Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT-63, Bryce Canyon City, UT 84764
The park is open 27/7. Visitor Center and pay station hours vary on holidays
$$$
camping, local-highlights, hikes, parks, outdoor-adventures
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Hoodoos and Amphitheaters await in Bryce Canyon NP.
Bryce Canyon is a great National Park to visit in the winter or in the summer. Conditions there rarely reach extreme and there is always unique wildlife and geology to see. The park is known for its strange rock hoodoos and natural amphitheaters. The hoodoos, tall skinny rock formations formed through erosion, are unique and unforgettable, it’s definitely worth the trip to the park to see them.
To see the most beauty in this park as possible, it’s going to be helpful to drive a significant portion of the park, stopping at the many viewpoints along the way. The main road that passes through the park, Highway 63, has lots to offer. The most popular and most spectacular viewpoints, Bryce, Inspiration, Sunset, and Sunrise Points are within the first few miles of entering the park and are must-sees, but you can also decide to carry on further down the road to see more. Most of the pull-offs include a short walk to the viewpoint.
We also recommend stopping at the visitor center near the entrance of the park whether you’re visiting in the winter or the summer, as road and trail conditions are ever-changing. Check with the rangers about their daily geology talks, in the summer there are a couple a day and there are usually some in the winter too. This twenty-minute lecture will change your perspective when looking at the geological formations, making them even more awe-inspiring. They also hold astronomy talks which are fascinating but don’t start until 10:00 PM, too late for most kiddos.
Hiking
You should definitely get out of your car and go for a hike in the park if you can. If you visit in the winter that can be difficult, but there are many snowshoeing and cross-country skiing options as well as sledding hills. It’s not uncommon for there to be feet of snow on the ground but a blue sky and bright sun in Bryce Canyon. Check with the ranger about the best places to be active in the snow based on the weather conditions.
If you’re visiting in the summer, we have a few hiking suggestions for you and your kids. The first is the Rim Trail, which is probably the most popular in the park. The whole trail is eleven miles, but you can turn around at any point and the first section which is great if you have really little kids. Once the trail turns to dirt, after about a mile, many hikers turn back, and the crowd thins, giving you more privacy. Despite being crowded, this trail provides you with spectacular views of many unusual hoodoos, so we recommend it, especially because it’s flat, making it great for little ones.
Our second recommendation the Queen’s Navajo Combination Loop. This one is especially interesting because you’ll be able to see the hoodoos from below rather than above. It’s three miles and has a steep climb at the end, so it’s best for slightly older kids or adults that don’t mind carrying their little ones for a good bit of time, but if you can manage it’s worth it. Plan on starting this hike early in the morning if possible because it can get super crowded in the afternoon.
Another great trail is the Mossy Cave Turret Arch and Little Window Trail. It’s only a mile out and back and is relatively flat. The trail ends at a waterfall and a cave and there are sometimes icicles there into the summer months. It’s also fun to jump off the trail and look at the little river that flows along with it, on a hot day it’s great a great place for the kids to dip their toes in.
Lodging
If you’re looking to stay in the park, there are a few options. The first, and most expensive, is the Bryce Canyon Lodge. This rustic lodge is great in the summer or winter months. In the summer there are shuttles that run from the hotel to the trails and in the winter it’s a nice shelter from the chilly weather. There is a main building with nice hotel rooms as well as cabin-style lodging, both of which are more than satisfactory. We love that the building doesn’t have any televisions so that you and your kids can focus on the beautiful place that you’re visiting, but there is excellent wifi if you need it. The lodge also houses a dining room, a café and pizzeria, and a general store. All of these places serve good, healthy options for kids, if a little overpriced. The café is a great place to get coffee in a pinch.
If camping is more your style there are two available campgrounds at the park, North and Sunset campgrounds. Neither of them has RV hook-ups but they do have spaces for RVs and tents, dump stations, fire pits, potable water, and toilets. North Campground is super close to Sunset and Sunrise Points, which makes it easy to watch both the sunrise and sunset from the best places in the park. It’s open in the winter but there can be a lot of snow so plan accordingly if you’ll be sleeping in a tent. The bathrooms at Sunset Campground have running water, which is definitely a plus. The spots at both locations are quite close together.
Looking for a more secluded experience? You can get a backcountry camping permit in Bryce Canyon. The shortest loop with backcountry camping is Riggs Spring Loop Trail, which is about eight miles long. Eight miles is doable in two nights with older kids, but the trail can be unreliable and difficult, so we only recommend this if you and your kids have some backpacking experience. We recommend checking trail conditions with a ranger the day that you plan on starting your journey.