All You Need to Know About the Land of the Hoodoos | Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon, the land of the hoodoos. Bryce is one of those national parks that suit extremely well for people of all ages. At about 56 square miles, it’s an extremely small park compared to the other parks in Utah such as Zion, Arches, or Capital Reef. It’s a “go at your own pace” type of park as there is one 18-mile scenic route you drive on and you can stop and spend as much time as you want each trail or overlook. Most of the trails are short in nature but a few of them are also interconnected, so you can extend your hike if you’re adventurous. Therefore, it provides hikers of all levels an option to explore however they want but do remember that it is at a higher elevation (8,000 – 9,000 ft) so while the air is cooler, it’s also thinner. You can do Bryce in a day as I managed to explore all the scenic points and hiked 3 trails, but I recommend at most 2 days to explore the longer hikes under the rim.

Here is what I recommend for 1-2 days at Bryce Canyon. I like to stop by the visitor center at the beginning of every national park experience because I want to grab my national park starter pack (pins, stickers, hats, and getting my national park passport stamped). Once you're done with the visitor center, drive all the way up to Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point; these are at the very end of the drive and are the highest viewpoints of the park . All of the scenic overlooks and turnouts are on the east side, so if you start from the very top at Rainbow Point and make your way back down to the Bryce Amphitheater, you avoid all of the awkward left turns on the 2-lane road, which can be quite annoying on a crowded day.

Now, if you get there super early before the park rangers start their day at the ticket booth and you want to catch the sunrise, I would stop by the Bryce Amphitheater (the region that includes Fairyland Point, Sunrise Point, Inspiration Point, and Bryce Point) before you make the drive to the top. This is actually the best part of the park, so if you follow my recommendation, you save the best part for last.

Depending on your schedule, you can stop at every turnout and get out of the car to check out the scenery. I only did 1 day here so here are my thoughts:

1) This is called the Natural Bridge for some reason, although it should be called the Natural Arch if you’re asking me. One of the more popular views along the scenic drive. There are several turnouts before you reach the Natural Bridge, but I would definitely make a pit stop here.

2) This was taken on the Peekaboo Trail, a moderate/strenuous 5.5 mile loop. I actually DON'T recommend doing this hike IF you’re only there for a day. While you get close to the red rock hoodoos, the trail is super exposed and it doubles as a horse trail, so you will constantly have that lovely aroma throughout the whole time. The views are still amazing though! There are better hikes in the amphitheater, and the trail information can be found here.

3) Thor’s Hammer. Along with Wall Street, these two are arguably the two most iconic formations you have seen on the internet. They are both located on the Navajo Loop Trail, which is a MUST DO. The loop itself is 1.3 miles, but if you want to hike more, you can extend this loop via Queen’s Garden Trail and explore that area as well. The combination loop is 2.9 miles total and I would do this loop if you had to pick one trail. Lastly, do not worry about where you leave your car because you can take the free shuttle back to where you originally parked.

4) If you decide to spend another day at Bryce Canyon, then I would add the Fairyland Loop Trail to the itinerary. Located at the northern part of the park, it is a 8 mile hike that takes you down to the hoodoos. It is a less crowded hike so you will find more peace and solace along the way. This is one hike I would love to do the next time I go back to the park!

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Final Thoughts

There is no one "correct" way to do Bryce; my recommendations above come from a practical and efficiency perspective. If you want to take all those instagrammable photos and care less about the hikes, then head straight for the Bryce Amphitheater and take all the photos because come late afternoon, the long shadows will start to creep in, as seen in the Thor's Hammer photo above.

Bryce Amphitheater is also a great place for all ages; the full Rim Trail is 5.5 miles long from Fairyland Point to Bryce Point, but the 1 mile section between Sunset and Sunrise Point is paved and is wheelchair accessible, making it an easy and flat hike for everyone.

There you have it! Quick guide on everything you need to know about Bryce Canyon National Park.