Bryce Canyon National Park offers some of the most otherworldly scenery around. Make sure to check out all these incredible things to do during your visit.
Drive the scenic road
One of the most popular activities in Bryce Canyon is the 18-mile scenic drive through the park. The National Park Service app offers a free guided audio tour or you can purchase a GPS-triggered tour from GuideAlong (formerly GyPSy). Both the NPS app and GuideAlong tours can be downloaded to your phone for offline use in areas with poor service coverage.
Ideally you should drive all the way to the end of the road at Rainbow Point (which takes approximately 40 minutes) and then visit the rest of the scenic overlooks on your way back to the Visitor Center. This eliminates the need to cross traffic when pulling into or out of the viewpoints.
If you don’t want to drive yourself, the park offers a shuttle that travels as far as Bryce Point during the busy season. This helps manage parking issues at popular scenic viewpoints near the main amphitheater. (Consider riding the shuttle from the Visitor Center to Bryce Point and Inspiration Point, then walking the rim trail back to Sunset Point. Between Inspiration Point and Sunset point the trail is gravel with a few steep areas…from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point the trail is flat and fully paved.)
In winter, much of the scenic drive is closed due to snow and ice. Always check conditions before heading out.
Go hiking
Bryce Canyon offers a ton of incredible hiking trails ranging from easy to challenging. Check out this list of possible hiking routes. One of the most popular hikes is a combination of the Queen’s Garden Trail and the Navajo Loop. The National Park Service recommends hiking this route in a clockwise fashion–descending into the canyon at Sunrise Point on the Queen’s Garden Trail and hiking out of the canyon at Sunset Point on the Navajo Loop Trail. This helps manage the flow of foot traffic on this busy trail…and decreases the potential for injuries (most injuries occur when people attempt to descend the steeper Navajo Loop Trail).
Up for a challenge? To encourage physical activity, Bryce Canyon has a special “Hike the Hoodoos” challenge. Simply hike a minimum of 3 miles on select trails…and collect rubbings of special Hoodoo Challenge markers (or, alternately, you can take a selfie with the marker). Show these to a ranger at the Visitor Center to collect your free reward (usually a “I hiked the hoodoos” sticker or pin).
Go horseback riding
Horses are welcome at Bryce Canyon! There’s a dedicated bridle trail down into the Amphitheater and horses are also welcome on the Peekaboo Loop Trail. Bring your own horse…or take a guided trail ride. All riders entering the canyon must have a scheduled entry time (to manage traffic on the trail). You can check out this website for all the details on riding at Bryce Canyon.
Learn more at the visitor’s center
The visitor center offers exhibits on the geology and ecology of the region, light pollution, and local Native cultures. (Keep an eye out for answers to Junior Ranger activities!)
Complete Junior Ranger activities
Kids can earn their Junior Ranger badge by completing the Junior Ranger activities. You can pick up your free activity book at the Visitor Center!
Stargazing
Bryce Canyon offers some of the darkest skies in the United States…which makes it an exceptional stargazing location. Park rangers offer special telescope programs within the park on select nights or consider attending an event put on by Dark Rangers Telescope Tours located just outside the park.
Of course, you can always stargaze on your own! Consider downloading an app such as SkySafari to help you identify planets, constellations, and more!
Admire sunrise/sunset
Sunrise and sunset are some of the most magical times at Bryce Canyon as the light changes over the hoodoos. If you only have the chance to catch one…I recommend sunrise.
You can watch the light show from pretty much any of the viewpoints that look into the Amphitheater including Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, and Bryce Point. (Don’t get too hung up on the names…sunrise is plenty beautiful from sunset point…and vice versa.) You’ll want to find a spot about 30 minutes before sunrise or sunset.
