Bryce Canyon National Park Sights Guide
Welcome to the Bryce Canyon National Park Sights Guide
It is our intent to provide information that will be timely and of assistance in planning a trip, vacation or obtaining data about this park
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General Information
There are a number of things to do while enjoying Bryce Canyon National park. These activities include but are not limited to birding, camping, hiking, photography, star gazing, trail rides and wildlife watching.
The Bryce Canyon Shuttle is designed to leave the hassles of parking a car outside the park. Leave your car at the Shuttle Parking area and hop on the bus into the park. Our three different shuttle lines ensure smooth travel to each of the view points every 10 to 15 minutes.
You can hit all the northern view points, then hike from Bryce Point to Sunrise Point and catch the shuttle back to your car, back to the lodge, or back to your campground.
There are also cars available for rent outside the park.
Biking is allowed on paved roads only. There are no mountain biking trails within the park. See the Biking Guide for more information.
For a detailed list of Bryce Canyon hiking possibilities, with locations and trails, see the Hiking Page.
Join a National Park Service ranger to explore Bryce Canyon's natural and cultural history. Join a ranger to learn about the forces that once shaped this landscape - and continue to do so, see the Calendar Page. Ranger / Naturalist programs include interpretive programs in summer. These include geology talks, campfire programs and guided walks and hikes on a variety of topics. Staffing may permit spring and fall programs. Schedules for Ranger activities are available at the Visitor Center. These are just some of the ways to discover the diversity of the scenic, natural and historic wonders that comprise Bryce National Park.
Park Headquarters and the visitor center are located at North entrance and are open year round, except for New Years, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Horseback Rides
Morning and afternoon horseback rides led by wranglers are available April through October. Inquire at Bryce Canyon Lodge or call: 435-834-5500.
For advanced reservations, write to:
Canyon trail Rides
PO Box 128
Tropic, UT 84776
or call: 435-679-8665
Scenic Drives
A scenic drive along the 18 miles of the main park road affords outstanding views of the park and southern Utah scenery. From many overlooks you can see over 100 miles on clear days. On crisp winter days, views from Rainbow or Yovimpa points are restricted only by the curvature of the Earth. Driving south from the visitor center to Rainbow Point, you gradually gain 1,100 feet of elevation. En route, watch how the pine to spruce, fir and aspen. Trailers are not permitted beyond Sunset Campgrounds. Leave trailers in the visitor center or Sunset Point parking lot or at your campsite. All overlooks lie east of the road. To avoid crossing traffic to reach them, drive to the southern end of the park and stop at the overlooks on your return.
Agua Canyon
This area displays contrasts of light and color that are among the most satisfying in the park. Look for small trees atop a hoodoo known as the Hunter. In the distance, the rims of southern plateaus and canyons are visible.
Fairyland Canyon / Point
This area offers views of Fairyland Amphitheater and its fanciful shapes. Highlighted by the Sinking Ship, with a backdrop of the Aquarius Plateau and distant Navajo Mountain. Because Fairyland Canyon lies between the entrance station and the park boundary, and one mile off the main road, many visitors miss this viewpoint. Don't be one of them. The fanciful formations packed into this small canyon rival any the park offers.
Farview Point
This area affords a panorama that includes neighboring plateaus and mountains, and far to the southeast, the Kaibab Plateau of Grand Canyon's North Rim. Here ponderosa pines begin to give way to spruce and fir trees.
Natural Bridge
This bridge was not formed by a stream as true natural bridges are. It is more accurately an arch, carved by the combined forces of rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock.
Paria View
Looks out across hoodoos in an amphitheater carved by Yellow Creek. The Paria River valley and Table Cliffs Plateau form the backdrop. To the south, the White Cliffs, carved out of Navajo Sandstone, are visible.
Ponderosa Canyon
This area shows off multicolored hoodoos framed by pine-covered foothills and the Table Cliffs Plateau to the north.
Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce Points
These areas ring Bryce Amphitheater, the largest natural amphitheater in the park. The Queen's Garden Trail begins at Sunrise Point. From Sunset Point, you can hike to Thor's Hammer and Wall Street. Inspiration Point offers the best view of the Silent City. The Under-the-Rim Trail begins at Bryce Point. Distant panoramas from each point feature the Black Mountains in the northeast and Navajo Mountain in the South.
Yovimpa and Rainbow Point
This area offers expansive views of southern Utah. On most days you can see Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab Plateau 90 miles away in Arizona. On the clearest day, the view extends into New Mexico. The foreground is awash in the colors of long-eroded slopes and remnant hoodoos. The park road ends at Rainbow Point.
The Poodle
This hoodoo northwest of Rainbow Point seems to pose for the camera, although it is difficult to find. Behind it the Pink Cliffs look like a photographer's painted studio backdrop. At Rainbow Point the scenic drive along the canyon rim ends with a road loop that turns you back towards the park entrance.
For more detailed information and links click on the Utah State Page.
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Golden Spike National Historic Site
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Palisade State Park Green River State Park |
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