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Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon City, UT

Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor Adventure

Bryce Canyon National Park

Park entrance on UT-63, south of Bryce Canyon City · Bryce Canyon City, UT

Why you should go…

Bryce Canyon sits on a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase and holds what the Park Service calls the largest concentration of hoodoos, irregular columns of rock, found anywhere on Earth. One 18-mile road runs through the park, and the first 3 miles reach the Bryce Amphitheater and its four overlooks: Bryce, Inspiration, Sunset and Sunrise Points. The 2.9-mile Queen's/Navajo Combination Loop takes you down among the formations. Elevations reach 8,000 to 9,000 feet, and the night skies are dark.

  • #national park
  • #hoodoos
  • #hiking
  • #scenic overlooks
  • #stargazing

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Bryce Canyon National Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Stay
    Iconic

    Best Western Plus Ruby's Inn

    $50+

    Historic hotel one mile from Bryce Canyon National Park with lodging, a Western dinner barn, and tour bookings.

    3.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Cedar Breaks National Monument

    $25–$50

    Look down from rim overlooks above 10,000 feet into a three-mile-wide amphitheater of eroded spires, bristlecone pines and summer wildflowers.

    38 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    The Wave

    Under $25

    Hike across open desert to a swirl of striped Navajo Sandstone troughs that look like a frozen wave.

    44 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Angels Landing

    $25–$50

    Hike 5.4 miles round trip from the Grotto to a Zion summit, with chains along the final half-mile ridge.

    50 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Southwest Adventure Tours

    $50+

    Guided small-group day and multi-day tours to Utah's national parks, departing from Salt Lake City and other Southwest cities.

    50 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Cedar City & Brian Head

    Free

    Southern Utah gateway near Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah's Mighty Five national parks, and the Brian Head ski resort.

    50 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing