Bryce Canyon National Park is a spectacular destination that offers visitors a unique and breathtaking landscape filled with towering hoodoos, natural amphitheaters, and stunning vistas. Bryce Canyon is a must-visit for anyone who loves nature, hiking, and adventure. We provide you with a comprehensive Bryce Canyon National Park itinerary for a one-day visit to Bryce Canyon National Park, including the best trails to hike, viewpoints to see, and tips for making the most of your time. So grab your hiking shoes and get ready for an unforgettable day in Bryce Canyon!
Where to Stay at Bryce Canyon National Park
We stayed at Ruby’s Inn and would highly recommend it! Ruby’s Inn is a family-owned business that was founded in 1916. The resort offers hotel rooms, cabins, and RV sites. It also has a great restaurant, large gift shop, and pool. Ruby Syrett founded this lodge and helped promote Bryce Canyon to a national park. We got to meet Ruby’s grandson to learn the incredible story behind this historic inn!
When to visit Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is great to visit year round! During the summer, the park can get extremely hot, so spring and fall are best for hiking during the day. If you hike during the summer, be sure to start early! Winter is a fantastic time to visit due to less crowds and the possibility of seeing the unique landscape covered in snow. No reservations are needed.
Responsible Recreation at Bryce Canyon National Park
In order to recreate responsibly in these remote areas, follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles:
- plan ahead and prepare: research current weather and trail conditions, bring enough food and water, bring/download an offline map, prepare for crowds in certain areas
- travel and camp on durable surfaces: be sure not to hike off trail or use social trails! Camp at designated areas only
- dispose of waste properly: even an orange peel or cherry pit can disturb the ecosystem and take years to decompose. Be sure to pack out absolutely everything!
- leave what you find: do not take rocks or build cairns of rocks, do not carve into trees, rocks, or other natural objects
- minimize campfire impacts: know current fire restrictions, keep fires small and only use established fire rings
- respect wildlife: be sure to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and 25 yards away from all other animals
- be considerate of other visitors: do not play music on the trail, give the right of way to uphill hikers
How to spend 1 Day at Bryce Canyon National Park
Sunrise at Sunset Point
You wouldn’t guess from the name, but Sunset point is a wonderful place to watch the sunrise!
Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop
We highly recommend combining these two trails to form a loop with epic scenery! The hike is moderate at 2.9 miles and 600 feet of elevation gain. It should take you about 2-3 hours.
You can start at either Sunrise or Sunset Point. We would recommend starting from Queen’s Garden Trail that departs from Sunrise Point. If you do this route, you’ll climb out of the iconic Wall Street section at the end of your hike. If you start with the Navajo Loop beginning at Sunset Point, you’ll start your hike descending down Wall Street. Wall Street is one of the most photogenic spots in Bryce Canyon National Park! Keep in mind Wall Street can close due to snow.
On this hike, you’ll also be treated to incredible views of the hoodoos and a variety of natural landscapes including a sandstone arch. If you only have time for one hike on your Bryce Canyon National Park itinerary, make it this one!
Bryce Canyon Visitor Center
Stop at the visitor center to get oriented and learn about the park’s geology, ecology, and history. We always love picking up souvenirs from all of the national parks we visit. We collect national park postcards!
Rim Trail
The Rim Trail can be accessed from several points along the Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Drive, including Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, and Sunset Point. Its a 5.5 mile one way trail that travels between all of the overlooks. You can choose to hike a portion of the trail and turn back at any point or you can hike the entire trail. You’ll be rewarded with amazing views of the hoodoos and surrounding landscape.
If you’d rather drive between the overlooks, that’s possible as well! The major overlooks are Sunrise Point Overlook, Sunset Point Overlook, Bryce Viewpoint Overlook and Inspiration Point Overlook; however, we’d recommend waiting until sunset to enjoy the views from Inspiration Point Overlook.
Mossy Cave Trail
This short, family friendly hike is definitely worth adding to your Utah road trip itinerary.
The hike is only 1 mile round trip and the reward for this short walk is huge. It winds through a narrow canyon, past a small waterfall, and ends at a natural alcove called Mossy Cave.
We actually didn’t hike all the way to the cave and only went to the waterfall and the views were incredible.
Sunset at Inspiration Point
The wait to see Inspiration Point Overlook will be well worth it! This was our favorite overlook in the park and also somehow the least crowded.
Stargazing
Your day isn’t over yet! Be sure to stay up a couple hours past sunset to look up. Every inch of the night sky was filled with stars and we could even see the Milky Way very clearly. It was one of the most amazing things we’ve ever seen! Bryce Canyon is a designated International Dark Sky Park and one of the best places in the US to view the night sky due to the lack of light pollution. The night skies are best experienced during the new moon phase because the sky is darkest. Bryce Canyon has several designated stargazing areas as well as ranger-led stargazing programs during the summer. Bring warm clothing as Bryce Canyon sits at 8,000 feet so it gets cold at night!
Other things to do at Bryce Canyon National Park
Horse back riding with Canyon Trail Rides: Canyon Trail Rides offers 1.5-2 hour and 3 hour guided horseback riding tours through Bryce Canyon. Imagine riding a horse through the epic landscapes!
Peekaboo Loop Trail: This 5.5 mile trail with 1,560 feet of elevation is strenuous due to the quick change in elevation as you descend into the canyon. This hike takes you into the heart of Bryce Canyon. During the winter, you may need snowshoes.
ATV tour: There are several options for exploring Bryce Canyon by ATV. There are a plethora of off-road trails and most ATV outfitters will guide you in the right direction by providing maps.
Where to explore near Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is not far from some other epic destinations:
- Dixie National Forest: 20 minutes
- Zion National Park: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Grand Staircase Escalante 1 hour 15 minutes
- Kodachrome Basin State Park: 40 minutes
- Capitol Reef National Park: 2 hours 20 minutes
We hope that our one day Bryce Canyon National Park Itinerary was helpful in planning your trip! We have loads of other Utah content, so if you are looking for other things to do check out some of our other Utah blogs.
