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Bryce Canyon National Park – a practical guide to visiting the park

Bryce Canyon National Park - An Otherworldly Place

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of 5 national parks in Utah and like the others, it is a rather unique park.  When you visit Bryce, you transplant yourself into a world of red and orange sandstone spires, called hoodoos.
This post: Bryce Canyon National Park – a practical guide will help you plan your visit.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park - hoodoos

Hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park is amazing and I would definitely recommend that you hike into the canyon. While it’s fun to check out the amazing landforms from up close, it’s even more interesting to study their shapes and sizes. We were able to see Queen Victoria on the wonderful Queens Garden Trail. The trail will take you 320 feet down into the canyon, and you will certainly have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the hoodoos. It’s a fairly easy trail, so bring enough water and enjoy it.

Queen Victoria - Bryce
Queen Victoria -left hoodoo

Another spectacular trail to hike along is the Rim Trail. While the section between Sunrise and Sunset Points is very crowded, walking slightly farther will significantly reduce the number of tourists. You will also have sweeping views of the hoodoo formations from the trail.

Trail - Bryce Canyon
Views into the canyon
Make sure to visit Inspiration Point with its 3 overlooks. You will have amazing vistas of the amphitheater and the entire valley. Not surprisingly, there is a reason why this viewpoint is called Inspiration Point.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Inspiration Point

In addition to spires, Bryce Canyon National Park also offers views of arches and bridges. In fact, the most popular is the Natural Bridge along the park’s main road . However, there are several others you can see if you hike into the canyon.

Natural Bridge
Natural Bridge, Bryce National Park
I recommend spending a couple of days at Bryce. Drive through the park, visit all the viewpoints, and do a couple of hikes.
 
Camping at Bryce is certainly an awesome experience. I’ve visited the park 5 times and camped here on several occasions. There is a beautiful hike right out of the South Campground with spectacular views of the park. It’s very convenient if that’s where you’re camping. The nights here are very dark and stargazers come to Bryce to admire the sky. Enjoy it!
hike from the campground
Views from the South Campground Trail