Bryce Canyon National Park
We visited Bryce Canyon National Park this past September and hiked some of the post popular hikes, found the best spots for sunset and sunrise, and tent camped in the campground. All of your questions answered regarding where to stay, hike, and view sunset below.
How Long Do I Need In Bryce Canyon National Park?
There are some national parks that we returned to for years, and still have not seen it all (Rocky Mountains), and some parks that we felt we only needed a few hours or a day to visit. Bryce Canyon is one of the parks that we were able to do all of the hikes we had planned in one full day. Bryce Canyon reminded us of the Grand Canyon, where you can get a good view of the entire park from a couple view points, but you could easily spend more time if you want to immerse yourself inside the maze of hoodoos. We arrived early in the day at the visitor center, booked a campsite, hiked some of the popular hikes, watched the sunset, camped, and woke up the next morning to watch the sunrise before moving on.
Where Should I Hike?
Navajo Loop (1.3 miles): This is the most popular hike in Bryce Canyon (you most likely have seen photos of Wall Street online). We started at Sunset Point and hiked down Wall Street and then saw Two Bridges before making the loop to see Thor’s Hammer. There is 550 feet of elevation change, making this a bit challenging on the hike up. While at the bottom, you can continue to Queen’s Garden if you like.
Peekaboo Loop (5.5 miles): This was our favorite hike in the park. While standing at Sunrise point, we could see all of these trails below, weaving in and out through the hoodoos. This turned out to be Peekaboo. We were surrounded by hoodoos and went up and down through tunnels and winding trails under the rim and found ourselves in isolation. It does have quite a bit of elevation change (1571 feet) and at 5.5. miles, it did take us about three hours. It was definitely worth our time, but make sure you have some water with you. There is a restroom near the start or end of the hike, at the bottom of the canyon.
Rim Trail (1-11 miles): We hiked this to get a better view of the park from above, but did not hike all 11 miles. It is not a loop. The best points of this hike are really Sunset Point and Sunrise Point, which you can drive to.
Where Should I Stay?
Camping: There are two campgrounds in Bryce Canyon, Sunset and North. North is open all year round and takes reservations during the peak season. Sunset is first-come, first-served and is only open during peak season. We tent camped at North Campground in September and they had sites available when we arrived around 12PM. North is right across from the visitor center and Sunset is further in the park.
Backcountry Camping: There are only 10 backcountry sites available and you will need to get a permit for this at the Visitor Center.
Lodge: Bryce Canyon has a lodge but it is costly, at $232/night (when I last checked). It was also really hard to find a reservation, and it seems it is booked far in advance.
Where Should I Go For Sunrise and Sunset?
Sunset and Sunrise Point are named this for a reason, and we did find that these are the best places to get a view of the hoodoos. We actually preferred Sunset Point for both sunrise and sunset. We actually went to Sunrise Point first thing in the morning (it will be crowded and parking will be scarce) and we were not as impressed at the view point as Sunrise Point.
