Wednesday, October 14, 2026TheUtah Ledger
Orange and white hoodoos filling the Bryce Amphitheater, seen from Sunrise Point
National park · Southern Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park

Not a canyon at all but a series of natural amphitheaters carved into the edge of a high plateau, packed with thousands of orange and white hoodoos. Walk the rim at sunrise, then hike down among the spires.

Photo: Christian David · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bryce sits on the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, between 8,000 and 9,100 feet, where frost and rain have eaten the cliff face into amphitheaters full of hoodoos: thin, striped spires of limestone in orange, pink and cream. The biggest, Bryce Amphitheater, is one of the densest collections of hoodoos anywhere on Earth, and you can see it all from a rim trail that links the main viewpoints.

The real way to understand Bryce is to drop below the rim. The Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden trails combine into a three-mile loop that passes Thor’s Hammer, threads the tall, narrow corridor of Wall Street and climbs back out to Sunset Point. The Fairyland Loop and the Peekaboo Loop are longer, steeper and quieter.

The 18-mile park road runs south along the rim to Rainbow Point, the highest overlook, with a dozen pullouts on the way. From spring through fall a free shuttle loops between the visitor center, the lodge and the main viewpoints, which takes the pressure off small parking lots.

Altitude makes Bryce a different climate from Zion. Summer days are pleasant and nights are cool; winter brings snow on the hoodoos and some of the best snowshoeing in the state. The park is also one of the darkest places in the country, and its rangers run astronomy programs and an annual astronomy festival in early summer.

Don't miss

  • Sunrise and Sunset PointsThe two most famous viewpoints over Bryce Amphitheater, a half mile apart along the rim.
  • Navajo Loop and Queen’s GardenThe classic three-mile descent among the hoodoos, past Thor’s Hammer and through Wall Street.
  • Inspiration PointThe view that shows off the amphitheater’s full depth and the rows of hoodoos below.
  • Bryce PointA sweeping overlook at the south end of the amphitheater, best at first light.
  • Fairyland LoopAn eight-mile loop below the rim with fewer people and some of the park’s strangest formations.
  • Rainbow PointThe end of the scenic drive and the park’s high point, with views across the Grand Staircase.
  • Mossy CaveA short walk off Highway 12 to a small waterfall and a dripping alcove, outside the main entrance.
  • Night sky programsRanger-led astronomy talks and full-moon hikes under some of the darkest skies in the West.

Hikes in Bryce Canyon

Good to know

  • Sunrise beats sunset here, because the amphitheaters face east and light up from within.
  • The park sits above 8,000 feet. Bring layers, drink more water than you think you need and take the climb back to the rim slowly.
  • Use the seasonal shuttle (it runs roughly April to October) to avoid circling the small lots at Sunset and Bryce Points.
  • Parts of the Wall Street section of the Navajo Loop close in winter for rockfall and ice; check current conditions before you go.
  • Pair Bryce with Kodachrome Basin State Park and Scenic Byway 12, which runs east from here to Escalante and Capitol Reef.

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