trail, which includes the Peekaboo Loop I had already done hence the change. I got started a little later than I had anticipated, around 8:30, and there were a lot of people already on the trail. Because the Amphitheater is accessible from so many points, it's hard to plan a quiet time on the trail if you don't start early enough. I did listen to the NPS advice and hiked the trail clockwise, starting at Sunrise Point. This trail did still drop below the rim fairly quickly, but I found this to be a much more mild hike than Peekaboo. This is the most recommended trail at Bryce and I absolutely understand why. There are so many cool viewpoints and structures to see on this trail. I think a lot of the iconic pictures are taken along this trail. I had started taking the pictures for the "I Hiked the Hoodoos" reward, but you can only get two on this trail. To get the three required benchmarks, I had to hop back on the Peekaboo Loop which added an extra two miles to get to the benchmark and back. At the intersection with the Navajo Loop, I ran into a lot of people who were getting confused about which direction to go. As I've said elsewhere, I recommended getting the AllTrails premium so that you can download and use maps offline, or at least be sure to always carry a map of your trail. And, if you do know the correct way, help out fellow hikers when needed. The Navajo Loop and Two Bridges section was my favorite part of the whole park, honestly. I would have loved to hike it when there weren't as many people because, by the time I was hiking out of the Amphitheater, it was midday and the rim was very crowded. I'm very glad I did it though.
After the hike, I went looking for a shower. Three days is typically my limit using body wipes There's actually a whole lot available inside of the park, including a general store with snacks, camping needs, laundry facilities, and showers. The showers were about three dollars for eight minutes, which is more than enough time to get what you need done. The laundry facilities had enough washers and dryers for a few people to be able to be able to wash clothes, and I felt lucky enough to find a few outlets to charge up my Bluetti and portable charger. Because this was my last day, after everything had charged, I headed back to camp and cooked up some dinner. As I always do, the night before a travel day is spent prepping everything to get ready to go. I really enjoyed my time at Bryce and I think there's room for everyone to find an enjoyable hike.
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