Best Hikes at Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the most popular national parks in southern Utah. It’s located northeast of Zion and southwest of Capitol Reef about 4 hours from Salt Lake City and a little over 2 hours from St. George. Bryce Canyon is well-known for its beautiful red rock hoodoo formations. The scenery is stunning at any time of year, but the hoodoos are especially striking in the winter against the bright white of snow.
Bryce Canyon is the perfect national park for family trips and outdoor adventures alike. There are a ton of scenic overlooks for the views (and there’s enough to see in a day if you visit in the winter when much of the southern portion of the park is closed) and also a bunch of hiking opportunities.
If you’re planning a trip to Bryce Canyon, I rounded up six of the best hiking trails (and noted the trails we did during our one day in Bryce Canyon last March as well as the hikes I want to do next time). I also shared some important hiking tips, an interactive map to help you plan your trip, and a graphic you can pin on Pinterest featuring all of the hikes mentioned here!
READ NEXT: One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park
Best Hikes At Bryce Canyon
Here are six of the best hikes at Bryce Canyon! I included the length of each hike as well as whether it’s easy, moderate, or strenuous. Did your favorite make the list? What other hike(s) in Bryce Canyon do you recommend?
MOSSY CAVE
0.8 miles round-trip (easy)
Mossy Cave Trail is a short hike outside of the entrance gate along Utah highway 12 (S.R. 12). Even though it’s outside the main gate, a park ranger may ask for your parks pass or proof of admission (the entrance fee gives you access for 7 days). Mossy Cave is exactly what it sounds like: an area covered with mosses (in the summer; in the winter, it’s covered in icicles!). One side of the trail takes you to a waterfall in Water Canyon.
RIM TRAIL
5.5 miles one-way (easy)
The Rim Trail connects Bryce Point to Fairyland Point (the latter is the northernmost overlook, which is closed to vehicles in the winter). It’s a relatively flat, easy walk with gorgeous views of the hoodoos below! I’d recommend hopping on the shuttle (when it’s operating) and getting off at Bryce Point to start your hike/walk to the north. We walked the 0.5-mile portion between Sunset Point and Sunrise Point before starting Queen’s Garden. The path was covered in snow so I was glad to have my traction devices for my boots.
QUEEN’S GARDEN
1.7 miles one-way (moderate)
Queen’s Garden Trail to the Navajo Loop is THE most popular hike in Bryce Canyon! Queen’s Garden was my favorite—you hike by a bunch of gorgeous hoodoo formations on your way down into the canyon. The hike starts at the top of the rim at Sunrise Point (you can park at Sunrise Point or do what we did and park in the larger lot at Sunset Point and walk along the Rim Trail a half mile to Sunrise Point). It’s just under a mile to the Queen Victoria hoodoo, and then it’s another 0.8 miles to the Navajo Loop.
Park rangers recommend starting this hike by descending down into Queen’s Garden (hike from north to south, or clockwise) because as you hike down, you’ll have a great view of the canyon, and it’s also less steep than coming up either side of Navajo Loop (Two Bridges or Wall Street).
NAVAJO LOOP
1.3-mile loop (moderate); 0.6 miles on the Two Bridges side, 0.7 miles on the Wall Street side
Navajo Loop Trail is another popular hike that passes near Thor’s Hammer, a well-known (and highly photographed) hoodoo formation. The trail leads you along very tall rock walls; I don’t recommend stopping next to the rock walls for long because small rocks (and snow) were falling on people during our hike. (In the winter, due to the constant freezing and thawing of water in cracks, rocks can break loose. Don’t hike with headphones and always keep an ear out and listen for rocks cracking! We heard it a couple of times and it was creepy.)
In the winter, only the Two Bridges side of Navajo Loop is open, so that’s the route we took back to Sunset Point. It was a BRUTAL uphill hike with a good portion of switchbacks (this is one of the most photographed areas of the park), but I’m glad we went up that way even though I was sweating like crazy. I had to take my puffer coat off!
If you do Queen’s Garden to Navajo Loop in the summer (or when the Wall Street side is open), park rangers recommend going up the Wall Street side and then descending the Two Bridges side until you can see Thor’s Hammer (before the switchbacks).
NOTE: The Two Bridges side closed the day after we hiked it due to retaining walls on the trails collapsing. We aren’t surprised, because we saw some of the collapsed bricks on the switchbacks during our hike! There were also a few recent small avalanches we had to hike over as we passed by Thor’s Hammer. I don’t recommend stopping along that path if you’re hiking when there’s snow because if an avalanche hits you, you’re going a long way down the hill and it will NOT be easy to get back to the trail.
PEEKABOO LOOP
5.5 miles round-trip (strenuous)
The Peekaboo Loop trail is much longer (and more difficult) than the other trails we hiked, but it looks beautiful so it’s on my list for next time if I’m feeling ambitious. Others have recommended it! This trail starts at Bryce Point (and connects to Navajo Loop if you’re looking for a one-way trip) and winds through more beautiful hoodoo formations. Rangers recommend a clockwise direction, and in the warmer months, you may come across horseback riders!
Fairyland Loop
8 miles round-trip (strenuous)
If you’re looking for a longer (4-5 hour) hike through changing landscapes and stunning hoodoos, you’ll love Fairyland Loop! You can start this hike at Fairyland Point (the road to the point is closed to vehicle traffic in the winter) or just north of Sunrise Point at the Tower Bridge trailhead. This hike includes sweeping views of Bryce Amphitheater along the rim as well as significant elevation change down into canyon to hike among the red rock towers.
Park rangers recommend completing this hike in a counterclockwise direction. There is no shuttle between the two starting points, so you’ll have to hike back to wherever you started. This is the perfect half-day hike to do if you have a full second day to spend in Bryce Canyon!
Tips For Hiking In Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is a high elevation national park, located at about 7,500 feet. It’s higher elevation means the air is thinner (you can get dehydrated faster) and it’s generally colder than nearby Zion and Capitol Reef, hence why we had snow during our trip last spring! It’s similar to hiking near Boise, Idaho in winter. Because of these unique circumstances, if you plan to hike during your visit to Bryce Canyon, definitely keep these important tips in mind.
Pack and Wear Layers
Depending on the time of year you visit, you may encounter snow OR extreme heat. Bryce Canyon was not the warm spring paradise I had pictured in my mind when we visited last March! I was very glad to have packed my warmest puffer coat, beanies, gloves, thick wool socks, hiking boots, and traction devices. Your hiking outfits will look different if it’s hot, but I definitely still recommend bringing a lightweight, breathable long-sleeved layer and a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off of you.
For our hike, I wore three layers on top (thin long-sleeved tee, fleece, puffer) and two layers on bottom (leggings, joggers) plus thick wool socks and a beanie. It ended up being too warm! If you’re planning a more strenuous hike, you won’t need to layer up quite as much as you might for an easier hike. Wear layers that you can easily shed and hang onto if need be.
Hike in Boots (+ Add Traction Devices for Snow/Ice)
I recommend wearing proper hiking boots! I also have hiking sneakers, which work just fine (and are great in warmer weather), but if you visit Bryce Canyon in the snow, I’d wear boots. This is the pair of hiking boots I bought for our trip; I wore them for the first time to do Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop and they were SO comfortable without having being broken in at all!
If it is snowy, the trails are probably also a mess; we hiked through snow, slush, mud, etc. Even though we didn’t encounter ice, I was glad to have purchased traction devices that fit over our hiking boots (I sized up for both of us so they would fit over our boots). They worked well and gave me piece of mind!
Wear Sunscreen and Sunglasses
Sun protection while hiking is important at any time of year! You might not be thinking about it if you visit Bryce Canyon in the winter, but all those sun rays reflect right off of the bright white snow onto your skin and eyes. If you’ve been skiing in the winter, you may be familiar with that experience, ha. Be sure to wear sunscreen, reapply frequently, and also bring sunglasses, especially if you have sensitive eyes. I had to wear my sunglasses even though it was cloudy and drizzling because the snow was still so bright!
Bring Water and Snacks
Bring along a bag with enough water and snacks to fuel you through your hike. You can get dehydrated quickly at high elevations without even realizing it (you might not feel as thirsty as usual) so make sure you are drinking lots of water and getting those electrolytes.
Inform Family/Friends of Your Plans
I like to do this before any major trip: send my itinerary to family members so they know where I’m supposed to be each day. It’s also not a bad idea to let them know if you’ll be hiking and what trails you’re planning to hike, especially in a remote area like Bryce Canyon where cell service is spotty. I like to either have a physical map of the trail with me OR at minimum, take a photo/screenshot of the trail so I have a visual reference. I’ve found the trails are well-marked, and you won’t be the only one hiking, which is comforting!
Stay on Trails
This may seem like an obvious tip, and it is… but I mention it only because in Bryce, it is EXTREMELY dangerous to venture off-trail if you’re hiking along a rim or ridge line with cliffs on the sides. Seriously, you do not want to get close to the edge. It is terrifying how far down you can look. Stay on trails and don’t venture beyond any fences, they are there for a reason. There are some trails I would avoid with kiddos that like to randomly take off running (or I would at least recommend leashing them if you’re unable to carry them for some reason).
Follow Park Ranger Guidance
We stopped by the visitors center before starting our hike, and while we were there, one of the park rangers told us about which trails were open, where to park, and what the conditions were like. If you’re visiting Bryce on a day with variable weather, it’s a good idea to get suggestions about what hikes to do directly from park rangers. Also, they suggest directions (clockwise or counterclockwise) to follow for many of the hikes at Bryce, and I recommend you follow those, too.
Let Faster Hikers Pass
I feel like this is another obvious tip but it’s a good reminder. If you like to take your time while you’re hiking, please do! Be mindful of those around/behind you and step aside to let the hikers on a mission pass on by. You wouldn’t want them breathing down your back anyway!
Bryce Canyon Trail Map
All of the Bryce Canyon hiking trails I recommend are in this interactive map! Be sure to pin the Best Hikes at Bryce Canyon image below the map to your Pinterest for easy reference.
