If you are in Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is a must. The views and landscape that we saw in Bryce Canyon were unlike any we have ever seen. The gorgeous and mountains red and orange hoodoos are indescribable. Utah is seriously other worldly! In May of 2021, we took a road trip from Nevada to Utah and Arizona. You can check out the full 7-day itinerary for that trip as it was one of the first blogs that I created. This blog will take you through places to stay, the parks we visited, and more!
When I say that Bryce Canyon National Park is our all-time favorite national park… I’m not lying. It is gorgeous here! These pictures simply do not do the park justice! We had one day at the park and if I could have done the trip over, I would have booked us out for two days here! Our expectations for Bryce Canyon National Park were lower. I think we were both waiting for Grand Canyon National Park because it was always the park that was so hyped up! Bryce Canyon, in our opinion, tops the Grand Canyon and should be at the top of everyone’s national park bucket list.
The entrance fee to the park is $35.00 which gives you access for seven days. TIP: If you plan to go to more than 3 national parks in a year, you can save money by buying the America the Beautiful Pass which allows you to access all National Parks with that pass. The pass itself is $80.00 but with each National Park costing around $35.00… you’ll save money in the end. Plus, you can sign two names onto the park pass which gives access to both of those people. We’ve used the national park pass several times and are glad we invested that amount initially!
Note: There are 16 national parks that do not require an entrance fee.
Hiking at Bryce Canyon
The best part of national parks are the hikes… at least in our opinion. The boost of serotonin that nature gives you is unmatched. With one day, there are two trails you for sure need to hike and those are the Queens Garden Trail and Navajo Loop Trail. While they are two different trails, they connect to one another if you follow the correct signs which are well-marked. Hiking these trails covers the most amazing views in the park.
Theres a good reason that this hike is the most popular hike! You’ll walk amongst the famous hoodoos and view the towering canyon walls.
We recommend starting at Sunrise Point and hiking to Sunset Point. This will cover so much natural beauty. Be sure to keep an eye out for Thor’s hammer which is closer to Sunset Point and not to be missed. The Navajo Loop Trail and Queen’s Garden Trail are a 3.1-mile loop trail. Generally, this loop is considered a moderately challenging route. We would agree with this… aside the fact that the trail becomes challenging toward the end of the hike as you hike up some pretty intense switchbacks.
It takes about an average of an hour and a half… but account for at least 2-3 hours for stopping to take in all those gorgeous views! Remember you are stopping at Sunrise and Sunset Point too because those views are just as amazing.
Parking
I feel like I spend a huge amount of time trying to find out where to park to hike these awesome trails. Search no more! The best plan is to park at Sunset Point, walk over to Sunrise Point, and begin Queen’s Garden Trail.
Don’t ya worry about not starting at Sunset Point because you’ll catch that on your way back out and you’ll already be at your car. The only thing worse than being tired at the end of a long hike is to walk back to your car. Walking a far distance for a hike is completely different than that long walk back to the car.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn and we really enjoyed it! There are many good options but this one really fits all our needs. We don’t like to make recommendations for anything we didn’t try ourselves… so this list only has our stay. You won’t find us listing anything we don’t put our stamp of approval on.
Breakfast is included and it was one of the best breakfasts we have ever enjoyed at a hotel. We knew we wanted a full stomach to begin our time at Bryce Canyon National Park. The breakfast was a huge buffet with several different options, and all of it was delicious! The hotel is close to the park and the price was great. We highly recommend staying here during your visit to Bryce Canyon National Park.
We hope you have found this blog helpful and it has inspired you in your planning of Bryce Canyon National Park! Reach out to us on Instagram, which you can find on this website, if you have any follow-up questions about this trip. We are more than happy to talk to you about any of the trips we have taken! We would LOVE to hear from you. Safe travels y’all! -Justin & Caitlin