Inspiration Point Bryce Canyon — The Amphitheater from Inspiration Point

Bryce Canyon National Park situated in southern Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante region is the smallest National Park of Utah’s famed Mighty 5, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for with one of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth!

Bryce Canyon National Park is made up of a series of canyons, or amphitheaters that contains the largest collection of hoodoo’s (the unique rock formation created from erosion) in the world. While many people are right at home viewing the park from the many overlooks off of Scenic Drive, getting below the rim and into the canyon gives you a more intimate experience in the park.

Read on to see what trails we believe give you the best views and experiences of this magical park!

Navajo Loop Trail

The Navajo Loop trail is possibly the most popular trail at Bryce Canyon National Park, and for good reason. The trailhead begins at Sunset Point, which for many visitors, is their first introduction to The Amphitheater and the unforgettable hoodoo’s of Bryce Canyon.

Thor's Hammer Bryce Canyon — Thor’s Hammer from the Navajo Loop trailhead

The Navajo Loop is a moderate hike with a distance of 1.3 miles and an elevation gain of just over 500 feet. The trail is only a loop during the summer months, but due to heavy erosion to the Wall Street side of the loop, the trail has recently been more of an out-and-back trail, or a connecting trail to the fantastic Queens Garden trail (more on that below!).

Navajo Loop Bryce Canyon — The Navajo Loop trail

The trail consists of loose rock throughout with moderate exposure until you reach the canyon floor. Shortly into the trail you will reach the famous Wall Street Switchbacks. Once you make it down the Switchbacks, you will have to decide if you want to complete the loop (turn right to head up the Wall Street side, if opened) or continue straight to link up to other trails.

Be sure to make a quick left after the Switchbacks to view the Two Bridges rock feature near the canyon floor. Once you get to the trail fork, a turn to the left will take you to the incredible Queens Garden trail. This trail will make the Navajo Trail-Queens Garden trail a 2.9 mile round trip, and will end at Sunrise Point, which is conveniently located just a short walk from Sunset Point.

Two Bridges Bryce Canyon — The Two Bridges on the Navajo Loop Trail

Queens Garden Trail

The Queens Garden trail is almost always connected to the Navajo trail for a 2.9 mile round trip hike from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point (or vice versa). It offers stunning views of the many hoodoo’s, arch’s, and window’s that Bryce Canyon National Park has to offer!

Queens Garden Bryce Canyon — Incredible views from the Queens Garden Trail

Coming from the Navajo Trail, at the trail fork on the canyon floor, turn left to connect to the Queens Garden Trail. The trail is primarily packed and loose rock throughout, and is clearly marked.

The Queens Garden trail has minimal elevation gain throughout the trail until you reach the final climb out of the canyon to Sunrise Point. You will walk alongside the massive hoodoo’s and pass through an arch or two along your way!

Like most trails in Bryce Canyon, due to the nature of the rock and dirt, the trails can become quite messy after heavy rains. Often times, you will notice boot prints that have become cemented into the trail from hikers who have traveled the trail in wet conditions. The final push to Sunrise Point is fairly steep, but offers good footing throughout. Once you reach Sunrise Point, its simply a short walk along the paved Rim Trail to reach Sunset Point.

Bristlecone Loop Trail

The Bristlecone Loop is located at the Southern end of the park at Rainbow Point, the highest point in Bryce Canyon National Park. The Bristlecone Loop trail is an easy 1 mile loop at an elevation of over 9000 feet!

Bristlecone Loop Bryce Canyon — The snowpack really hangs around in the south end of the park at the Bristlecone Loop Trail

One thing to note is that Rainbow Point and the Bristlecone Loop Trail are at an elevation that is considerably higher than the rest of the park. When we hiked the Navajo Loop, the temperature was approximately 73 degrees with no snow in sight. Once we made our way to Rainbow Point, the temperature dropped into the 50’s and we were met with over 2 feet of snow!

The trail itself follows a clearly marked path along the rim of the canyon and through a gorgeous Bristlecone Pine forest. The hoodoo’s in the distance, thanks to the elevation of this area of the park, also tend to hang on to the snow for far longer than most other areas of Bryce Canyon National Park.

The loop begins and ends at the Rainbow Point parking lot and offers a fantastic and easier hike than those that drop below the rim of the canyon.

Sheep Creek/ Swamp Canyon Trail

The loop through Swamp Canyon takes you into the wilderness of Bryce Canyon. This is a far quieter area of the park when compared to the North or South ends. The Swamp Canyon loop begins at the Swamp Canyon overlook parking lot and is a 4.0 mile loop with approximately 800 feet of elevation gain. As this area of the park is considered the backcountry, the trail is far more rugged than most of the other trails found within Bryce Canyon National Park.

Sheep Creek Bryce Canyon — The sign next to the parking lot lets you know you are in the right spot

The Swamp Canyon Trail begins with a mild grade through a deeply forested area of the park before you come across a series of switchbacks that lead you towards the Sheep Creek and the canyon floor.

Swamp Canyon Bryce Canyon — The Swamp Canyon switchbacks

As you move through the canyon, be on the lookout for wildlife and game tracks as the tranquility and isolation of this area of the park make it far less visited than many other sections of Bryce Canyon. Swamp Canyon is also a much narrower canyon than many of the regions within Bryce Canyon National Park, which gives you a great feel for the scale of the hoodoo’s, walls, and arch’s that surround you.

The Swamp Canyon Trail definitely makes you feel as if you are the only one in the park, and the quiet stillness of Swamp Canyon gives it a uniqueness that is only found in this region of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Mossy Cave Trail

The Mossy Cave trail sits outside the park on the northernmost boundary of Bryce Canyon National Park. This trail is a short 0.8 mile out-and-back hike that offers the only opportunity to walk among the hoodoo’s without requiring a descent into and climb out of the canyon.

Mossy Cave Bryce Canyon — The Mossy Cave trail provides views of hoodoo’s, windows, walls, and a waterfall without any significant elevation gain

The trailhead for the Mossy Cave Trail is located just off of SR12 as you descend from the Bryce Canyon rim and drive toward the town of Tropic. The parking lot at the trailhead is relatively small, but there is an overflow lot just down from the main lot.

The Mossy Cave trail has an elevation gain of about 150 feet, which includes the final climb towards Mossy Cave. Mossy Cave is a small cave located at the end of the trail that frequently has icicles hanging into early summer before the moss begins to show up!

Tower Bridge via Fairyland Loop

The Tower Bridge trail is a spur trail that comes off of the south side of the fantastic Fairyland loop trail. The trailhead for the Fairyland loop is just to the north of the Sunrise Point parking lot and is clearly marked.

Fairyland Loop Bryce Canyon — The trailhead for the Tower Bridge trail via Fairyland Loop

The Tower Bridge trail via Fairyland Loop results in a 3 mile out-and-back trail with approximately 760 feet of elevation gain. After dropping below the rim, the trail winds around the brightly colored hoodoos and stunning rock walls as you continue to descend toward the canyon floor.

The hike down the Fairyland loop is stunning from top to bottom. It offers some of the most spectacular color variations in the park with the Bristlecone Pines providing phenomenal contrast!

Once you reach the canyon floor, a short spur trail is clearly marked to take you to Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge is a very unique hoodoo formation that is found at the trail terminus. After admiring the beauty of Tower Bridge, simply make your way back up the trail to return to Sunrise Point.

Tower Bridge Bryce Canyon — The Tower Bridge Hoodoo

The Best Trails at Bryce Canyon National Park (Spoiler: They are all amazing!)