The land of hoodoos! Bryce Canyon is a truly unique experience, as it is filled with these tall, thin rock spires shaped by years of erosion. We hadn’t seen anything like a hoodoo before, and this park provides the opportunity to admire the formations from up close and up above.
Queen’s Garden / Navajo Loop Trail
If you want to do some hiking in Bryce Canyon, look no further than this trail combination.
All together, you’ll spend just over three miles hiking through hoodoos and slot canyons. This trail is also book-ended by two fantastic viewpoints, so you’ll get to experience the full gamut of perspectives during this hike.
For this trail, you have two options for your starting point: Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. While you’ll naturally reach Sunrise Point first as you’re driving along the road, it is worth noting that the trail is much steeper by Sunset Point. As a result, leaving Sunrise Point until the end requires a less extreme but more prolonged exertion. Both options are completely doable though; we started at Sunrise Point and had no problems. Whichever route you choose, just make sure you take some time to relax and enjoy the two viewpoints before and after your hike.
While Navajo Loop is – you guessed it – a loop, this trail combination generally recommends that you only do the portion of that trail that goes through Wall Street, which is the main slot canyon in the park.
If you’re feeling up to it, you can do the remainder of the loop as well. This will add about 1.5 miles to your hike since you’ll have to double back, but you’ll get to see the Twin Bridges.
The more important formation to see, though, is Thor’s Hammer. You’ll have to travel just a bit further around the Navajo Loop from Sunset Point to see this landmark, but it is absolutely worth it. It was one of our favorite views in the park.
If you follow our lead and start this hike from Sunrise Point, the directions are pretty simple. Once you get down into the canyon, just follow signs towards the Navajo Loop trail. Once you hit the loop, you’ll have the option to keep left towards Wall Street or veer right towards the Twin Bridges. Wall Street is definitely a cooler experience (and also the route recommended by AllTrails), so we suggest you follow this direction. After you make it through Wall Street and hike up a series of switch-backs, you’ll need to keep right just a bit longer to make it to Thor’s Hammer. Once you get a good photo of the Hammer, we recommend turning around and heading back to Sunset Point. From there, it’s a relatively short walk along the canyon’s rim to get back to the Sunrise Point trailhead and parking lot.
Viewpoints
In addition to the aforementioned Sunrise Point and Sunset Point, there are two other iconic viewpoints we suggest you visit in Bryce Canyon: Inspiration Point and Bryce Point. Both are accessible by car and require a short walk once you get to the parking lot. Inspiration Point is a steeper, slightly longer (0.5 miles) walk, so brace yourself for that one. If you don’t want to go to the highest observation deck at that viewpoint, there is another deck that is halfway up the hill that also provides a fantastic view. Bryce Point, on the other hand, is a flat walk to the observation deck, so you can give your legs a break there.
Other Tips & Tricks
- What to Bring: While Bryce Canyon as a whole provides more shade than Utah’s other national parks, it can still get very sunny and very hot. Pack plenty of water, sunscreen, and a hat. You’ll also want to bring some money with you for the visitor center, as they have some cool merchandise.
- When to Visit: Bryce Canyon tends to be cooler than Utah’s other national parks, so it is great to visit year-round. Be sure to check local weather conditions before you visit, though, as precipitation can make certain sections of the park inaccessible.
- Nearby Parks: While you’re in the area, be sure to check out Utah’s other parks as well. Zion is an absolute must visit and is only a couple hours away. Capitol Reef is also within a couple hours, and it is on the way to Arches and Canyonlands if you plan to extend your trip to eastern Utah.
Happy traveling!
Kitrina & Jordan
