The Best (and Worst) Times to Visit Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the most beautiful and unique places on the planet, but the weather here surprises most visitors. it snows in the winter and has lower temperatures than its neighboring national parks of Arches and Zion because it sits at 8,000 ft elevation.

The best time to visit Bryce Canyon National Park is mid to late May or early October. The temperatures are comfortable, the shuttle system is running, and all the hotels, campgrounds, and services within and surrounding the park are up and running.  However, there are 5 factors to consider for which time is best FOR YOU to visit Bryce Canyon including 1) tolerance for crowds, 2) tolerance for unpleasant weather, 3) where else you are traveling to, 4) which activities you want to do, and 5) cost.

I’m Cheryl and have been to Bryce Canyon 10 times, during all seasons of the year. My husband and I live in Utah and have sold over 18,000 travel guides to help people travel to the West. Keep reading to find out when we think is the best (and worst time) to visit Bryce Canyon.

VISITING BRYCE CANYON AND NEED A GAME PLAN? CHECK OUT OUR ITINERARY.

A Quick Lesson on the Geography of Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon isn’t actually a canyon—it’s a series of amphitheaters carved into the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Sitting at 8,000-9,000 feet in elevation, Bryce is much higher than nearby Zion National Park, which is why it stays cooler year-round. Because of this elevation, snow lingers well into spring, and temperatures can drop below freezing even on summer nights.

We view this as a plus because the cooler temperatures are so refreshing compared to the sweltering temperatures of the nearby national parks in the summer.

5 Factors to Consider When Planning Your Visit

1. Tolerance for Unpleasant Weather

For the most part, I believe in the saying, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” If you are willing to deal with colder temperatures, you can get views of Bryce Canyon almost all to yourself.

That being said, certain parts of the park, including hiking trails and even a few roads, are closed when there is snow.

If you visit in the shoulder seasons like March, April, October, and November, you may avoid snow but it can get cold! As long as you are not at risk of slipping on ice or snow, I LOVE to hike in these cooler months. It’s way easier to throw on another layer than to deal with intense heat (and crowds!) in the summer.

One factor that this chart does not include is the windchill. Bryce can get really windy making it even colder than you think.

2. Tolerance for Crowds

In the age of Instagram-perfect pictures and social media, visitation to Bryce Canyon National Park has more than doubled since 2007. As a Utahn who has spent my life visiting this park, it makes me happy that others get to see its magnificent beauty and sad that I don’t have it to myself anymore.

Bryce is a small national park- basically one 18-mile road, and one entrance, meaning it can feel crowded quickly. Popular trails within the Bryce Amphitheater, like Queens Garden/Navajo Loop, can get swarmed with people. Even if you wake up early for a famous Bryce Canyon sunrise, you can expect to share the viewpoint with a hundred other people.

Bryce Canyon has a free (and wonderful) shuttle system in place that helps a lot with the crowding but if you are traveling from late May through September, expect to share the park with many other national park enthusiasts.

On a recent Memorial Day weekend, the NPS actually had to start turning people away because the park was so crowded. I don’t tell you this to scare you away but to help you temper your expectations. I ADORE visiting Bryce and will go any chance I get. Now I just give myself more time to explore the park so I can still have a wonderful experience.

3. What Do You Want to Do?

If you enjoy tent camping, it’s important that you visit during the summer months as the temperatures can get cold at night.

If you are into hiking, horseback riding, biking, and riding ATVs, April through October are wonderful options because the rental shops are open and the weather is pleasant.

If you are into photography, winter offers the best contrast.

If you are into scenic drives, the roads in Bryce are paved and passable almost the entire year. In the winter, a snowstorm can close the main road for a day and there are a few less popular roads that are not plowed.

If you want to do touristy things, you will want to visit May through September when all the hotels, restaurants, and activities are going, including a dinner show, horseback riding, and even a rodeo.

DON’T MISS: Utah’s Scenic Route 12: Connecting Bryce and Capitol Reef (+16 Things to Do Along the Way)

4. Where Else Are You Traveling?

It’s rare that a traveler is visiting Bryce Canyon alone. Bryce is usually paired with Zion and sometimes even the other 3 national parks in Utah: Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands.

Visiting Utah’s National Parks is an incredible trip but does present a bit of a planning challenge because Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef are significantly higher in elevation than the other 3. For this reason, we recommend visiting in early May or later September, when Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands aren’t so hot.

VISITING UTAH’S NATIONAL PARKS AND NEED A GAME PLAN? CHECK OUT OUR ITINERARY.

5. Cost

Just like prices everywhere else, hotels and flights can be pricey in summer, but drop in winter.

GOOD TO KNOW: The Bryce Canyon Lodge closes in the winter. Also, Bryce Canyon City, the gateway town to Bryce Canyon National Park, is a monopoly. Almost every business is owned by Ruby’s Inn. The average cost for a standard room is around $149

Overview By Season

Go in April/May or Sept/October if… (BEST TIME TO VISIT!)	Go in June, July, or August if…	Go November-March if…
*You enjoy cooler temperatures and are ok with the risk of cold weather	*You want access to all hotels, restaurants, stores, and shuttle	*You want to avoid crowds
*You want to do some hiking	*You are interested in biking, hiking, horseback riding, dinner show, rodeo or other activities	*Don’t mind cold weather and having to wear spikes on shoes
*You want access to all hotels, restaurants, stores, and the shuttle	*You want to camp	*Want to save some $ on lodging
*Are visiting Utah’s 5 national parks and/or Monument Valley	*Can afford more expensive lodging	*Are ok if some hiking trails and roads are closed
*You enjoy fewer crowds	*Are ok with crowds	*Are ok with no shuttles, and limited lodging, restaurant, and shopping options
*You enjoy ranger-led programs- but be aware that there are more of these running in the summer	* Want access to the largest variety of ranger-led programs

Best Times to Visit Bryce Canyon

• Early May. Spring break crowds are gone, highs are in the 60s, and almost everything is open and running including the shuttles, ATV rentals, bike rentals, and horseback riding. Even though Bryce Canyon is mostly desert, it’s nice to get there when the plants are green again. The green against red rock really is spectacular.
• October (avoid the 2nd or 3rd weekends- it’s fall break in Utah and brings more crowds) Bryce Canyon is mostly pine trees so there isn’t a lot of foliage, but the weather is usually delightful, there are fewer crowds, and hotels, restaurants, stores, and activities are still going.

GOOD TO KNOW: Both of these times are excellent times to visit the other national parks in Utah.

Worst Times To Visit

• Memorial Day Weekend. As I mentioned earlier, Bryce Canyon has had to turn people away this weekend in the past. That is the only time I’ve ever heard of them doing that. In general, Memorial Day is a terrible time to visit any national park in Utah.
• Spring Break (1st and 2nd weeks of April). Learn from our mistakes. In 2022, we did all 5 of Utah’s National Parks over spring break. All of our kids were school-age and we were limited on travel dates. Surprisingly, none of the parks were too crowded and Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands were surprisingly warm. But…we were so cold at Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef. The day we were at Bryce, I literally woke up that morning and put on every piece of clothing I had, and was still cold! We couldn’t hike the Queens Garden Trail because it was still covered in snow and it was so windy our tripod kept tipping over. I’m sure that some years, spring break is a delightful time to visit, but the case in point proves that those shoulder season months can be unpredictable.
• Fall Break (2nd or 3rd week of October). We Utahns love a good, inexpensive trip to the outdoors and Bryce is only 4 hours away from where most of Utah’s population lives. Fall Break is the perfect storm for crowds, even if the temperatures are perfect. You’ll be in a great spot if you wait until the 4th week in October.
• Winter in General. Even though crowds are at a minimum, and Bryce Canyon is beautiful when it’s covered in snow, I would still rather go when it’s warmer and deal with the crowds. Hiking and biking in Bryce are my favorite activities. I once tried to hike some of the Navajo Loop when there was still snow and ice on the trail and it was treacherous. In fact, we visited over Christmas break another time and the short trails leading to the lookouts were iced over and people were falling everywhere.

If I Had to Choose One Time of Year to Visit Bryce Canyon

I would visit the last week of October. The risk for snow is minimal, the crowds are cleared out and the temperature for hiking is perfect (in my humble opinion). One last plus is that since it’s later in the year, you won’t have to wake up at 5:00 am to catch a sunrise- it doesn’t rise until 7:50 am in October.

That is the best time for me…being a person who usually stays in hotels, loves to hike, and tries to fit one or two other national parks in Utah into my trip.

But of course, the best time of year to visit varies on your personal travel style. Always consider:

• Your tolerance for unpleasant temperatures
• Your tolerance for crowds
• Other locations you are visiting on your trip
• What you want to do
• Cost

Is There Anything Else to Know?

Bryce Canyon is incredible! Need a game plan so you don’t miss out on the best things to do? Check out our Bryce Canyon Itinerary. Got bigger plans to visit all the national parks in Utah? We’ve got a plan for that too!

Most travelers want to visit the most popular sites and still avoid the crowds. We have a detailed itinerary that gives you a step-by-step game plan so you can get to the best places at the right times!

Not only that, but we’ll tell you about the park while you drive with our audio guide!  Make trip planning easy and download our itinerary today!