Bryce Canyon is like a kaleidoscope, everywhere you walk you’ll see the beauty from the sun’s rays as it hits the hoodoos of the park. It’s smaller than its big brother Zion, but not any less appealing. Bryce Canyon is famously known for its hoodoo formations, which erode from thin walls and are sculpted by rain and snow through time. Although, Bryce has much to see like Sunrise point, Wall Street, and the Navajo trail it can easily be explored all in a day’s time; especially with the help of my 1 day in Bryce Canyon itinerary.
This 1 day in Bryce Canyon itinerary includes hiking trails for the outdoor enthusiasts and easily accessible platform sites for those wishing to see all the major highlights of the park.This is a great place to get started on planning your next adventure to Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s a short drive from Zion to Bryce Canyon so you might as well make your way out!
Table of Contents
1 Day in Bryce Canyon
WHEN TO VISIT
The park is open 24 hours a day and can be visited at any time of the year. It will definitely have something unique to offer regardless what time of year you go. However, the ideal time to go would be from May through September. I say this not only because we tend to have longer days during the summer, but also because the park has more trails available to the public, like the Wall Street!
I went during April, yes, Bryce Canyon had less people at this time, but the Wall Street portion of the Navajo trail was closed. This typically tends to be the case around this time of year due to the rain and freezing temperatures. If you want to check this portion of the trail and many others, I’d stick to visiting any time other than winter.
BUT WHERE IS BRYCE CANYON LOCATED?
It is about an hour and a half drive from Zion to Bryce Canyon, which is located in southern Utah. It’s about a four hour drive from Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. If you’re asking yourself, whether the park is worth the road trip especially when the drive from Zion to Bryce Canyon is under an hour and a half, the answer is always yes! I won’t say wether Bryce is better than Zion, but I do think you all must come out and decide that for yourself!
Check out my Zion itinerary here!
GETTING AROUND
Bryce Canyon offers free shuttle services from April through October and arrive every 15 minutes at each stop. Feel free to park at the Visitor Center parking lot or at the Shuttle Station in Bryce Canyon City and catch the bus at the entrance of the park. You can also park at the many site locations as you go through the park. However, during the more busy times of the year, which typically tends to be during the summer, parking can be limited especially later in the day.
1 DAY IN BRYCE CANYON ITINERARY
SUNRISE POINT
I will always recommend you start your days off EARLY! Reason number one, you get to see beautiful sunrises at some of the most breathtaking places in the world. If that wasn’t the case, Bryce Canyon wouldn’t have a designated spot for them at Sunrise point. I think this is a great way to get started on your day, wake up early, and see the sun illuminate the park in the chilly, dawn with a warm cup of joe in your hand, grab a blanket and snuggle up next to that special someone as you both enjoy each other’s company. Can’t go wrong with starting off the day in a grateful state of mind and this park’s beauty will definitely help with that.
NAVAJO TRAIL
Definitely make the effort to check out the Navajo trail at Bryce Canyon! It’s a great way to see one of the famous hoodoos at the park, Thor’s hammer. This trail is the perfect way to immerse yourself into the Bryce Amphitheater. The Navajo trail is rated as moderate, total distance is about 1.4 miles and can be completed in 1 to 2 hours.
So the Navajo trail at Bryce Canyon has two sides, the Two Towers side, which is about 0.6 miles and the Wall Street side, which is 0.7 miles long. The trailhead begins at Sunset point where you will head down the Two Towers side, here you will see Thor’s hammer, the switchbacks and, of course, the Two Towers. To this day I don’t see the towers, but maybe you do, let me know in the comments. Maybe I need to see it from another angle?
QUEEN’S GARDEN TRAIL
As I’ve mentioned before, during the winter the Wall Street portion of the Navajo trail will be closed. Luckily, there are other trails you can combine the Navajo trail with like the Queen’s Garden trail. Since the Queen’s Garden trail begins at Sunrise point you can connect to the Navajo trail, which begins at Sunset point, at the bottom of the Amphitheater.
The trail is about 3 miles long and can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to complete. This is my favorite trail at Bryce Canyon, because it showed us a little bit of everything. We were able to see the Queen herself, if you can use your imagination, and the tall limestone walls down at the bottom of the Amphitheater. It’s a relatively moderate trail, so make sure to take your time and enjoy the scenery!
RIM TRAIL
Rim trail is a great way to see the Bryce Amphitheater from the top looking down. It starts at Fairyland point and goes all the way down to Bryce point, which is about 5.5 miles one way. Keep in mind there are steep elevations going from Fairyland to Bryce Point. You can do small portions of the trail if you choose not to do the entire thing. For example, the distance between Sunrise to Sunset point is about 0.5 mile.
The great thing about this trail is that you can go at your own pace, and take a seat at the many benches along the canyon rim to admire the view.
INSPIRATION POINT
You can always hike from Sunset point to Inspiration point on the Rim trail, which takes about 0.7 miles.
BRYCE POINT
And from Inspiration point to Bryce point is about 1.5 miles one way. If you hike out all the way to Bryce point and don’t want to hike back you can take the shuttle back to where you parked and call it a day.
DARK RANGER
Alright, if I would recommend one thing to anyone hands down it would be to check out the stars with the Dark Ranger! This will forever be one of my most cherished, fun, and memorable moments from our trip at Bryce Canyon. First of all, I love astronomy so I just had to take advantage of Bryce Canyon’s dark skies! Did you know Bryce Canyon’s high elevation and lack of light pollution make it one of the Earth’s darkest places “(National Park Services, 2021)”?! How could I not take advantage of that??
The particular tour we did was held outside of the park. Alex and I were able to see so many galaxies that I couldn’t believe what we had witnessed! Plus, the Dark Ranger had some amazing tales and hot chocolate for those cold nights.
Bryce Canyon Map
More Travel Tips
- Download a map before you go!
- Remember with every National Park there is a fee to enter. It’s typically $30 for a 7-day pass for private vehicles. If you’re on your way to explore the Mighty Five I’d recommend buying the America The Beautiful Pass, which is $80 and gets you into all the National Parks for a year
- Don’t forget your water and sunscreen!
- To get the most out of your day, start EARLY!
- Always, always, always check the park’s site, or the visitor center, for up to date information before you head out
- And as always, leave no trace behind!
DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT FOR LATER!
Let me know if you end up venturing out to Bryce Canyon any time soon! I hope this guide is helpful and as always thanks for stopping by!
National Park Service (2021). Bryce Canyon [Brochure]. Utah: National Park Foundation.
