Itinerary: Bryce Canyon National Park In One Day

Bryce Canyon National Park is my favorite national park in the Southwest. The orange hoodoo spires, unique to the area make any visit special. This guide aims to give you an idea of the attractions and the times to visit when they are least busy. The park can be done in a day, but I recommend staying in the park for the most immersive experience. Bryce has two campgrounds and a beautiful park lodge.

The Navajo Loop gets extremely busy by mid-morning. Knocking that off early is essential. The views are too good to miss, plus early light on the hoodoos is worth seeing. We even saw some wildlife: mule deer, rabbits, and rodents. Navajo can be accessed from the lodge or Sunset Point along the rim and is an easy hike. It has a unique design with switchbacks under arches and land bridges. We did it in less than an hour in the early morning, but we were not alone.

Next, I highly recommend doing the rim drive. There are many pullouts with gorgeous views of the canyon and some hiking trails at Rainbow Point. You can also catch the free bus from many locations on the road. We did this mid-morning, and it was not busy. Traffic got worse in the afternoon. Many of the turnouts showcase different canyon views or cool rock features. From Yovimpa Point, you can see the layers of rock that make up the hoodoos. Yovimpa faces south of the park, so the Grand Canyon is visible on a clear day.

The eight-mile Fairyland Loop is somewhat remote. It dips far into the canyon and has some of the most stunning expanses in the park. There are stretches of trail where the whole canyon feels empty of people. You will see the land bridge known as Tower Bridge and the Palace of the Fairy Queen Hoodoo Circle. The loop is quite runnable. Fairyland captures the spirit of Bryce. It can be accessed from Sunrise Point. Take the Fairyland Trail to Fairyland Point and the Rim Trail back.

Finally, you cannot miss the sunset in Bryce. It is almost impossible to avoid crowds. (If you want complete tranquility, walk the rim east to somewhere off the beaten path). Sunset point and the surrounding area is the best place for a west-facing view.