Bryce Canyon is one of my very favorite national parks! Its hoodoos are so unique; there’s excellent hiking, cool star parties, great drives, and fun recreation.
One to two days is the perfect amount of time to visit Bryce Canyon. Staying overnight allows guests to see a sunset, view the stars, and see a sunrise. It will also allow enough time to do the best hike in the park, Queens Garden/Navajo Loop, do the scenic drive, enjoy some viewpoints, and even fit in a recreational activity of interest.
I’m Cheryl, and I live in Utah. I’ve been to Bryce at least 10 times, and my husband and I write travel guides to make trip planning easy for people visiting the West. Today, I want to share with you the exact plan I give friends and family who are making their first trip to Bryce Canyon National Park.
VISITING BRYCE CANYON AND NEED A GAME PLAN? CHECK OUT OUR ITINERARY.
Bryce Canyon is a small and simple national park. There is only one entrance, and it’s at the north end of the park. There is one main road. It’s 18 miles long and takes about 30-40 minutes to drive from the entrance at Bryce Canyon City to Rainbow Point at the end of the park without stops.
Bryce Canyon City, the gateway town, is right on the border of the park, which means that it’s easy for travelers to stay just minutes away from the entrance gate. A free shuttle is also available that will pick visitors up in Bryce Canyon and transport them to the main areas of the park, namely the Bryce Amphitheater, where there is the best view of the hoo-doos (the cool redrock spires you see in all the photos of Bryce).
There is a separate section of the park, Mossy Cave, which is wonderful and worth a visit.
Bryce Canyon is also within close proximity to some other incredible national parks and sites, including Grand Staircase Escalante, Scenic Route 12, and Zion, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks. Many people visit Bryce Canyon as part of Utah’s Mighty 5 Road Trip that can be done in 7-11 days. We have an itinerary for this entire trip.
CHECK OUT: How to Visit Utah’s National Parks: Epic 5-7 Day Itinerary
Get our done‑for‑you, 2‑day route with exact drives, maps, and must‑see stops so you don’t waste time in traffic or miss the best views.
Inside the guide:
*Day‑by‑day plan for Bryce Canyon including hikes, viewpoints, drives, and star-gazing!
*Exact times, activities, and where to sleep and eat
*Includes audio stories to listen to as you drive
*Best Friend Guarantee: love it or get your money back
*Visiting Utah’s 5 National Parks– Save big $ and get a plan for Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Arches & Canyonlands. Learn more here
This itinerary is written for the first-time visitor who wants to see the park properly and enjoys a bit of variety as well. I’ll share my favorite viewpoints, hikes, and recreational activities. Plus, where we like to eat and stay and give you a few insider tips that only Bryce regulars know.
Although Bryce Canyon is open year-round, I’m going to assume you are visiting between April and November, when there isn’t snow on the ground.
Lastly, because there are so many cool things to do near Bryce Canyon, I’ll recommend a few other things to do outside the park. You can spend more than 2 days in Bryce, but I feel that if you are visiting Utah, it’s best to spend 1 to 2 days in each park instead of spending a bunch of time in one park.
HANDY TIP: Reservations to stay at the Bryce Canyon Lodge open up 13 months in advance. The national park campgrounds open up 6 months in advance.
This plan will get you to the absolute best highlights of the park in an efficient way.
Sunrise: Start your day with a famous Bryce Canyon Sunrise. There’s a lot of debate as to where the best place to watch a sunrise is, but we believe that Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, and Bryce Point are all great. You can read more about it in our blog post, Where to Watch a Sunrise and Sunset at Bryce Canyon.
What makes the sunrise so amazing at Bryce is not just seeing the sun rise on the horizon but the light and shadows on the hoodoos as the sun changes positions in the sky. It’s one of the best sunrises I’ve ever seen (and I am a professional travel writer- that’s saying something).
The sun can rise as early as 5:50 am in the summer, which can be a butt-kicker, AND believe it or not, there will be hundreds of people along the Rim Trail and viewpoints. If you are not a morning person, you have my full permission to sleep in. I love the sunrises here, but I don’t always wake up to watch them.
HANDY TIP: Because of the crowds, make sure to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Also, bundle up! Mornings are often windy and cold in the desert.
While you are in the area, walk along the Rim Trail and take in a few viewpoints. It’s great to see the hoodoos from different angles. You can take advantage of the Bryce Canyon Shuttle and do any combination you wish of walking or riding between viewpoints. Read our Bryce Shuttle blog post for more.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Sunset Point is actually a great spot to watch a sunrise. As the sun appears, get down the trail a few switchbacks so that Thor’s Hammer appears more prominently in the photo as the sun rises.
Queens Garden/Navajo Loop Trail: This hike is the best bang for your buck in the park. It’s short, not too difficult, and will get you in the Bryce Amphitheater, where you can walk among the hoodoos!
Start this hike from SUNSET Point. It’s actually a combination of two trails, but it’s the most common way of doing it. The trail provides stunning views of the hoodoos and a nice variety of looks.
Right next to Sunset Point, take the path for the Navajo Loop. After the switchback, try to spot Thor’s Hammer to your left. You can then continue into the canyon one of two ways. We recommend Wall Street, but either path is fine; both have switchbacks down into the canyon.
GOOD TO KNOW: There are water spigots, restrooms, and picnic tables at the trailhead.
Just make sure when you get to the bottom of Navajo Loop that you follow the signs for Queens Garden Trail. Then, make sure to take the little side trail to see the Queen. Walk to the interpretive sign (as shown in the photo) and spot the Queen. The sign tells you about the Queen and shows you how to find her. NOTE: She sits perched on top of a hoodoo, and she’s smaller than you think!
INSIDER TIP: As you hike in Bryce Canyon, you’ll see signs that say “Hike the HooDoos.” If you take your picture in front of 4 of them and show a ranger, you get a prize. It’s just a sticker, but I still love to do it!
Visitor Center and Gift Shop. I never visit a national park without making a stop at the visitor center. Though I don’t believe that you should spend a lot of time here, one thing that is worth checking out is the ranger programs. Our children have always enjoyed the Jr. Ranger Program. The activities keep them engaged as we tour the park, and they love getting their badge and getting sworn in as a Jr. Ranger once they have completed their assignments.
INSIDER TIP: Get your tickets for the star evening program while you are there! Very few national parks offer these and the rangers at Bryce do a wonderful job putting these on.
Now it’s time to rest those legs and escape the crowds. Let’s go for a scenic drive to see some lesser-visited views.
Southern Scenic Drive: This 18-mile road takes 30-40 minutes to drive if you don’t make any stops. But… it takes most people 2-3 hours to do this drive properly because there are some great look-outs including…
GOOD TO KNOW: This road is paved and has no vehicle restrictions (talking to you RVers!)
Head into Bryce Canyon City to check out this kitchy tourist town. Some notable stops include
Old Bryce Town. This little strip mall (Old West-themed) is across the street from Ruby’s Inn. They have a rock shop, Native American Art, and some fun things for kids, like a jail. It might be a nice place to visit after dinner as they also have an ice cream and candy shop that is quite popular.
Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill Dinner Show. It seems like most national parks in the West have some version of this. For around $50, you are treated to an old west cookout with all the fixin’s (steak, chicken, potatoes, salad, corn bread, coffee, dessert), and you get to watch the Bryce Canyon Wranglers perform covers for some famous cowboy songs, plus a few originals.
I have been to around 8 of these types of shows and they are really fun. I haven’t yet been to this one, but my husband will be going this summer. I checked out the review for you and people really enjoy this one. They say the food is great and the performers are talented. Avoid sitting on the left side because some pillars will obstruct your view. If you want to know more, you can visit their website.
Bryce Canyon Country Rodeo. This is a small town rodeo run by Ruby’s Inn that mostly has locals showing off their western skills. I haven’t personally been to this rodeo yet, but I have been to several others like it. These are great because they are only about 1 1/2 hours long, are affordable, usually have activities for the kids (often times going into the arena and chasing a cow or chickens), and have a very local feel. You can get the details at their website.
Watch a Sunset. The rim of the canyon isn’t the best spot for sunsets because the sun sets at your back as you face the canyon, and since the hoodoos are lower than the canyon rim, they quickly get swallowed up in the shade.
But there is one place in the park that has a west-facing wall. And that place is… Mossy Cave.
The Mossy Cave section of the park is not linked to the main Amphitheater. You can read more about how to do this in our blog post, Where to Watch a Sunrise and Sunset at Bryce Canyon.
PRO TIP: The parking lot here is small and people are starting to catch on that this is a cool thing to do. There is a larger, overflow parking lot further down the road if the closest parking lot is full.
Star Program. Bryce Canyon does some incredible evening programs. Bryce is known for being one of the vanishing “dark spots,” meaning it’s an amazing place to see the stars. We attended a program a few years ago and the ranger took us outside and used a special flashlight to show us the constellations in the sky and the great stories behind them. It was unique and I’ve never done anything else like this within a national park. Here are some details on some of the evening programs offered. You can check out what is going on during your visit at the NPS website.
Get our done‑for‑you, 5-7‑day route with exact drives, maps, and must‑see stops so you don’t waste time in traffic or miss the best views.
Inside the guide:
*Day‑by‑day plan for Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches & Canyonlands
*Details you need: Time frames, driving routes, and where to sleep each night to reduce back-tracking
*Includes audio stories to listen to as you drive
*Best Friend Guarantee: love it or get your money back
If you have the luxury of two days within the park, and I hope you do, you can check out some really cool things. I still think you should do the one-day itinerary as outlined, but here are some other great activities and longer hikes you can do. NOTE: You can substitute the scenic drive from yesterday with some of these activities.
My husband, Matt, does a horseback ride almost every time we visit a new national park. The ride he did here at Bryce Canyon is his ABSOLUTE favorite. He rode with Canyon Trail Rides, who have access to actually take you into Bryce Canyon. There are some switchbacks at the start that will give you a little thrill, but most of the ride is a gentle stroll through the hoodoos and trees. How cool is that? He loved it so much that he wrote a whole blog post about it: Bryce Canyon Horseback Rides.
The Canyon 2 Canyon Bike Trail is a 20-mile paved trail that connects Red Canyon State Park to a few miles within Bryce Canyon National Park. This was my first experience riding an e-bike, and it got me addicted to biking in our national parks.
What is great about this ride is that you get to scramble around on some bright red rocks at Red Canyon and then ride your bike into Bryce. I enjoyed the entire trail, but the trail through Bryce is through pine trees, not with views of the hoodoos. You can read all about it in our post, Biking in Bryce Canyon.
Bryce Canyon National Park is surrounded by BLM land where ATVs and side by sides are allowed. You can rent machines at Ruby’s Inn, and they will even give you a map of the best trails to check out. Read more about this on our post Best ATV Rentals, Trails, and Tours at Bryce Canyon.
A desert hike in the morning is one of my all-time favorite things. This is one of my all-time favorite hikes
because it isn’t as crowded and gives you the feel of a lone traveler making their way across the Old West desert. It has the most variety and is the least crowded of the major Bryce hikes, with 5 miles in the canyon and 3 miles along the rim. Though there are ups and downs, we don’t think it’s that strenuous, except for the length. You can start this hike from Fairyland Point or near Sunrise Point, but it might be easier to find a parking spot at Fairyland Point.
PRO TIP: We recommend hiking the trail clockwise so you go downhill on the steepest section. If you don’t want to hike the full 8 miles, you can cut off the 3-mile rim portion by having someone drop you off at Fairyland Point and pick you up near Sunrise Point (or vice versa). The shuttle bus does NOT go to Fairyland Point, so, unfortunately, you can’t use it to your advantage.
People also love Peek-a-boo. I’ve done both and Fairyland is my favorite.
This road is so cool it has “All-American Road” status. That means it has one-of-a-kind features and is an exceptional experience to drive. Only 37 roads have this status and Route 12 is one of them! This is a great connector to Capitol Reef National Park and includes great hikes like Willis Creek and Lower Calf Creek Falls. Plus, you’ll drive by some great state parks like Devil’s Garden, Petrified Forest, Kodachrome, and Anasazi.
Driving this road will take you all day, but we think you’ve really missed the boat if you visit Bryce and skip this drive. We wrote a blog post all about it, Utah’s Scenic Route 12.
–When to Start Your Day. If you are driving your car into the park, be there before 8:00 am. If you are taking the shuttle, you can start when you want.
The park is most crowded between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm.
–What to Wear. If you are hiking, make sure to wear hiking boots or at least a good pair of trail runners. Make sure to bring a sweater or jacket for mornings and evenings.
A hat and sunscreen are musts in the desert. Check out our recommended gear.
–What to Bring. A good water bottle or Camelbak if you are hiking. We love having binoculars for the viewpoints.
–Road Conditions. Roads are paved and drivable in a regular car. Snow removal in the winter can sometimes close down roads.
–Cell Phone Service. You’ll have service in Bryce Canyon City and it will fade the further into the park you get. If you choose to drive Scenic Route 12,
count on it being almost non-existent.
–Don’t Bring Your Doggo. With the exception of service animals, dogs are not allowed in buildings or on trails, with the exception of the Rim Trail.
We leave our pup at home when we visit Bryce.
–Services Within the Park. Water spigots, flushing toilets, a gift shop, a food truck, and 2 restaurants at the Bryce Canyon Lodge.
There is one lodge and two campgrounds within Bryce Canyon National Park. We like to stay at Sunset Campground because it’s within walking distance to Sunset Point.
Bryce Canyon City is right next to the entrance of the park and is also an excellent place to stay because it is so close. The most popular is Ruby’s Inn. It’s a campground and hotel all in one. You can learn more from our blog post, Best Places to Stay at Bryce Canyon.
Other areas or cities near the park include Tropic and Panguitch. Kanab can also work as a home base if you’re also visiting Zion and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Honestly, the food at Bryce Canyon is nothing to write home about. Most restaurants within the park and surrounding it consistently get poor reviews. Exceptions include i.d.k. Barbecue in Tropic and Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill in Bryce Canyon City. You can read more about it at 11 Best Places to Eat at Bryce Canyon.
GOOD TO KNOW: Besides the two restaurants at the Bryce Canyon Lodge and the food truck that is sometimes around, there is nowhere to eat within the park. We usually pack a picnic or head into town to grab something to eat.
By Air. The two most common airports to fly into are Las Vegas, NV or Salt Lake City, UT. Both are around 4 hours away.
Many people visit Bryce Canyon as a Utah National Park Road Trip. If that is the case for you, it’s best to fly into one airport and out of the other to avoid backtracking.
Bryce Canyon truly is incredible. We hope that this blog post has been a good resource to help you start planning your trip.
If you want to make planning your trip to Bryce Canyon a breeze, check out our easy-to-follow, step-by-step itinerary.
Itinerary includes:
How to Connect Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks: 11 Amazing Stops
Capitol Reef 4 Incredibly Scenic Drives
Zion National Park: How to Plan Your Perfect Trip
Grand Canyon Beginner’s Guide: Itinerary + Lodging & Tips
15 Things You CAN’T MISS On Your First Trip to Arches National Park
An Easy Guide to Visiting Canyonlands National Park
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