Blue Skies Sunny Days Travel

Walking through the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park really felt magical, and I wish we had spent more time in this park. While we only spent an afternoon here, I would recommend staying the night so you can experience sunrise inside the park and do some star gazing. Bryce Canyon is the second national park my partner and I visited on our Grand Circle National Parks Road Trip in August 2024.

• About Bryce
• Getting There
• Where to Stay
• Hikes
• Activities
• Restaurants
• Recommendations
• Next Stop

About Bryce

• Claim to Fame: largest concentration of hoodoos (irregular shaped rocks) anywhere on Earth
• Location: Southwest Utah
• Website: https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm

Bryce Canyon National Park is famous for its hoodoos and ampitheaters carved into the plateaus. The Bryce Ampitheater is one of the most famous spots in the park, which is within walking distance to The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, the only lodging inside the park. Nearby are the 4 most famous views: Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Sunrise Point. The park has an 18 mile scenic drive to enjoy as well.

Getting There

• Bryce Canyon National Park is about a 2 hour drive from Zion National Park (taking the scenic drive from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center through the Mount Carmel Tunnel)
• Time Zone: Mountain Time

Where to Stay

• The Lodge at Bryce Canyon is the only hotel lodging inside the park
• Directly outside the park in Bryce Canyon City, there are a few hotels such as Ruby’s Inn RV Park & Campground
• Tropic, Utah is about 15 minutes away from Bryce Canyon National Park and has several hotels

Hikes

• Navajo Loop Trail paired with the Queens Garden Trail for a 2.9 mile hike with 600 feet of elevation, providing quintessential Bryce Canyon views. This is the hike that felt very magical as you can walk down into the hoodoos and through the forest floor.

Activities

• Star gaze in the park – as an International Dark Sky. Bryce Canyon provides some of the best views of the Milky Way around.
• Join a ranger-led Full Moon hike during the full moon – check here for info on reservations
• Ebenezer’s Barn & Grill Dinner Show – live show with country music and dinner.

Restaurants

• Inside the Park – check out the Lodge at Bryce Canyon Restaurant, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. The General Store also offers grab and go meals, such as pizza and sandwiches. Valhalla Pizzeria and Coffee Shop is also recommended.

Recommendations

• Definitely spend some time hiking – we loved the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail paired together.
• Though we werent’ able to do this on our trip, if I could do our trip over again, I’d look at staying inside the park at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon. Staying at the Lodge would make it easy to take advantage of watching sunrise over the hoodoos and star gazing in this certified International Dark Sky park. The Lodge is also right next to the Bryce Ampitheater, one of the most famous spots in the park and where you can start the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail hike.
• Take the 18 mile scenic drive and listen to the Shaka Guide app for a GPS guided audio tour with excellent narration and information to enjoy as you drive in the comfort of you vehicle. I first used the Shaka Guide on the Road to Hana in Maui, Hawaii, thought it was awesome and well worth the money (very reasonable prices!), and later found out the app has tours available at most of the U.S. National Parks.

Next Stop

Planning a Grand Circle National Park adventure? Our next stop was Capitol Reef National Park.

• Getting to Capitol Reef National Park: It’s about a 2 hour and 10 min drive from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef. Torrey is the closest city to Capitol Reef.
• Note: If you were planning to head to Moab next (to see Arches and Canyonland National Park), I’d recommend driving to Moab by way of Capitol Reef National Park. It only extends your trip a bit, and it’s worth the time and the scenic drive to make a pit stop through Capitol Reef on your way to Moab.