There’s no better place to feel like you’re in the Old West than Bryce Canyon! And there’s no better way to do that than on horseback.
If you’re thinking about horseback riding on your trip to Bryce Canyon, let me say: GOOD CHOICE! BUT, there are some very important things you need to know before you book a ride.
In summary, there is one company authorized to give rides into Bryce Canyon: Canyon Trail Rides. There are many other trail riding companies within an hour of Bryce Canyon, and they will take you to some lesser-known, but still gorgeous areas. Rides typically range from one-hour to all-day trips and range from $75-$100 per person, with some companies offering multi-day trips. Riders generally need to be 7 years or older and weigh less than 230 lbs.
But before you go booking with the resort you’re staying at, keep on reading so you know your options!
VISITING BRYCE CANYON AND NEED A GAME PLAN? CHECK OUT OUR ITINERARY!
Here’s a quick summary of our recommendations.
Keep on reading for nine options for horseback riding in or near Bryce Canyon.
This is the ONLY company authorized to give rides INSIDE Bryce Canyon National Park. We used this company twice — at Bryce and at the Grand Canyon’s north rim. They also offer rides at Zion Canyon.
The employees are extremely friendly and professional. They must have a squeaky-clean operation because they are a concessionaire of the National Park Service. They risk losing their license with the park if they aren’t by the book.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t fun! The guides are folksy Westerners with an informal sense of humor. They also understand their audience is tourists who don’t own horses (city slickers), so they are very patient and helpful.
They use both horses and mules, both of which are extremely well-trained and well-behaved, so you shouldn’t have any concerns about safety.
They offer 1.5-2 hour rides for $75 and 3-hour rides for $100. The 1.5-hour ride goes all the way into the canyon on a dedicated horse trail. The 3-hour ride travels the same path but adds the Peek-a-boo loop to it. The Peek-a-boo loop is a multi-use trail for hikers and horse riders.
They do four rides per day, and riders must be 7 years or older and weigh less than 220 lbs.
If you choose any other company on this list, you won’t be riding into the canyon hoodoos (rock formations) at Bryce. Some will take you to the rim of sections of the canyon outside the park, and others will take you to other gorgeous places in the area (many well worth seeing!) But none of them take you into Bryce Canyon.
DON’T MISS: 45 Great Things to Do at Bryce Canyon
Ruby’s Inn is the most popular resort by far at Bryce Canyon. They have lodging, camping, group tent sites, RV sites, tipis, and swimming pools. They have a rodeo and a country music dinner show.
They also offer a variety of tours: helicopter, airplane, ATV, and horseback.
They offer 4 different kinds of horseback rides, ranging from 1.5 hours ($80) to a full day ($150). Each ride goes to a different area of the Paunsagaunt Plateau.
I haven’t been on their rides, but I know that all the areas they ride in are beautiful.
HOWEVER, I recommend NOT taking the 1.5-hour ride because it’s mostly forested (boring) and then pops out to the rim of Water Canyon, which is just north of the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater. Water Canyon is in the National Park and has some hoodoos, but it’s really a lesser version of Bryce Canyon (much lesser).
Book a ride (through Ruby’s or another company) to Red Canyon, Thunder Mountain, Grand Staircase, or some of the other nearby areas rather than Water Canyon.
| Company | Rides offered |
| Canyon Trail Rides | Bryce Canyon (also Zion and the Grand Canyon) |
| Ruby’s Horseback Adventures | Red Canyon, Thunder Mountain, Grand Staircase |
| The Stables at Bryce Canyon Pines | Red Canyon, Kodachrome Basin State Park |
| Mecham Outfitters | Grand Staircase |
| Panguitch Trail Rides | Panguitch Lake |
| Hell’s Backbone Ranch and Trail | Boulder, Utah |
| Rising K Ranch Trail Rides | Cedar City, Utah |
| Duck Creek Trail Rides | Duck Creek, Utah |
| The Red Rock Ride | Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon Multi-Day Trip |
The Stables at Bryce Canyon Pines offers a wide variety of rides. They have 4 options ranging from 1 hour ($75) to All Day rides ($275).
They offer rides in the gorgeous areas of Red Canyon and Kodachrome Basin State Park. We love both of these places!
Both of them have colorful red rock, made even more vivid by the contrast with the clear blue skies (this part of the country is so remote it offers some of the best air quality in the United States).
They are owned by Bryce Canyon Pines Resort, which also has lodging and a popular restaurant.
Book online or call 435-834-5441.
DISCOVER: The best places to stay at Bryce Canyon.
Mecham Outfitters is a small family-owned business based in nearby Tropic, 15 minutes from Bryce NP.
They offer a 2.5-hour ride for $100 per person, and an All Day (5-6 hour) ride for $140 per person.
Tropic lies just below Bryce Canyon and sits in between Bryce and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM). Their rides go into a slot canyon in GSENM.
GSENM is a vast, sprawling area in Southern Utah. It is full of slot canyons and scenic areas.
They aren’t bunched together (which is why it isn’t a national park), and they are difficult to reach. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t great. So this would be a great way to see some of it — with a guide.
Panguitch is a charming little town about 30 minutes away from Bryce Canyon. Near Panguitch, in a forested mountain area, is Panguitch Lake.
Panguitch Lake Trail Rides offers 90-minute day rides in the area. They accommodate small and large groups. Call 435-676-3334 for more information.
FIND OUT: The best places to eat at Bryce Canyon.
Hell’s Backbone Ranch and Trail is located in Boulder, Utah, about 1.5 hours from Bryce Canyon. This is a more premium experience offering day rides, overnight rides, and cattle drives.
Check them out at bouldermountaintrails.com, but you’ll need to call them at 435-335-7581 first because their rides are more personalized and because they don’t have internet (it’s very remote)!
Their personalized rides are not “nose-to-tail” rides like most trail companies. They tailor it to your abilities and to your group.
This is some of the most remote country in the United States and some of the most scenic! Hell’s Backbone is a scenic drive between Bryce and Boulder that is insanely cool.
Trust me, this part of the country is super cool, and no one knows about it! Here’s a video I found online to give you a quick idea of the kind of ride they offer.
Rising K Ranch Trail Rides is located near Cedar City, about 1.5 hours away from Bryce. They specialize in small groups and tailor the experience to suit your needs.
I mentioned that this entire region is gorgeous, and the Cedar City area is no different! Cedar Breaks National Monument is nearby, and the whole area is forested, mountainous, and full of red rock surprises.
Check out this video for a testimonial of the Rising K Ranch experience.
CHECK OUT: 14 Great Things To Do In Surprisingly Fun Cedar City, Utah
Duck Creek Horse Rides is located in Duck Creek, about an hour away from Bryce in a forested, mountainous area.
All I could find is their Facebook page, which shows 1/2-hour and 1-hour rides for ages 7 and up. But the reviews were fantastic. It seems like a small family operation.
It’s located in a cool area between Zion and Bryce with some cool caves nearby.
DON’T MISS: 11 cool side trips between Zion and Bryce
Red Rock Ride offers a week-long package of horseback riding around Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, the Grand Canyon, and additional areas.
They work in conjunction with Canyon Trail Rides (above), and a 7-day ride costs over $2600 per person.
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Definitely! It’s both more adventurous and more relaxing than hiking into the canyon. The switchbacks into the canyon will give you a little thrill, and the rest of the ride will blow your mind as you stroll through the hoodoos. You’ll see more of the canyon in less time, and you’ll get to do it while hearing the clip-clopping horse-walking sounds.
Yes, but you must obtain pre-approval as the park has many regulations you must follow, including feeding your horses weed-free feed for 72 hours before your trip, staying on authorized trails, being Coggins Certified, and no overnight camping. Be sure to read the park’s official webpage for all the details.
You’ll see Bryce Canyon and ride through the hoodoos — just like the hikers do. The initial descent into the canyon is on a dedicated horse trail, then it meets up with Peek-a-boo Loop, which is a hiking and horse trail. However, horses are not allowed on the famous Queens Garden/Navajo Loop Trail, or the Fairyland Loop Trail.
You must wear pants and close-toed shoes. You might be a city slicker, but don’t show up in shorts and sandals!
Typically the trail companies won’t let you bring cumbersome items, such as a purse, camera, or backpack. Sometimes they will have storage pouches on the saddles.
You can usually carry a phone in your pocket. If you want to take pictures or videos, check with your guide.
Usually, hats are allowed but check with the company — they don’t want your hat falling off and slowing the group down or worse, spooking another horse.
Generally, you need to be at least 6 or 7 years old for shorter rides (half-hour to 1.5 hour rides), and 10 years old for longer rides.
Generally, you need to weigh less than 225-230 lbs, depending on the length of the ride. Longer or more strenuous canyon rides will sometimes require you to weigh less than 200 lbs.
While there is a backcountry trail in Bryce Canyon — the “Under the Rim” Trail — it is for hikers only. The park does not allow overnight horse rides in Bryce Canyon because the backcountry campgrounds are not suitable for horses.
However, remember that 8 of the 9 companies we mention in this article take you to places other than Bryce Canyon, and many of them offer overnight excursions.
Both! Canyon Trail Rides — the company that operates in Bryce Canyon — uses mules and horses at Bryce Canyon.
At the north rim of the Grand Canyon, they only use mules. At Bryce Canyon, however, there aren’t any sheer cliff edges, so they also use horses.
Mules are a mix between a horse and a donkey. They are better for the Grand Canyon because they have the careful temper of a donkey required to walk along the cliff’s edge, but the size of a horse needed to carry a rider.
Both were brought to the Americas by the Spanish in the 1500s.
No problem! Most riders with these companies are newbies seeking a little adventure while on their vacation, and maybe trying to capture a slice of the Old West. The trail guides are extremely kind, patient, and helpful — you’re their main kind of customer, after all.
Planning a vacation shouldn’t be stressful. We created a step-by-step itinerary so you can visit 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! Stop planning and start having the vacation of your dreams now!
BRYCE CANYON TRIP PLANNER: To read or watch all of our content about Bryce Canyon National Park, check out our Bryce Canyon Homepage
THINGS TO DO: There is so much to do including, watching a sunrise, horseback riding, biking, and riding trails on ATVs. Don’t miss all the cool side trips on your way to Zion National Park
WHERE TO EAT: Check out the best places to eat in and around the area of Bryce Canyon
GREAT CITIES TO STAY OR CHECK OUT:Learn all about the best places to stay at Bryce Canyon and don’t miss other great cities nearby including Cedar City.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Find out if you need a reservation and how to use the shuttle system
WATCH: Enjoy videos of gorgeous Bryce Canyon National Park while learning our best tips for visiting by watching our Bryce Canyon YouTube Playlist
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