BEST HIKES IN BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park is well-known for its gorgeous scenery, unusual rock formations, and magnificent hoodoos. The park offers a number of spectacular trails that highlight the beauty of this unique landscape. The following are a few of Bryce Canyon’s top hikes:

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Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden Trail:

  • Distance: 3.0 miles loop
  • Elevation gain: 652 ft
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Highlights: You should not miss this trail!  This loop includes both the Queens Garden Trail and the Navajo Loop, two of Bryce Canyon’s most popular hikes. With that said, this trails could be very crowded; you might want to think about visiting it early or late in the day to avoid the crowd.  Following the Rim Trail from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point, you’ll be treated to expansive vistas of the Bryce Amphitheater right at the beginning of the hike. You will get up close to the hoodoos, including the ET Hoodoo and Queen Victoria Hoodoo when you descend into the Queens Garden portion of the trail. Ahead of you on the Two Bridges side of the Navajo Loop Trail is Thor’s Hammer, the tallest hoodoo in Bryce Canyon. 

Peekaboo Loop Trail:

  • Distance: 5.2 miles loop
  • Elevation gain: 1528 ft
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Highlights: This route brings you closer to the hoodoos but is a little more difficult than the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail.  It is also the path that visitors can go horseback riding. As implied by the name, there are surprises everywhere you look, including tunnels, ponderosa pine trees, and expansive vistas full of hoodoos. As you move along the trail, you’ll come to the Wall of Windows, an enormous assemblage of hoodoos featuring intricately carved details from the rock, which was created from ongoing cycles of runoff and freezing water, where the top portion  will eventually wear off and create new hoodoos. The Hindu Temples, the Cathedral, and Fairy Castle are just a few of the spectacular rock formations along this path that you will encounter. 

Wall Street and Queens Garden Loop to Peekaboo Loop (Figure Eight Trail):

  • Distance: 6.3 miles round trip
  • Elevation gain: 1499 ft
  • Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous
  • Highlights: This trail features nearly all of the famous sights, forming a fantastic figure 8, by incorporating the Navajo Loop, Queens Garden, Peekaboo Loop, and a visit to Bryce’s well-known Wall Street (it closes for the winter because of the risk of falling rocks). So, we think, it is perfect for anyone who only have time for one hike.

Fairyland Loop Trail:

  • Distance: 7.9 miles round trip
  • Elevation gain: 1555 ft
  • Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous
  • Highlights: You can find some quiet time here, although it’s a longer and slightly more difficult trail. A few of the well-known attractions of Queens Garden and Navajo Loop may not be present on the Fairyland Loop Trail. However, you can admire the expansive 360-degree views and distant views of prominent rock formations such as Boat Mesa on this hike.

Bryce Canyon Rim Trail:

  • Distance: Total is 10.7 miles, but it varies depending on how long you want to walk it.
  • Elevation:1587 feet.
  • Difficulty: Easy to Hard
  • Highlights: The Rim Trail runs along the edge of the amphitheater, providing numerous viewpoints. You can choose to hike a segment of the trail or cover longer distances, depending on your preference.

Mossy Cave Trail:

  • Distance: 0.9 miles (1.4 km) round trip
  • Elevation Gain: 121 ft.
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Highlights: Located in the northern section of the park, this trail leads to Mossy Cave and offers views of a waterfall (seasonal) and unique geological features  where water seeps through the rock, causing moss to grow in spring and summer and impressive icicles to form in fall and winter.

Rainbow Point, Yuvimpa Point and Bristolcone Loop Trail:

  • Distance: 1.3 miles round trip
  • Elevation Gain: 118 ft.
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Highlights: Views of the entire park, including the southern edge of Bryce Amphitheater, can be viewed from Rainbow Point. When visibility is good, you can see all the way to Arizona.  You will be standing atop the Pink Cliffs at Yovimpa Point, which is the highest point in the park at over 9,100 feet. Viewed from this vantage point, the Grand Staircase’s initial steps comprise a vast sequence of sedimentary rock strata that extend all the way to the Grand Canyon. Because it maintains a portion of Earth’s geological past, each layer is named for the hue of the cliffs.  Bristlecone Loop Trail: home to the 1,800-year-old bristlecone pines that bear the trail’s name, as well as vast stands of stately fir and spruce.

Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Drive

  • Distance: 20.6 miles
  • Elevation Gain: 2375ft.
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Highlights: The scenic drive is a one-way route that winds through the park, starting at the park entrance and ending at Rainbow Point.  Along the drive, there are several marked viewpoints and pullouts where visitors can stop to admire the stunning scenery.   Among the key puulout include Sunrise Point. Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, Bryce Point, Paria View, Natural Bridge, Farview and, Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point which are the highest point in the park.