Bryce Canyon National Park

Players:  Jenny, Jake & Jackson
Date of Visit:  June 2008
Website:  www.nps.gov/brca
Location:  Utah
Entrance Fee:  $25 per car
Type of Trip:  Overnight trip as part of Western US Roadtrip
Park Passport Stamps Available:  1
Trip Report:  Bryce Canyon is a very unique place.  Located in southern Utah, it is part of the Colorado Plateau (which also includes several other national parks and scenic areas in the Southwest).  Bryce is a natural amphitheater full of rock spires and formations called hoodoos; what really sets Bryce Canyon apart, however, is its gorgeous colors -- reds, oranges, yellows, even purples.  Bryce is named for an early settler, Ebenezer Bryce, who commented that the canyon was "a hell of a place to lose a cow."

Bryce Canyon Amphitheater

The first thing you will encounter, right before entering the park, is a giant eating/shopping/dining/lodging complex called Ruby's.  Ruby's has a campground (including teepees!), motels, restaurants, laundromat, shopping, horseback rides, and a ton more. While a little too commercial for our tastes, many people really enjoy this area.  It is literally just a few hundred yards from the entrance to Bryce Canyon, and is on the park shuttle line.

Bryce Canyon Shuttle (NPS Photo)

One of the really nice things about Bryce Canyon is the shuttle system.  During the summer months, park shuttles make the trip up and down the park road, pretty much all day long.  It is free to ride the shuttles, allowing you to park your car and leave the driving to someone else.  The great thing about this is that you only have to worry about finding a place to park once!  Also, it leaves you free to look at the scenery.   Bryce can be very crowded, and parking is limited, so I highly encourage you to utilize the shuttle system.  Jackson thought riding the shuttle was great fun. 

The Visitor Center for Bryce Canyon is located right inside the main entrance, and it is a good Visitor Center, including a small theater to watch a movie about the canyon and its history.  This is also where the backcountry office is located, should you be interested in planning any backcountry camping trips or extended hikes.

Bryce Canyon has two developed campgrounds, including the Sunset Campground where we stayed (see below).  There is also a lodge, restaurant, and shower/laundry facility operated by the park concessionaire. 

Jake & Jackson check out the view

Evening is approaching in the Canyon

The weather we encountered at Bryce in June was absolutely perfect -- 70s/80s, sunny and little to no humidity.  However, it can get very hot here in the summer.  We did several things in Bryce Canyon, including taking the park shuttle all through the park to view the canyon from many viewpoints.  Sunset, in particular, is spectacular. 

We hiked quite a bit in Bryce Canyon, including the Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop.  This trail, 2.3 miles in length, is easy to reach from the Sunset Point overlook.  It also a very popular trail (read:  crowded at times) and so it is important to get an early start, or wait until late in the evening before beginning the hike.  The hike begins with a steep, switchbacked descent into the canyon, eventually winding its way through some of the more spectacular hoodoos. 

Switchbacking down the trail

Looking up at the sandstone hoodoos

Hiking through the canyon

At a few points on this trail, you come to some tunnels carved out of the sandstone, as well as some places where the canyon walls are very close together.

Jake in one of the tunnels

Jake near the hoodoos

Of course, what goes down must come back up, and the hike ends with a steep trip back up the canyon.  To make this trail a loop, you'll have to walk along the rim trail to get back to Sunset Point....or you can catch the park shuttle!

Another hike we did, albeit much more strenous, was the Hat Shop trail.  This trail is approximately 4 miles round trip and has virtually no shade -- please don't do this one during the heat of the day!  The trail itself is interesting, but it takes you to an area known as the Hat Shop.  The Hat Shop is an area of hoodoos where the sandstone spires have eroded but stronger stones are still on top of each of the hoodoos, resembling hats on stands.

The Hat Shop

Close up of two of the "hats"

The trail is an out-and-back, meaning you come back the same way you came.

Jake hiking the Hat Shop trail with Jackson in the backpack

We also attended a Ranger Program at the Bryce Canyon Lodge....I don't even really remember what the program was about, but I tend to enjoy the Ranger programs no matter the topic.  During summer, Ranger programs are offered several times a day. 

Bryce Canyon is an excellent place to spend a few days exploring.  We were here a total of 3 nights, which gave us a chance to have a fairly comprehensive visit to the park.  Bryce is also very near to the Utah State Park of Kodachrome Basin, which I hear is excellent.  And it's only a few hours from here to Zion National Park.

Campground Review

Campground Stayed:  Sunset Campground

Campground Run by:  National Park Service

Available to Reserve?:  Some sites are available to reserve, although we were able to grab a first-come, first-served site with no difficulty

Cost per night:  $15/night

Other notes:  There are flush toilets and water in the campground, but no showers or electric hookups.

Review: Again, I really liked this campground.  I tend to enjoy the no-frills campgrounds offered by the National Park Service as they are quiet and spacious.  Our campsite had a picnic table, fire ring, and tent pad; there was plenty of shade in our site.  We were in a tent-only loop so didn't have to worry about RVs running generators.  We were also on the end of the loop, so didn't really have neighbors, but even if we did, our site was fairly huge. We were able to walk to several hiking trails from our campground but it was a little far to walk to the lodge area with a 1 year old. Scenery-wise, this was not as scenic of a campground as we had in Grand Canyon or Arches, but it was very green and we did see some deer.  I would definitely stay here again.

View of deer from somewhere in our campground