Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah's red-rock amphitheaters filled with thousands of orange-red hoodoos, superb at sunrise, sunset and under the stars; a must-overnight stop on the American Southwest Grand Circle.

Bryce Canyon National Park lies in Garfield County in southwestern Utah at about 2,400–2,780 m above sea level. Despite its name, it is actually a series of horseshoe-shaped "amphitheaters" eroded into the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The largest, Bryce Amphitheater, is packed with thousands of orange-red and pinkish-white rock spires known as hoodoos. The heart of the park is a roughly 29 km north–south scenic drive (SR-63). Its northern section, with Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point and Bryce Point arranged around the main amphitheater, is where most visitors gather; heading south, the road passes viewpoints such as Natural Bridge and Agua Canyon before ending at Rainbow Point at 2,778 m.

The best season is May to October. Summer days are around 25°C with cool mornings and evenings, and afternoon thunderstorms are common; September and October bring fewer crowds and clear skies. In winter, snow on the red rock is spectacular, but trails are icy and require traction devices, and parts of the southern road may close temporarily after snowfall. Temperatures swing widely between day and night, so bring a jacket.

Most visitors drive: the park is about 1.5–2 hours from Zion National Park, about 4 hours from Las Vegas and about 4 hours from Salt Lake City, making it a fixture of the Grand Circle. From about April to October, a free park shuttle runs from Bryce Canyon City outside the park, linking the main viewpoints. Entry costs $35 per vehicle (valid for 7 days), and the national parks annual pass is accepted. Lodging is concentrated in Bryce Canyon City outside the park and in the small town of Tropic to the east; inside the park are Bryce Canyon Lodge and campgrounds, which should be booked ahead in peak season.

Stay at least one night: watch the sunset from Inspiration Point, catch sunrise the next morning at Sunrise Point or Bryce Point, hike down among the hoodoos on the combined Navajo Loop–Queen's Garden trail in the morning, then drive south to Rainbow Point in the afternoon. Bryce is an International Dark Sky Park, and on clear nights the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye. Nearby Red Canyon and Kodachrome Basin are covered under the Zion and Escalante destinations respectively.

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