Bryce Canyon Itinerary: How to Spend One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park
This one day in Bryce Canyon itinerary includes the best hikes and views at the Utah national park known for its orange hoodoos.
Visiting Bryce Canyon in one day and looking for the best things to do? This one day in Bryce Canyon National Park guide squeezes in scenic overlooks and hikes where you can get up close with the unique hoodoo formations.
Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah is made up of a series of bowls that drop down from a high plateau. Most of the activities on this itinerary take place around the popular Bryce Amphitheater, which is full of rock spires that have eroded into all sorts of interesting shapes.
Despite the sweeping views and miles of trails, it’s actually pretty easy to see most of the national park with just one day at Bryce Canyon. The hardest choice will just be which trail you want to spend the most time on.
I’ve visited Bryce Canyon twice now and the itinerary below has my favorite hikes and views that I recommend for your first time at the park. Keep reading for ideas on how to spend one day in Bryce Canyon National Park and scroll to the bottom for tips on where to stay and the best time to visit Bryce Canyon.
Bryce Canyon National Park Map
I’ve added all of the hikes and actvities in this one day in Bryce Canyon itinerary to the map below to help you get started on your planning. Just click the little box in the upper right corner to open and save a Google map.
One Day in Bryce Canyon Itinerary
This one day Bryce Canyon National Park itinerary packs in activities from sunrise to sunset. If you don’t want to hike, you can cut the day a bit shorter and just visit the lookouts in a few hours at the park.
Watch the Sunrise at Sunrise Point
If you get an early start for your one day at Bryce Canyon, head over to Sunrise Point to watch the first light stream into the amphitheater and glow up the hoodoos with golden beams.
If the actual lookout is too busy at sunrise, walk along the rim to find a less crowded view. There’s a mile-long trail between Sunrise and Sunset Points along the canyon, so it’s easy to find your own little spot.
Hike into Bryce Canyon
Aside from checking out the views, hiking into the amphitheater is the absolute best thing to do with one day in Bryce Canyon National Park. You’ll want to start early in the summer months to avoid the heat and the heavier crowds at midday.
Since there are several Bryce Canyon trails you can follow, we’ll break down a few options below and you can pick the distance and difficulty that suits you best. You’ll need to be moderately fit and wearing appropriate footwear to get up and down the trails since there is elevation change and some parts are pretty steep.
If you don’t want to hike into the canyon, skip ahead to the next activity.
Navajo Loop Trail
The shortest hike into the canyon, Navajo Loop Trail starts at Sunset Point, where you can walk down either the Two Bridges section or the popular Wall Street switchbacks that wind down between soaring rust-colored walls. Whichever direction you pick, you’ll come up the opposite way to make a moderately difficult 1.3-mile loop with a 550-foot elevation change.
The Wall Street portion closes for at least half of the year when ice makes the steep switchbacks dangerous. When it’s closed, you’ll either have to hike out and back on the Two Bridges trail or combine it with Queen’s Garden to make a loop (more info below).
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queens Garden is the easiest trail down into the canyon but is still considered a moderate hike due to the roughly 350-foot elevation change. The 1.8-mile hike starts and ends at Sunrise Point.
Along the way, you’ll walk through tunnels and next to hoodoos in cool formations. Since this trail does not make a loop, many hikers combine it with the Navajo Loop (see below) to see more along the way.
Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop
The most popular Bryce Canyon National Park hike, this option combines the Queen’s Garden Trail with half of the Navajo Loop to make a larger loop. You can either start from Sunrise and descend Queen’s Garden or start from Sunset and descend Navajo’s Two Bridge or Wall Street (in summer) sections and then come up the other path.
Since Queen’s Garden is the least steep, the easiest route is to descend Navajo and ascend Queen’s Garde. But, the National Park Service recommends descending Queen’s Garden as the safest way to hike the trail, since more injuries happen on the way down. You’ll also get better views of the Bryce Amphitheater going down Queen’s Garden.
The total loop is 2.9 miles, including a half-mile walk along the rim between the starting and ending lookout points. It’s considered moderately difficult. This is my favorite hike to do with one day in Bryce Canyon!
Peekaboo Loop
Peek-a-boo Loop descends over 1500-feet from Bryce Point into the canyon, making a 5.5-mile path with views of hoodoos and bristlecone pines.
The National Park Service rates it a strenuous hike. The trail is shared with mule riders, so you have to watch where you step and it is required that you follow a clockwise direction on the trail.
The Peek-a-boo trail meets the Navajo and Queen’s Garden trails at the bottom of the canyon, so there are a few different combos you can do with the three. We’ll detail what’s called the Figure 8 Combo (all three) below, but the other options are a Navajo/Peek-a-boo figure 8 for 4.9 miles or the Bryce Amphitheater Traverse, where you descend Peek-a-boo and ascend Queen’s Garden for 4.7 miles total.
Figure 8 Combo
For the ultimate Bryce Canyon hike, carve out 4 to 5 hours to make a figure 8 on the Queen’s Garden, Peek-a-boo and Navajo trails. The strenuous trek spans 6.4 miles and a little over 1,600-feet in elevation changes.
To do this hike, you start by descending the Navajo or Queen’s Garden trail, diverting to the Peek-a-boo at the bottom of the canyon, and climbing out on the Navajo or Queen’s Garden when you’ve finished the Peek-a-boo loop.
Fairyland Loop Trail
For a long hike into a canyon that’s a little less popular than the ones above, try the Fairyland Loop. The trail starts a mile north of the park entrance station at Fairyland Point and covers 8 miles of hiking along the rim and into the Fairyland Canyon.
The hoodoos on this trail include giant formations like the Tower Bridge and China Wall.
Since the hike takes about 4 to 5 hours, you’ll want to get an early start if you’re visiting Bryce Canyon in one day.
Hop Between Viewpoints on the Rim Trail
There are four main viewpoints of the Bryce Amphitheater — Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point and Sunrise Point. With one day in Bryce Canyon National Park, you will have time to visit all of these spots.
To get to them, you can either drive, ride the shuttle, or walk the easy Rim Trail for about 3 miles one way (you can ride the shuttle to return). Parking fills up in the second half of the day, so walking or using the free shuttle is the easiest way to hop around.
Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive
After a morning hike, sunny afternoons are the perfect time to cruise down Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive to check out some of the less crowded overlooks. The free park shuttle only goes as far as Bryce Point, so traffic tends to clear out a bit as you move further down the road.
The drive runs about 17 miles each way between the entrance station and Rainbow Point at the end of the road with more than a dozen places to stop for views of canyons, natural arches, pine trees, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in the distance. This road usually closes seasonally for ice and snow.
Watch the Sunset at the Bryce Amphitheatre
Since all the viewpoints at Bryce face east, the sun sets behind you as you look out at the canyon. But, that doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on a colorful sunset show to end your one day at Bryce Canyon.
Arrive at your favorite viewpoint from the day an hour or two before sunset to watch golden light hitting the hoodoos as a wall of shadows creeps over the canyon. It’s one of the best times of day to really soak in the views without the sun in your eyes!
Constellation Tours and Full Moon Hikes
If you stay at Bryce Canyon past sunset, you can join special ranger-led programs to explore the night skies. Bryce is certified as an International Dark Sky Park.
A daily evening program runs throughout summer at the outdoor North Campground Amphitheater. A few times a week, rangers do a constellation tour and on full-moon nights, a special hike by moonlight. Information on all of the programs is available at the visitor center.
Tips for Visiting Bryce Canyon in One Day
This mini Bryce Canyon guide has tips on what to pack, how to save on admission, and where to stay near the national park.
Best Time to Visit Bryce Canyon
The most popular time to visit Bryce Canyon is May through September. Bryce Canyon National Park weather during this time averages in the upper 70s to low 80s for the middle of summer highs and the 60s and low 70s for late spring and September.
Due to the high elevation, even summer nights drop to the 40s and 50s. July and August is the rainy season with regular afternoon storms.
If you visit October to April, you’ll find lower crowds but limited services and amenities and average nighttime lows below freezing. The shuttle typically only runs from April to mid-October, and some park roads close for snowfall, which can happen as early as October.
Daytime highs average in the 40s and 50s in fall and spring, while the chilly winter months have highs in the 30s and monthly snowfall averaging 14 to 18 inches.
These are the best national parks to visit in spring, summer and fall.
How Many Days in Bryce Canyon
While there are miles of backcountry trails and activities that could extend your national park stay, one day in Bryce Canyon is enough time for most visitors to see the viewpoints and hike into the canyon or along the rim.
With even just half a day at Bryce Canyon, you can visit the four main amphitheater lookouts and take a shorter trail like the 1.3-mile Navajo Loop.
How to Get to Bryce Canyon
If you’re traveling straight to Bryce Canyon National Park, the nearest airports are in Salt Lake City, Utah, about 275 miles north, and Las Vegas, Nevada, about 270 miles southwest. If you’re doing a Southwest road trip in the area, it could also make sense to fly into Phoenix, depending on your itinerary.
Our Bryce Canyon map at the top of this post will show you where the park is in relation to other attractions in the area.
Where to Stay at Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon City is the next closest locale, less than 3 miles from the entrance. Bryce Canyon hotels in this zone include the Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel, Ruby’s Inn Resort, Bryce View Lodge, and Bryce Canyon Resort.
The cheapest hotels near Bryce Canyon are in the small town of Tropic, about 11 miles from the park entrance. There are several motels, cabins and restaurants along Main Street here. I stayed at the Red Ledges Inn, which was affordable and comfortable with a free continental breakfast.
These are the closest towns to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Bryce Canyon Tickets and Passes
Admission for Bryce Canyon is $35 per vehicle, which is valid for 7 days. If you plan to visit other Utah national parks on the same trip, it’s usually worth it to purchase an America the Beautiful annual pass, which is good for admission to all National Park Service managed sites for one year for $80.
What to Pack for Bryce Canyon
For one day at Bryce Canyon, you can either wear casual sightseeing outfits or activewear and hiking shoes for hitting the trails. I recommend bringing a day pack or hiking backpack, a reusable water bottle, a hat with shade, sunscreen, and trekking poles if you like to use them for hikes with elevation change.
What to Do Near Bryce Canyon
There are tons of gorgeous state and national parks and other incredible scenery all around Bryce Canyon National Park that you can visit on a Utah road trip or Utah and Arizona itinerary.
Many people pair Bryce with a visit to Zion National Park in southwest Utah. Bryce Canyon to Zion is about 75 miles. Here’s how you can visit Bryce Canyon and Zion in one road trip.
Other attractions in the area include Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Red Canyon, Scenic Byway 12, Cedar Breaks National Monument, the Grand Canyon North Rim, and Page, Arizona.
