August 9, 2018

Utah – Bryce Canyon Hikes


Bryce Canyon National Park in the early morning light with a sun ray shooting across the image. The hoodoos look lit from the inside and the hills in the distance fade into a greyish blue color. Moderately Adventurous Travel

In comparison to nearby national parks and monuments, Bryce Canyon National Park is petite, yet packs in unique geological formations and views. Being at a higher elevation, camping in Bryce Canyon is comfortable and cool – even cold at night! It also tends to be less crowded during the day and especially in the early morning. I recommend staying a few nights in summer to slow down and cool off while exploring the canyon via hikes. You can hike down into the canyon to be within the oddly shaped towers, called hoodoos. A few of my favorite Bryce Canyon Hikes include the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail. Continue reading for more details on hiking and camping in Bryce Canyon.

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Why Visit Bryce Canyon National Park?

Sitting on the edge of a giant plateau, Bryce Canyon National Park is another prime example of how beautiful erosion can be. One of the layers of the Plateau is a colorful, calcium-rich mudstone that is constantly shaped by rain and frost to create slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called “hoodoos.” Being at a higher elevation on top of the plateau, Bryce Canyon has a cooler temperature, which is a welcome relief in summer. It is also noticeably less crowded than the nearby Zion National Park. We camped at Bryce Canyon National Park for three nights and loved being able to walk the rim trail to explore parts of the amphitheater by day and stargaze by night.

Navajo Loop Hike

The Navajo Loop hike is a classic, popular hike in Bryce Canyon National Park. Starting at Sunset point, the trail leads you straight down a narrow trail amongst the hoodoos. The trail is 1.3 miles and you can do the loop in either direction. In early/mid-August, the trail was crowded in the afternoon. The next morning, it was delightfully empty. There are many switchbacks as you make your way down the amphitheater. With the higher elevation, the switchbacks will catch up to you on the way back up. Bring plenty of water and take breaks to enjoy the views. Look for Thor’s Hammer, two naturally formed bridges, and Wall Street (where the canyon walls become very narrow around the trail).

If you are short on time, the Navajo Loop is a great way to get below the canyon rim to see the hoodoos up close and personal. If you have a bit more time, add on the Queen’s Garden for a longer trail for more time in the canyon and more time with the hoodoos.

At a Glance:

  • Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would definitely go again
  • Intensity: Hiking Shoes, Hiking Clothes
  • Location: Southern Utah
  • Cost: $35 per private vehicle, but if you are visiting more than one National Park, I recommend getting the annual “America the Beautiful Pass” for $80.
  • Restrooms: There are flushing toilets in the campgrounds, the general store, and visitors center. Non-flushing toilets can be found at a few of the viewpoint stops on Bryce Scenic Road. I do not remember any on the trails.
  • Timing: 2 -3 3 hours

Highlights:

  • Explore unique geological formations of the hoodoos
  • Enjoy cooler temperatures than surrounding National Parks
Here is Rebecca walking along one of the Bryce Canyon Hikes called Queen's Garden, which is one of the best ways to enter or exit the canyon.
Hoodoo formations with a window at Bryce Canyon National Park in August 2018.
Hanna standing on a large rock while admiring how narrow the Hoodoos come together in an area called Wall Street on the Navajo Loop, a Bryce Canyon Hike.
Rebecca standing in hiking attire looking at the formations and colorful layers at Bryce Canyon National Park. She has hiking gear on to do the Navajo Loop Trail in the afternoon.
Thor's Hammer Hoodoo in Bryce Canyon National Park. You can see this formation on the Navajo loop trail.
The beginning of the Navajo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park. In the early morning light, you can see the tops of the hoodoos - a rock formation that sticks into the air like a totem pole due to erosion. It looks like there are the tops of hundreds of hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park. The Navajo Loops takes you into the canyon in between the hoodoos.
Rebecca standing in the distance in the middle of the wall street section of the Navajo Loop trail. In this section, the sides of the giant hoodoos are the closest together. You can really see the scale of what large rock formations the hoodoos are.

Queen’s Garden Trail Hike

The Queen’s Garden Trail is 1.3 miles and known to be the easiest way to descend into the canyon. It is an out and back trail. However, I recommend going down one side of the Navajo loop trail and then coming out of the canyon via the Queen’s Garden Trail in the early morning for maximum hoodoo exposure with the fewest crowds. The combination of the two trails is 2.9 miles.

When I go back to Bryce Canyon, I would love to do the Combination Navajo Loop with Queens Garden, but also add on the Peekaboo trail, which adds another 3.5 miles to make a total of 6.9 miles for the three trails together. On the Peekaboo trail, you get to walk into the heart of the park and see a wall of windows. The fact that it is a horse trail deterred us at the time, but after reviewing some photos from sites like Dirt in my Shoes, I would love to check it out. Signs and rangers require hikers to do the Peekaboo loop clockwise due to it being a horse trail.

Other Places to Visit in Bryce Canyon

You can see all the Bryce Canyon Hikes on the National Park site. We took a drive one day to see the other viewpoints along the Bryce Canyon Scenic Road. I recommend stopping at Natural Bridge for a view of a gorgeous and giant natural bridge and Rainbow Point to see the canyon and far into the distance. There are more viewpoints, which are fun to take a look at, but these two were the highlights. We had a picnic lunch at Rainbow Point. Drive slowly along the road to spot wildlife – we saw a bunch of cute deer.

The Ranger-led activities also looked great at Bryce Canyon. They have a couple of rim walks each day and do a full moon walk and astrology talks. The area is known for having clear skies and little light pollution, so it’s great for stargazing at night. We made a campfire with vegan s’mores and watched the stars come out one night. It was lovely.

Hanna on the Queen's Garden Bryce Canyon Hike in the early morning with the hoodoos bright orange and jagged in the background. Hanna is in the foreground with a bright blue hiking shirt, shorts, and hiking shoes.
Hanna i the shadows of the Hoodoos while in the Wall Street section of the Najavo Loop trail, one of my favorite Bryce Canyon hikes. It is extra dramatic with the high walls of the hoodoos.
Hanna and Rebecca leaning toward each other and smiling at the camera, with hoodoos in the background high above their heads at Bryce Canyon National Park.
The Navajo Loop trail, one of Bryce Canyon's hikes, takes you on a series of swtichbacks deep into the canyon for a up close and personal experience with the hoodoos.
Rebecca walking through an archway made into the base of the hoodoos on the Queens Garden Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park.
In the background of this picture you can see one of the few arches made in Bryce Canyon National Park. It is very fragile, so they do not want people getting too close the formation. Hanna is smiling in the foreground with a bright blue hiking shirt on.
Looking up at the tall trees that grow next to the odd shaped hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park.
Rebecca looking up, while standing in the narrowest part of the Navajo Loop Trail. This section is called wall street and has the same effect as standing between large skyscrapers.
Hanna standing next to the railing overlooking natural bridge in Bryce canyon National Park. You can see the arch through the railing and hanna is looking off to the side while smiling. She is leaning against a pole wither her leg bent.

Getting There

We drove to Bryce Canyon National Park using Googlemaps. However, there is a lot of signage to get to Bryce Canyon and the main entrance. Once in the park, there is also clear signage to get to the campgrounds, main viewpoints, and etc. For detailed directions, you can take a look at the National Park website.

Camping at Bryce Canyon

I did want to mention our camping experience for anyone else heading to the National Park in the middle of summer. We were unable to make reservations in advance and were nervous about the walk-in options available. It took us about 2.5 hours to get to Bryce Canyon from the Lake Powell area. We arrived by 11 am and driving through the North campground, we had our choice of campsites. There were plenty! We ended up choosing a campground that was ultra-close to the rim. It felt private and like we had Bryce Canyon in our backyard. The only issue is that people would walk through our campground to get to the rim.

If you are relying on the first-come, first-serve campgrounds, there seemed to be plenty of availability before noon. Slowly but surely, fellow campers claimed their campground until nearly (if not all) the spots were gone. You pay for your campground at the campground entrance (near the giant trashcans) and put part of the form on your campground post. The park ranger/campground host will come around and check on things and update your campground post with your end date.

Even in the middle of summer, it was COLD at night. Be prepared with warm sleeping bags as this is not like Lake Powell. It was tough to get out of bed each morning when it was chilly. You can find showers at the General store. Pay for the showers by purchasing a token inside the store. The showers shut down at about 7:45 pm, which comes up quickly during the summer when the days are long.

Hanna looking over the rim the of Bryce Canyon from the Rainbow Point overlook. She is wearing a dark blue top and sunglasses with her hair down.
Hanna walking toward the camera with a large stacked bolder behind her and in the distance you can see the sides of Bryce Canyon. Hanna is in the shade of the Hoodoo in the early morning light.
Hanna sittting and looking back toward the camera with the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon on full display in front of her.
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Early morning in Bryce Canyon National Park. Along the rim trail, you can see the hoodoos brightly distinguished in this light.
The Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon are strikingly tall from this low vantage point. They stand much higher than the small shrubby trees nearby and proudly into the blue sky.
Bryce Canyon National Park at sunrise. Our campground was only a short walk from the Canyon rim, so it was easy to catch the sunrise.

Overall Thoughts: Bryce Canyon Hikes

We had heard great things from friends and family members before visiting Bryce Canyon National Park and we were not disappointed. The hoodoos and rock formations, combined with the beautiful colors and lack of crowds really won my heart. I also loved the cooler temperatures made it enjoyable to be at camp during the day and hang out/write postcards. The different Bryce Canyon Hikes were thrilling, with a new view around every corner. Bryce was my favorite place to camp with the ability to build a campfire, cool temps, and stargazing. I highly recommend going to Bryce to slow things down and just enjoy nature.

We stayed three nights in Bryce. Before Bryce, we were in Arizona near lake Powell. During one of our days, we took a day trip up towards Escalante National Monument and Kodachrome Basin. Then after, we made our way to Zion National Park. There is so much to do in the area, so be sure to check out Arizona and Utah in my destinations menu and here are more options from this trip:

Have you been to Bryce Canyon before? If so, what hikes should I go back for? I know there are also backcountry hikes to consider – were any worthwhile? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Travels,

Hanna

Bryce Canyon National Park in the early morning light with a sun ray shooting across the image. The hoodoos look lit from the inside and the hills in the distance fade into a greyish blue color. Text on the image reads, "Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce, Utah". Moderately Adventurous Travel
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Hanna standing on a large rock while admiring how narrow the Hoodoos come together in an area called Wall Street on the Navajo Loop, a Bryce Canyon Hike. Text on the image says, "Hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce, Utah." Moderately Adventurous Travel
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Hanna sittting and looking back toward the camera with the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon on full display in front of her. Text on the image reads," Exploring Hoodoos on Bryce Canyon Hikes, Bryce Canyon National Park."
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Filed Under: Hikey Climby, Scenic Views, Utah

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