Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the most surreal and enchanting landscapes in the world, a high-plateau park in southern Utah famous for its vast natural amphitheaters filled with thousands upon thousands of slender, colorful rock spires called hoodoos. Glowing in shades of red, orange, pink and white, these whimsical pinnacles — the largest concentration of hoodoos on Earth — stand in dense, fantastical forests of stone, creating a scene of almost otherworldly beauty.

Despite its name, Bryce is not a single canyon but a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved into the eastern edge of a high plateau, the largest being the spectacular Bryce Amphitheater. Perched at elevations between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, the park offers breathtaking rim overlooks (Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce Points), trails that wind down among the hoodoos, and, thanks to its high elevation and remoteness, some of the darkest and most spectacular night skies in the nation. With its surreal hoodoos, glowing colors, crisp air and brilliant stars, Bryce Canyon is a treasured natural wonder of the American Southwest.

Bryce Canyon National Park offers spectacular recreation — gazing over the hoodoo-filled amphitheaters from the rim overlooks (Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce Points), hiking down among the hoodoos on trails like the Navajo Loop, Queen’s Garden and Peekaboo Loop, driving the scenic 18-mile road to the high viewpoints, horseback riding among the spires, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter, ranger programs, and renowned stargazing under some of the darkest skies in America. The combination of the surreal hoodoos, the rim views, the trails among the spires and the brilliant night skies makes Bryce a premier and unforgettable destination.

Late spring through fall offers the most comfortable weather for hiking among the hoodoos, with summer the busy peak (though the high elevation keeps it cooler than the desert below) and fall bringing crisp air and golden aspens. Winter is magical, when snow caps the red hoodoos in a stunning contrast, and the park offers snowshoeing — though high and cold. Sunrise and sunset set the hoodoos glowing, the best times for photography, and any clear night reveals brilliant stars. Each season has its beauty; come prepared for the high elevation and cool temperatures even in summer.

Bryce Canyon’s hoodoo amphitheaters were known to the Paiute people, who told of the colorful spires as ancient ‘Legend People’ turned to stone. Mormon pioneers settled the high plateau in the 1870s, and the park is named for Ebenezer Bryce, a settler who ranched below the amphitheater (and reputedly called it ‘a hell of a place to lose a cow’). Protected as a national monument and then a national park in 1928, Bryce drew visitors to its surreal beauty. The park preserves the hoodoos, the high plateau and the dark skies, a treasured landscape of southern Utah.

Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos were carved by an unusual process dominated by frost-wedging: at this high elevation, water freezes and thaws some 200 times a year, prying apart the rock along cracks, while rain dissolves the limestone — together sculpting the soft, colorful Claron Formation rock into the fins, windows and slender hoodoos. The colors come from iron and manganese minerals. The hoodoos stand along the eroding edge of the high plateau, where the amphitheaters eat slowly back into the rim. The frost-wedging, the soft colorful rock and the high-plateau setting created the largest concentration of hoodoos on Earth.

The high plateau forests, meadows and amphitheaters of Bryce Canyon host mule deer, pronghorn, foxes, prairie dogs (the Utah prairie dog, a protected species), and a rich community of birds, including the California condor sometimes soaring over the park, peregrine falcons, Steller’s jays and high-country species, while mountain lions and other wildlife roam the forests. The high elevation and the forest-and-amphitheater landscape support diverse wildlife. The park is a fine place for wildlife watching and birding, with the Utah prairie dogs in the meadows and the soaring condors among the highlights of the high plateau.

Bryce Canyon National Park protects a high-elevation Colorado Plateau ecosystem, where forests of ponderosa pine, spruce, fir and ancient bristlecone pines (among the oldest trees on Earth, growing on the rim), high meadows, and the hoodoo amphitheaters support diverse plant and animal life adapted to the cool, high country. The protected Utah prairie dog and other species find refuge here. The high elevation, the clean air and the dark skies are exceptional. Protecting the forests, the meadows, the hoodoos and the dark skies sustains both the ecology and the surreal scenery of this treasured high-plateau park.

Bryce Canyon, with its surreal forest of glowing hoodoos, holds a treasured and enchanting place among America’s natural wonders, beloved for its otherworldly beauty, its brilliant dark skies, and the whimsical, fantastical landscape of its colorful spires. From the Paiute legends of the Legend People turned to stone to the millions who marvel at the amphitheaters today, Bryce embodies the strange and magical beauty of the Colorado Plateau. Bryce Canyon is a cherished icon of the American Southwest, a place of surreal wonder unlike anywhere else on Earth.

Bryce Canyon National Park is in southern Utah off State Route 63 from State Route 12, near the town of Bryce Canyon City, about 1.5 hours northeast of Zion and four hours from both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. An entrance fee applies. The park offers the scenic 18-mile rim road and overlooks, trails among the hoodoos, a visitor center, campgrounds, a lodge, and a seasonal shuttle. The high elevation (8,000–9,000 feet) means cool temperatures and possible snow. Check the National Park Service for the shuttle, conditions and access before visiting.

The National Park Service protects the hoodoos, the high-plateau forests, the wildlife (including the protected Utah prairie dog) and the dark skies of Bryce Canyon National Park. Visitors help by staying on trails (off-trail travel damages the fragile hoodoos and soil), not climbing on or defacing the formations, protecting the prairie dogs and wildlife (never feeding them), packing out everything, preserving the exceptional dark skies (a renowned Dark Sky Park), and following Leave No Trace. Protecting the hoodoos, the forests, the wildlife and the dark skies sustains both the ecology and the surreal scenery of this treasured high-plateau park.

Bryce’s high elevation (8,000–9,000 feet) means thinner air and cool temperatures — acclimatize, hydrate, and bring layers even in summer (and expect cold and snow in the cold months). The trails among the hoodoos descend steeply and climb back strenuously at altitude; pace yourself, wear sturdy footwear, and watch footing on loose, sometimes icy trails. Keep back from the rim and cliff edges, supervise children closely, and watch for afternoon thunderstorms and lightning on the exposed rim. Carry water and sun protection, and respect the altitude, the steep trails and the weather.

An entrance fee applies. Stay on trails; do not climb on, deface or damage the hoodoos. Never feed or approach wildlife, including the protected Utah prairie dogs. Camp only in designated campgrounds or with a backcountry permit. Pets are restricted (not allowed on most trails). Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash; preserve the dark skies. Use the seasonal shuttle to reduce traffic. Check the National Park Service for the shuttle, conditions and current rules before visiting.

The town of Bryce Canyon City lies at the entrance, with the scenic State Route 12 (one of America’s most beautiful drives), Kodachrome Basin State Park, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Zion National Park (about 1.5 hours southwest) and the other Mighty 5 parks, and Cedar Breaks National Monument in the region. The high Colorado Plateau and the red-rock country define the region. Bryce Canyon anchors a spectacular high-plateau region of southern Utah, a centerpiece of a Mighty 5 road trip and a Southwest canyon-and-hoodoo adventure.

Watch sunrise or sunset from the rim overlooks (Sunrise, Sunset and Inspiration Points), when the hoodoos glow most brilliantly, then hike down among the spires on the Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden trails for an up-close wonderland (pacing yourself on the climb back at altitude). Bring layers for the cool, high elevation even in summer, carry water and sun protection, and stay for the brilliant dark-sky stargazing. Visit in winter for snow-capped hoodoos, drive the scenic road to the high viewpoints, and pair Bryce with nearby Zion and Scenic Byway 12.