Bryce Canyon National Park

Introduction

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Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the natural highlights of any visit to the southwest of the USA. Located in the southwest of Utah, this park attracts many visitors inspired by the natural beauty of its famous hoodoos, spires created out of the bigger rocks they once were.

Opening Hours

The park is open all year round, with most of the crowds visiting during the warmer summer months from May to September. For a more tranquil visit, come in winter, when the 'hoodoos' are sometimes covered with a thin layer of snow. Nights are below freezing, but days are generally nice, warm and sunny.

Cost

• $25 per vehicle
• $15 per motorcycle or on foot
• $80 for an annual pass for all national parks and monuments.

Sights and Activities

• Rim Road Scenic Drive - 18 miles long with many turnouts and beautiful views. Most of them are on the east side of the road. The Bryce Amphitheater stretches from Bryce Point to Sunrise Point where hoodoos form a great landscape. Sunset and Inspiration point are other highlights.
• Hiking - there are dozens of hikes to get closer to the hoodoos, down from the main road. The easiest one is the 0.5 to 5.5-mile-long Rim Trail. Others include the 1-mile Bristlecone Loop, Mossy Cave Trail, Navajo Loop Trail, Queen's Garden Trail, Fairyland Trail and Peekaboo Trail. Backcountry hikes include the 23-mile Under-the-Rim Trail, which can be broken into several day hikes.

Getting There

By Car

The park is easily reached along US 12, and taking US 63 south, from where it's just a few miles to the park's entrance. Zion National Park is just about 80 miles to the west.

Getting Around

Most people travel around in their own car along the 18-mile drive from the entrance station to the end of the road at Rainbow Point, at 9,115 feet above sea level. There are many turnouts with awesome views across the canyon.
From mid-May to the end of September there is an optional shuttle service which stops at almost all of the interesting points.

Sleep

There are just a few options inside the park. Just north of the entrance is Bryce Canyon village, with several hotels and motels, including Best Western. The nearest town, Tropic, is about 11 miles away.

Budget

• North Campground
• Sunset Campground - both inside the park.
• Bryce Canyon Lodge - inside the park.
• Bryce View Lodge - just outside the park.
• Bullberry Inn - in Tropic.

Upscale

• Stone Canyon Inn - in Tropic.