Bryce Canyon National Park

My family and I spent one full day in Bryce Canyon National Park, here’s how it went!

Itinerary:

Thursday

Fly into the Cedar City Airport
Dinner: Mexican Food
Hotel

Friday

Hotel breakfast
Drive 1.5 hour to Bryce Canyon
Park Entrance Fee
Park at Sunrise Point
Hike the Navajo loop and Queens garden trail (counterclockwise)
Lunch at the picnic tables
Drive the 18 mi road, stop at all the viewpoints.
Park at Rainbow Point (end of road)
Hike the Bristlecone Pine Trail (1 mi)
Mossy Cave Trail (1 mi)
Dinner: Asian Fusion
Hotel

Trail Journal:

Bryce Canyon National Park

October 28, 2022

I flew into the Cedar City Airport on Thursday evening, just before sunset. My parents and sister picked me up in a rental car and we drove to a Mexican restaurant. It seemed like a good option to satisfy everyone since my sister and I are vegan and my parents are pretty picky.

Our hotel was right in Cedar City which is about 1.5 hours from Bryce Canyon National Park.

My family and I are early birds so everyone was up and ready to hit the road by 6am. We enjoyed the hotel breakfast right as it opened and hit the road before the sun started to rise. We drove up and over Black Mountain in the Dixie National Forest and as we crested over the other side a beautiful sunrise with snow capped mountains revealed itself on the horizon. My mom had requested that we listen to John Denver, a childhood favorite that she used to play on her record player. When we saw this beautiful view, we pulled over the car, got out into the icy morning air and skipped down the empty road singing at the top of our lungs to the mountains and sky. It was a lovely moment and felt like a scene out of a movie.

We soon made it to the entrance station at Bryce Canyon National Park and shortly after turned into the parking lot at Sunset Point. It was around 35 degrees and there was snow on the ground so it was cold but we dressed in layers anticipating the sun and hiking to warm us up as the day wore on.

After using the bathroom, we walked to the edge of the canyon overlooking the most iconic area of the park, Sunrise Point, which overlooks the amphitheater. It’s a stunning view of red rock pillars dusted with snow, and illuminated perfectly for golden hour.

We hiked the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden trail (3mi) in the counterclockwise direction. To protect everyone’s knees we wanted to do the steepest section of trail (the switchbacks) downhill and get it out of the way at the beginning. The trail immediately descends and you’re among the colorful towers of hoodoos and pillars. One hoodoo named Thor’s Hammer stands out on your left, then come the switchbacks. If you’re into travel content you have probably seen photos of this section of the trail before, it is very photogenic, especially with the red rocks and the way the canyon holds the light. Once you reach the bottom, the trail starts a gentle incline all the way back up but first it takes you through a landscape similar to what I imagine mars to look like. We took our time soaking it all in, taking photos, and imagining what this place was like before it became a National Park.

After completing our hike, we took another long look into the canyon from the top before finding a picnic table to sit and eat lunch. We chose a spot in the sun to stay warm as we cooled down from our hike. The day before, we had picked up a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly, and other snacks. We ate our PBJ sandwiches and bananas we pocketed from the hotel breakfast. As we ate our sandwiches, a few squirrels surrounded us looking for a handout, but we knew better! I know it can be tempting to feed cute wild animals, but please don’t! It’s detrimental to their health and safety and can pose a danger to you as well! (The squirrels at the Grand Canyon have literally sent people to the hospital.)

We disposed of our trash, then hopped back in the car to explore the rest of the park.

Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive is an 18 mile road that goes the length of the park. Be sure to drive along it and stop at the viewpoints along the way. Most of the viewpoints are right along the road, so no additional hiking is required! My favorite was the Natural Bridge lookout.

If you do want to fit in a little more hiking, at the end of the road, at Rainbow Point, I recommend the short Bristlecone Pine loop trail. It’s a flat trail that takes you out to a 1,800 year old bristlecone pine! My dad is a carpenter and loves his trees, so he was quite excited to see this one!

After wrapping up our exploration of the park, we made one last stop at the visitor center to learn more about the history of this land and the indigenous people who it belongs to. We sat and watched the 25 minute video about Bryce Canyon from the American Indian perspective (linked here).

As we were heading out of the park, we noticed one other stop on the map that we wanted to make: Mossy Cave Trail. It was just outside the main area of the park and off of UT-12 instead of along the Scenic Drive. It was a short 1mi trail along a stream to a little mossy cave, as the name states. There was also supposed to be a waterfall but there was no water so, no waterfall. It was beautiful regardless, and I’m glad we added that little detour to our adventure before heading back to our hotel and stopping for a hardy dinner of Asian Fusion. Then, it was time for a good night sleep because in the morning we’re off to Moab and Arched National Park!

Overall we had a fantastic time exploring Bryce Canyon and I hope you get to see it one day too!

Maps:

bryce-canyon-national-park-map-Bryce canyon NP map

bryce-canyon-national-park-detail-map BCNP detailed map

PHOTOS: