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Utah

BRYCE CANYON

ESTABLISHED 1928


Cascading down from its highest point, at 9,105 ft (2,775 m), Bryce Canyon’s series of amphitheaters will ignite your imagination as you marvel at the genius and wonder of this singular collection of limestone spires, slot canyons, and whimsical hoodoos.

The stars of this small-but-mighty national park are the ornate gothic rock formations carved from Utah’s Paunsaugunt Plateau. This is the top layer of the famed Grand Staircase, a geologic masterpiece that descends to the Grand Canyon.

Despite its name, Bryce Canyon is not a canyon at all. Rather, the geologic oddities found here were formed by years of erosion from wind and rain and cracking from freezes and thaws. Chiseled by time, these massive walls of corrugated rock, spires (called hoodoos), and other geographic forms take on the look of castles, ramparts, and citadels.

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Bryce is at its best at sunrise or sunset, when the amphitheaters erupt in a resplendent symphony of reds, oranges, and yellows.

Unique microhabitats

This austere environment feels more mountainous than most of Utah’s national parks. In this vertiginous biome, you’ll find bristlecone and ponderosa pine, dry meadows of sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and other grasses, and, come springtime, an explosion of wildflowers bursting into life.

Animal life is different too: mountain animals like pronghorn deer and black bears, high-plains mammals such as the prairie dog, plus the desert regulars, lizards, and rattlesnakes, make their home here.

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Stargazers get a front-row seat to the heavens, with unparalleled views of the Milky Way

FOCUS ON

Annual Astronomy Festival

The park throws its annual four-day astronomy festival during the long, warm summer months, with visiting keynote speakers and plenty of ranger-led activities. Astro-tourism is, in fact, one of the mainstays of the park. There are on average more than 100 ranger-led star activities each year, from talks and night walks, to viewings through high-powered telescopes. Arrive during the new moon for the best stargazing. On full-moon nights, take part in the wonderful hikes out into the hoodoos.

Infinite views

Adventures in Bryce Canyon start on the rim of the main amphitheater, Bryce, at the four main viewing points, namely Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Sunrise Point. Find a quiet spot and ponder the wide-open landscape spread below you.

The best time of day to experience these views is either sunrise or sunset. As the sun cuts close to the horizon, the cliffs glow tungsten, rust, and bronze. The scene is so captivating that some people choose not to venture beyond the rim, opting instead to hop from viewpoint to viewpoint and explore the natural and human history through curated interactive exhibits.

Accessible to all

There are countless hikes for all levels and abilities across the park. Visitors who use wheelchairs or those with limited mobility will appreciate the excellent paved trails along the rim, including the straightforward route from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point. The Rim Trail, in fact, extends far beyond that, stretching a full 11 miles (18 km) round trip. Another easy trail takes you to Mossy Cave, a lush overhang with a small waterfall. Families love the super-easy Queens Garden Trail, which leads into the canyon, past many iconic, must-see formations, ending at the mesmerizing Queen Victoria hoodoo.

For slightly more challenging day trips, the Navajo Trail, Peekaboo Loop Trail, and Fairyland Loop are great hikes that can last anywhere from a few hours to a full day, depending on how you connect them. Along the way, you’ll pass through narrow canyon passages carved into the rock that look straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, and alongside massive formations like the China Wall, Tower Bridge, and Wall of Windows. On the Riggs Springs Loop, leaving from Rainbow Point, you have the chance to experience the park’s spruce, fir, and bristlecone forests.

High in the saddle

Bryce was once a cattle ranch owned by Mormon settlers Ebenezer and Mary Bryce. Ebenezer called it “a helluva place to lose a cow.” In the 1900s, tourists started coming here by train, and horseback riding has been a part of the park’s tourist tradition ever since. Perched atop a mule or riding on a sure-footed horse, you’ll embark on a steady tour that allows plenty of time to absorb the surrounding beauty as you descend via the 5.5-mile (9-km) Peekaboo Loop into the fantastical world of amphitheaters filled with hoodoos, spires, and canyons.

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On winter walks at Bryce Canyon, hikers enjoy the park’s stillness

Through the Seasons

Every season in the park has its special charms: whether it’s the spring awakening, the magical mornings of summer, the fantastic hikes of fall, or the pull of winter sports. Take your pick:

Spring While you may still get an errant snowstorm or two, spring is a wonderful time to visit. Wildflowers abound, such as blue flax, mountain death-camas, western iris, showy stoneseed, and Bryce Canyon paintbrush.

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Summer Sunrise in the summer is pure bliss. Get up early to have the park to yourself and capture the vivid hues of the sun as it peeks over the horizon. The cooler temperatures also invite delightful long walks.

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Fall Gone are the summer crowds. Fall is marked by solitude, optimum hiking weather, which is cool and dry, and a chance to make a closer connection with the wild flora and fauna of this remote corner of Utah.

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Winter The rock formations take on new forms, covered under a gentle coat of fresh snow. Winter offers its own joys. On the rim, snowshoe and cross-country ski. Visit the Winter Festival, usually held around Presidents’ Day.

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The sunrise illuminates Bryce Amphitheater better than any spotlights

Did You Know?

The signature limestone hoodoos are carved by wind, snow, and rain, with more than 200 freeze-thaw events a year.

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