If you asked me to pick a favorite national park out of the Mighty Five in Utah, it would be a tough decision. Each one is absolutely nothing like the others, and they all have charm. (Yes, even the lesser visited Capitol Reef is worth it.) I somehow managed to fit ALL FIVE of them into one trip, and was able to find the best of Bryce Canyon National Park in 2 days.
In case you are curious as to if you should do this entire trip in a week? You shouldn’t. Please spend more time there to enjoy it all!
I was only able to barely scratch the surface of each park.
Tip – Pack for any weather.
At the very end of May, there were both warm and chilly days. Hiking in May meant wearing long sleeves even during the middle of the day, and even seeing snow still tucked into the cracks of some formations.
Before talking about the park, let’s talk about getting there. I came in from the east.
SCENIC BYWAY 12
On a Wednesday morning, we pulled out of Monroe, Utah (Mystic Hot Springs is worth a stop even if it’s not on your path) and decided that instead of taking the 1.5hr drive directly to Bryce Canyon, we’d take the 4 hour drive backwards a bit to hop on Scenic Byway 12.
Highway 12 is a MUST drive road. It’s been named as being in the top 5 beautiful highways in the world multiple times by every source that does those types of lists. It is on those lists for a reason. You’re going to want to experience this.
Highway 12 leads from Capitol Reef National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park, going through a portion of the Grand Escalante Staircase National Monument.
Take your time. Pull over any chance you can and really enjoy the scenery as it changes. I’ve never seen such a huge change in the landscape as I have between east and west Utah. If you snapped pictures the whole way you could turn them into one of those neat little flipbooks and you would have no idea you were looking at the SAME state from one side to another.
Hungry on Highway 12? Stop at the Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder. The menu is small, but the food is mind blowing.
We knew nothing about this place when we stopped, besides “oh, somewhere to have lunch!” Turns out, it’s a completely farm to table restaurant, where the owners are the ones probably back there doing the cooking.
Brandt ordered biscuits and gravy. We weren’t expecting much. I mean, we live in TEXAS so you know there’s some serious competition with that type of food. He still raves about it years later being the best biscuits and gravy he has ever had, with a very unique flavor profile.
The grounds are lovely. Make sure you take a stroll around after your meal to explore a bit. There’s a little pond on the land you can sit near and relax. The owners strive to follow sustainability practices and serve organic local foods. There is even a little shop near the front where you can buy jams, pickles, snacks, dog treats, and more. I left with a container of fancy flavored mustard that I treasured on sandwiches til the last drop was gone!
The only bigger town for food you’ll find on this route is Escalante, so if you need a pit stop for a cup of coffee or to fuel up, this is the best place. If you’re an outdoor super adventurer, this is the place x2. Slot canyons, waterfalls, hikes, and plenty of sightseeing tours you can pay for. Almost every vehicle we saw was either a camper, or had a roof rack full of toys.
ACCOMMODATIONS
If you need a hotel, make sure you book somewhere ahead of time. During popular tourism times, it seems like you may need to book months in advance.
Since we were camping, and I decided that I guess I like living on the edge. We drove in as early as we could (which I promise, was NOT very early. We swung down from Monroe, took our time down 12, and probably pulled in around 3 or 4pm), wanting to stay inside the park. I figured if they didn’t have a campsite open we could just turn around and find somewhere to boondock nearby.
Somehow we got lucky! Pulled up to the gate and said “any open camping?” and they said YEP! It was chilly enough at night that I’m assuming that’s why they had some openings. A few hours after we got there, camping spots were sold out. Don’t go in expect to get that lucky. Make sure you have a back up plan if you don’t reserve space.
There are primitive hike-in campsites all along the park if you prefer to rough it a little more. Some on the rim, and I believe some that are even down with the hoodoos.
Want a bit more luxury? Book a room in the Lodge ahead of time (probably really far ahead of time).
After setting up camp, we did a shorter hike since the sun was already lower in the sky.
Came back and cooked up dinner.
One reason why I really love camping instead of getting indoor accommodations is the type of people who are campers. Most of them are excited to meet like minded people, and quick to be kind to them.
While we were getting our campfire set up to cook dinner, we could hear the two girls behind us struggling to get theirs started. We decided to give them a few more tries, then go offer help. Before we got a chance, a man who was probably in his 60s camping alone across from them went into action. He brought a little of his firewood, and showed them how to set it up and get it going and explained how to let it burn down a bit and successfully use it to cook. Then he went back over to his site.
We could hear the girls talking, and getting excited as they figured it out. As soon as they had food cooking, they went over and asked him to join them for dinner. From our site we could hear all their conversation. They were talking about enjoying a road trip before going to college. He was talking about how he’s on his way to visit his son and thought he’d visit some parks first and hoped to someday take his grandkids with him.
It was hella wholesome…. and I feel like isn’t quite the norm in ‘regular’ society, but IS the norm for folks who spend more time in nature. If you look around, you’ll find these types of encounters everywhere in the outdoor community. (like the man in the Tetons who offered to share his bacon with me if I brewed up some extra coffee he was out of.)
The next day we woke up and cooked breakfast first, then grabbed our day packs for a longer hike.
After the hike, we had just enough time to pack up before ‘checkout’, then went and parked in the lot so we could take some much needed lovely hot showers.
After that, we took the time to drive the entirety of the scenic drive in the park, stopping at all of the view points along the way. This took a few hours because I like to just stand at the overlooks and stare into the void of beauty until Brandt yells “OK COME ON”.
From there, we moved on to Zion.
THE HIKES
When I say that we found the best of Bryce Canyon National Park in Two Days… I really mean about 1 ½…. or maybe even 1 day since we were there only about 24 hours.
If you have longer, please do more.
There were so many hikes we wanted to do but just didn’t have the time for.
We did one hike in the evening after we set up camp, and another the next day.
The evening hike was the Queen’s Garden Trail.
The morning hike was the Rim trail.
I go a little more in depth on these hikes here. (give me a week, and a link will be here to my newest post on hiking!)
If you have more time, definitely tack on a few of the loops that connect. The Navajo loop is rated as moderate, which is one of the easier loops.
Please note: “moderate” does not take into account the elevation. You are at 8000 feet. Take that into account.
If you are like me, and live at low elevation with no real hills to hike… the “least difficult” hike into the canyon (queens garden) may leave you taking lots of breaks on the way back up, while people 3x your age pat you on the back and say “you’re almost there! You can do it!”.
Yes, I’m aware of how hilarious that is.
More strenuous loops.
If you’re a better hiker, the loops worth checking out are going to be the Fairyland, Peekaboo, and Figure 8 combo. They range in lengths from 5-8+ miles.
Outside the main area at the north end of the park (on highway 12) you’ll find the VERY short and easy Mossy Cave trail. It’s less than a mile and has a water feature. We didn’t get to do this hike because there was no place to park. You will be towed if you park outside of a lot. DO NOT attempt this hike during the “busier” times of the day because it just can’t hold the amount of people that try it (10am-6pm is not recommended).
THE SCENIC DRIVE
If you aren’t a hiker (or even if you are), you can still see most of the park on the scenic drive that goes through it. You won’t be able to really get down in the hoodoos like you would on a hike, but you can still pull over at the viewpoints for amazing canyon views from above.
From the visitor center, it’s an 18 mile drive to the end. An out and back road, so you can pull over into the “right hand side” stopping points all the way down, and all the way back out and be able to see everything.
Your first few stops will be through Bryce Amphitheater. After that, you’ll have to watch the weather. The rest of the drive can close down in the winter if the snow storms are bad enough.
Most of the hiking trails follow along the left canyon side as you’re driving in.
At the very end once you hit Yovimpa Point, there are more hiking trails… along with primitive hike in camp sites. Plenty of places to get out and stretch your legs. You’ll have a few places that the views can be seen directly out your car door, and a few that you’ll have to walk a few hundred feet to get to.
There are also multiple shuttles that run here. You’ll have one that runs through Bryce Amphitheater every 15 minutes or so, and one that runs to the end of the 18 mile drive a few times a day. Check the Bryce website to make sure everything is running when you plan on going.
BRYCE AMPHITHEATER
This is the most popular part of the park. You’ll find huge parking lots, and big crowds.
You’ll find the visitors center, lodge, restaurants, picnic areas, and more.
Sunrise and Sunset points seemed to be the most popular and have the biggest crowds of any of them. (seriously, the parking lots were PAAACKED and those areas were shoulder to shoulder people).
If you can, walk the rim trail from point to point here. It’s an easy hike that stays fairly level above all the views. You just have to go a little ways away from the “viewpoints” to get away from the crowds. If you can’t hike those, make sure you stop at Inspiration Point to cut down on the amount of people. If you don’t want to hike both ways, take the shuttle to the end and walk back to the parking lots.
You’ll find the showers in this area, laundry, and even a coffee shop. They have their own little village! There were still SNOWBANKS in some of the areas that don’t see sun, even in May.
Other things you might want to know about this park
Pets are allowed on paved areas, at the viewpoints, on the shared use path, campgrounds, and on the part of the rim trail between sunset and sunrise points. Always keep them leashed and never anywhere unpaved.
If you bike, there is a shared use path in the park, and a 17 mile bike path connected to the park that goes through the Red Canyon.
Horseback riding is available.
Bryce is a dark sky park. This means it’s PERFECT for star gazing and night time photography. You’ll be blown away by what the stars look like at night out here!
Would you visit Bryce Canyon National Park in 2 days like I did, or would you take more time there?
