Bryce Canyon For Beginners + One Day in Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon is one of the few parks we’ve visited where we could get up close and personal to the main attraction.
Lots of other parks require hiking into the backcountry or driving several miles to the best view, but at Bryce you can see the entire canyon just a few minutes from the entrance.
This didn’t make it any less meaningful or magical – in fact, it made it better!
It is our 6th most favorite national park to date (as of now).
Let us tell you all about Bryce Canyon National Park for beginners!
Notes from the Newbies
Gus
Bryce Canyon was probably our favorite park in Utah. And we’d rate it as the most beginner-friendly of the Mighty Five! I especially loved how accessible and easy to navigate it was. Folks from all abilities can see the best of Bryce Canyon.
Katie
I loved Bryce Canyon because we were able hike right into the canyon. Getting to walk right up to (and through) the world famous hoodoos is something I’ll never forget!
Bryce Canyon National Park Basics
| Date Established | 1928 |
| Annual Visitors (2022) | 2,354,660 |
| Rank in Popularity (by visitors) | 16th |
| #1 Reason to Visit | Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon Amphitheater |
| Highest Visited Month | September (367,425 in 2023) |
| Lowest Visited Month | January (30,960 in 2022) |
| Closest Major Airport | Harry Reid (Las Vegas – 270 miles) |
Map of Bryce Canyon
You’ll notice that the park is relatively small and easy to navigate. There is one primary road that runs north to south – Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive.
And the main attraction is quite literally right there – the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater.
Everything to see and do in the park is easy to understand once you get a look at this map. Save and download it before you pay a visit to Bryce!
Tips Before You Visit Bryce Canyon
Tip #1: Get up Early for Sunrise and Stay for Sunset
We were lucky to see both sunrise and sunset at Bryce Canyon.
There is nothing quite like watching the sunrise slowly light up the canyon. The hoodoos quite literally start to glow orange as the sun peaks beyond the mountains in the backdrop.
Be prepared for plenty of people to be around in the morning – even for sunrise. It’s too beautiful of a view to miss.
Once you run through your activities for the day, make a plan to stop at Sunset Point for sunset. In a similar fashion, watching the light slowly fade from the canyon illuminates how beautiful the hoodoos are when the sun hits them just right.
Tip #2: Prepare for High Elevation
Our second tip – that we weren’t quite prepared for – was how challenging the elevation would be.
We should have known (but we didn’t quite do enough research), but be prepared for higher elevation.
What we mean by being prepared is to take it slow, drink water, and don’t be too embarrassed to catch your breath. No shame in taking things slow.
Bryce Canyon averages about 8,000 feet in elevation throughout the park. Altitude sickness is very possible at Bryce Canyon, especially if you are on a long hike.
The highest point in the park is Rainbow Point at 9,115 feet in elevation. This location gives you a stunning overlook of Bryce Canyon and the surrounding Utah desert. When we were up there, I’ll admit that I felt a little dizzy.
Again, drink water and take it slow.
Tip #3: Hikes for ALL Levels
Something we absolutely loved at Bryce Canyon was the fact that there were people of ages and abilities within the park.
Avid adventurers can climb down into Bryce Canyon and hike the challenging Peekaboo Loop, Queen’s Garden, or Navajo Loop trail. The hikes are doable, but challenging.
Or visitors can walk along the Rim Trail from Sunrise to Sunset Point, which is fully paved and has little elevation gain.
I imagine when we’re older and re-visiting our favorite national parks, that we’ll go to Bryce Canyon and stroll along the Rim Trail together.
Tip #4: Use the Shuttle System!
The Bryce Canyon Shuttle system is one of the best shuttles we’ve experienced at any national park (the Zion National Park shuttle is probably the best!).
It takes you all around Bryce Canyon and to nearly all of the most popular areas of the park.
It allowed newbies like us to leave our cars parked all day long but not feel limited within the park.
We’d recommend taking the shuttle as far south as it goes and making your way back north. We took the shuttle up to Bryce Point and started the Peek-A-Boo Loop from there (more on that later!)
Most Popular Hike: Queen’s and Navajo Combination Loop
The Queen’s and Navajo combination loop is one of the most popular trails in the park. A park ranger recommended that we hike this trail as early as possible, as it gets fairly full.
I think one of the reasons it’s popular is that it allows you to descend into the canyon, without being too strenuous. This makes it one of the best hikes in the park!
You also get to meander through (and get up close to) the famous hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. It was a really incredible experience.
Queen’s and Navajo Combination Basics
- Location: Start at Sunrise Point OR Sunset Point
- Best Time to Hike: Morning before it gets crowded and too hot!
- Length: 2.9 miles round trip
- Average Time to Complete: 2-3 hours
- Level: Moderate (625 feet of elevation gain)
- Why it’s Popular: Hoodoos, Queen Victoria, and the Navajo Loop Switchbacks
Our Experience on the Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop
The challenge-level you are ready to embrace will determine on which end you start the hike.
We started this trail at Sunrise Point – the north end of the hike. This side starts at the Queen’s Garden, where you will descend down into the canyon.
The first prominent viewpoint you will eventually reach is the Queen Victoria Hoodoo.
My take here: it’s a bit of a stretch.
It’s cool to see because it’s a notable spot on the trail.
But I wasn’t quite sure what we were looking at until someone directly pointed it out to me.
Others seemed fairly fascinated by it and I could see if you squint your eyes that it would be quite interesting!
Continue south along the Queen’s Garden Trail until you reach the Navajo Loop. From here you have two options back up to Sunset Point: Two Bridges and Wall Street.
We took the Two Bridges route. You will eventually pass Thor’s Hammer and a very challenging set of switchbacks up to Sunset Point.
Wall Street is a bit more “famous” but was closed during our trip. It’s also closed during the winters. It has an even more iconic set of switchbacks.
Either route is challenging back up! We caught our breath, swore a ton, and struggled alongside everyone else. It was really, really fun!
Please note this is NOT an accessible route and will take some serious effort. I’d say we’re fairly experienced hikers and it was still challenging for us.
Top Things to Do in Bryce Canyon
As we’ve already said, Bryce Canyon is one of our favorite National Parks. Here are the top 5 things we did during our trip that made for a memorable experience!
Sunrise at Sunrise Point
Watching the Sunrise at Sunrise Point is a must-do when you visit Bryce Canyon.
Depending on when you go will impact the time the sun rises in the park, but you can generally expect it to rise between 6-8am.
Make sure to arrive early. While there will be plenty of parking, we ran into several groups of people looking to catch the sunrise. It’s a popular place to visit in the
In our opinion, the best spot in the park to watch the sunrise is Rainbow Point, but you’d probably feel jipped if you didn’t see the sunrise at Sunrise Point. So make sure to go there in the early morning!
As the sun rises and lights up the canyon, you will be amazed at the purple and orange hues. It’s spectacular to see the hoodoos brighten into their fantastic natural color.
It’s one of the best times for photography as well!
Sunset at Sunset Point
Next to Sunrise, there’s no doubt that sunsets in the park are equally as fantastic.
The perfect spot to watch the sunset is – to no one’s surprise – Sunset Point.
Located less than 2 miles from Sunrise Point, this area faces the canyon and allows you to soak in the remaining colors in the park.
If you wanted, you could climb slights down into the Navajo Trail to catch the last light on the hoodoos up close. We saw several people finishing their hikes during sunset!
Peek-A-Boo / Navajo Loop Combination
I would say this was our favorite hike in Bryce Canyon by far!
Depending on which route you decide to take, the Peek-A-Boo Loop is between 5.5-6 miles.
We started at Bryce Point and ended at Sunset Point, which made it a version of the Peek-A-Book/Navajo Combination Loop.
The absolutely best part of this hike is how close we were able to get to the hoodoos. I mean they are right there in front of you. We walked through them, next to them, right up to them. It was spectacular.
And the second-best part (in my opinion) is that the Peek-A-Boo loop trail is perfectly named. There are switchbacks throughout the trail and just when you think you’ve seen the last of them, another hoodoo “peeks” at you around the corner.
But this is a tough hike. One of the tougher ones we’ve personally been on. I would rate it as moderate-to-strenuous, leaning more toward strenuous.
We were exhausted after the hike, needed plenty of water, and a nap.
But it was entirely worth it and was our favorite experience at Bryce Canyon.
Rim Trail
There are many versions of the Rim Trail you can hike – some easy, some strenuous.
We’d recommend walking the rim of the canyon for as long as you’d like.
Technically, you can hike the Rim Trail from Fairyland Point on the north end of the park all the way up to Bryce Point on the south end (or vice versa). It’s probably easier starting at Bryce Point.
The entirety of the Rim Trail is 5.5 miles with about 540 feet of elevation change and would take you between 4-6 hours to complete (if you planned to stop along the way to admire the view).
Most people meander the Rim Trail between Sunrise and Sunset Points. They are the most centrally located and take you into/out of the canyon. Lots of prominent hiking starts from these two areas.
Again, meander as short or as long as you’d like on the Rim Trail!
Southern Scenic Drive
Lastly, you must drive the Southern Scenic Drive at Bryce Canyon.
This 18 mile road will take you to the highest points in the park, namely, Rainbow Point at 9,115 feet of elevation.
There are multiple stops along the way for you to admire the canyon from different viewpoints. We personally loved Natural Bridge – a giant stone arch visible from the side of the road.
We pulled over and ate some lunch on the scenic drive as there were far less people going through.
The scenic drive highlights how vast Bryce Canyon is. Along the several stops you can peer into the canyon and take in just how vast the canyon and surrounding wilderness are. It’s breathtaking (and not just because of the higher elevation!)
Extreme hikers start the Under-the-Rim Trail at Bryce Point and take it all the way down to Bryce Point. This 22+ mile hike takes several days (2-3). Permits are not required to hike the trail, BUT they are required to camp overnight. Please do you research, but it certainly seems like a bucket-list item.
How to Spend One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park
It’s very possible to see all the best parts of Bryce Canyon all in one day! We’ve outlined what we think is the perfect Bryce Canyon itinerary and what we’d do if we ever go again!
First, make sure you’re lodging in or near Bryce Canyon. We camped at both the North Campground (within the park) and at the Bryce Canyon Pines RV Park & Campground. The RV campground was only 10 minutes from the park entrance and made it easy to get to Bryce.
The key to unlock Bryce Canyon in one day is to arrive early. If you’re planning on seeing the sunrise, then you’ll naturally arrive early. But if not, try to get there before 8am (if possible).
Simple One Day Bryce Canyon Itinerary
- Morning: Sunrise at Sunrise Point, hike Queen’s and Navajo Loop Combination Trail
- Mid-day: Lunch at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon, Walk the Rim Trail, and Explore the Southern Scenic Drive
- Late afternoon: See Inspiration Point, Bryce Point and watch Sunset at Sunset Point
Your day will be filled with hiking and driving, but it’ll be entirely worth it!
The main point is to get as many views of the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater as possible. Each of the stops on our short itinerary will allow you to see the canyon from multiple different angles and elevations.
Final Thoughts: Bryce Canyon for Beginners
We hope these details and experience have been helpful as you plan your trip to Bryce Canyon.
Out of all the national parks in Utah, we feel that Bryce Canyon is the best for beginners.
- It’s accessible
- Easy to navigate
- and has memorable hikes throughout the park
So whether you are planning a multi day itinerary or simply planning a day trip, Bryce Canyon is perfect for beginners!
