Bryce Canyon National Park National Park Hikes Information & Tips

Bryce Canyon Hikes Information & Tips

January 12, 2021 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 0 Comment

Bryce Canyon hikes within the National Park come in all shapes and sizes. Bryce is one of 5 National Parks located in Utah. Bryce Canyon hikes are widely known for their unique Hoodoos, natural bridges and beautiful sandstone. Bryce Canyon National Park is popular but does not see the large crowds like neighboring Zion National Park. Hiking in Bryce Canyon is fairly unique and most trails are family friendly and suitable for hikers of all skill levels.

Bryce Canyon Hikes Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Navajo, Peekaboo, Queens Garden Loop

Virtual Trail Guide: Fairyland Loop

The Narrows Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)

Distance: Various – most hikes under 10 Miles RT- View Park Map Here & Here

Elevation Start: 7,879ft (top of rim)

Highest Point: 7,879ft (top of rim)

Total Elevation Gain: Various – most loops between 900-1,500ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 1-6 Hours (depending on hike)

Difficulty: Walk In The Park to Moderate Difficulty System Explained

Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?

Season: Year Round – expect seasonal closures depending on hike (Wall Street closes Nov-March)

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Bryce Canyon

Trailhead: Bryce Canyon Visitor Center

Getting Here: Regardless of where you are coming from, there is only one entry point into Bryce Canyon National Park. Head to Bryce, UT and then take UT63 south until you hit the entrance station.

Fees: View this page for the most up to date information on Zion National Park fees.

Parking: There are ample spots to park within the park but the most popular to start hiking is probably Sunset Point and the Lodge at Bryce Canyon. All parking is pretty widely available with restrooms at most hike starting points.

Summary

Camping: Camping in Bryce Canyon National Park comes in two forms: campgrounds and backcountry camping. Read more about both of them here.

Dogs: Bryce Canyon National Park is not dog friendly for the most part. However, dogs are allowed on the rim trail between Sunset and Sunrise points. If you are looking to walk your dog in the area, head to nearby Red Canyon.

Make it a Loop: There are a variety of loop hikes within Bryce. The two most popular are the Fairyland loop and the Peek-A-Boo/Navajo Loops. I ended up hiking both over two days which was really fun. View Park Map Here & Here to create your own loop.

Hike X Factors: Time of Year & Food Around Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is beautiful during all times of the year but during my trip in the winter, I thought this was the only time to visit the park. The snow presented almost no additional challenges for hiking but added to the beauty of the park. In the winter, some trails may close due to ice and it’s recommended to bring yaktrax or microspikes to help with traction. Summer is beautiful, but will bring stifling heat and larger crowds.

I usually do not mention this, but if you plan on visiting Bryce Canyon National Park bringing your own food or having extremely low food standards might be a good idea. There really is NOT a lot going on near the park in terms of food. I would be happy to recommend the pizza spot I checked out, feel free to leave a comment here.

Hike Tip(s): If you don’t like crowds (raises hand), give Bryce Canyon National Park a chance before writing it off. Wall Street, Two Bridges and Queen’s Garden trails will almost always have crowds on them. In fact, anywhere near the rim of the canyon will usually be crowded. However, if you are looking to beat the crowds head to the Peek-A-Boo trail, Fairyland Loop and even check out the Mossy Cave hike. In my experience, the deeper into the park you got, the smaller the crowds were.

Best Views: I mean this with all sincerity, there are no bad views on the hiking trails within Bryce Canyon National Park. Literally everywhere is beautiful. Unless you are used to hiking with Hoodoos, expect to have your mind blown for almost your entire visit.

Bryce Canyon Hikes Trail Routes

Shows the Two Bridges, Peek-a-Boo Queens Garden Loop and the Fairyland Loop.

Gear Needed

Hiking Boots or Trail Runners – good grip on your footwear will be your friend on this hike
Backpack
Protection from Sun
Food & Water
Optional: Map of Park or GPS – I use the Garmin inReach
Optional: Hiking Poles – helpful in winter for traction
Optional: Headlamp
Optional: Microspikes or Yaktrax – only necessary in winter
Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
Optional: Camera
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My Trip to Bryce Canyon National Park: November 2020

After an amazing trip to Zion National Park, I figured I should continue my 2020 tour of Utah National Parks. I arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park with almost no plan. I picked up a park map, found a few loops that looked doable and started hiking! Fresh snow coated the park adding to its unique beauty and took up GIGABYTES of space in my cameras trying to capture it. On day 1, I hiked the Two Bridges trail over to Peek-A-Boo Loop back to Queens Garden trail and then up to the rim. I believe this is known as the figure 8 loop. This hike was flat out amazing. Miles of unique hiking next to the amazing Hoodoos, through sandstone tunnels and with relatively no other hikes for most of the loop was amazing. After the hike, I drove down to Rainbow Point, stopping at other attractions along the way.

On the second day I decided to tackle the less frequented Fairyland Loop which was equally impressive and far less crowded than day 1. I saw 4 other hikers the entire loop and really enjoyed the unique Hoodoos and natural bridges that this hike offered. This loop was about 8 miles with 1,500ft of elevation gain.

Overall, I loved my time in Bryce Canyon National Park and am so happy that I decided to visit during the winter months, it really added to the beauty of the park.

Check out some pictures from my hike through Bryce Canyon National Park below and then watch the virtual trail guides.