A golden sunrise seen from Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson

Not many national parks can boast the sort of surreal red-, orange-, and pink-rock geology you’ll see during a visit to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. This park is not really a canyon so much as a series of natural amphitheaters created by the erosional forces of ice, wind, and water. Although maybe one-tenth the size of its larger Utah sibling, Canyonlands National Park, Bryce Canyon offers a much more intimate environment populated with curious rock formations bearing names like Thor’s Hammer, Queen’s Garden, Silent City, and Queen Victoria. As a matter of fact, Bryce Canyon National Park is home to the largest collection of hoodoos in the world.

Map of Bryce Canyon National Park / National Park Service

While most people spend maybe a single day in this national park, stopping at the main view areas (Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Bryce Point) and driving the 18-mile-long park road with its many overlooks, there is enough to do and see to keep you busy for much longer. This Traveler’s Checklist can help you make the most of your time in Bryce Canyon.

Summer is the most popular time for a visit to Bryce Canyon, so expect crowds. Fall, winter, and spring are quieter and you might even find yourself alone with an entire view area or part of a trail. Snow occurs anytime during fall or spring, and of course, in the winter, producing stunning panoramas of white on red-rock hoodoos, fins, and ridges.

• There’s brick-and-mortar lodging in the park (Lodge at Bryce Canyon), but you’ll need to make reservations for a room – or better yet, a cabin – many months prior to your actual trip. Not kidding. If you can’t find a room (or cabin) at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon, try one of the lodging options just outside of the park. You’ll still need to make your reservations for any lodging alternatives way ahead of your trip.
  
  
• Go camping. The park has two campgrounds. North Campground is first-come, first-served, and Sunset Campground is first-come, first-served except during the peak times of May 20 – October 15, when you’ll need to make a reservation using recreation.gov.
  
  
• Instead of driving your car everywhere, take the park shuttle. The shuttle begins in Bryce Canyon City and extends to Bryce Point. Buses typically arrive every 15 minutes and with the Bryce Canyon Shuttle Tracker, “you can time your next ride to the minute.”
  
  
• Get up early in the morning to witness sunrise, or stick around for sunset. Although there are the aptly-named Sunrise and Sunset Points, pretty much anywhere you happen to be along the amphitheater rim will present you with spectacular views. For sunrise, wake up those groggy senses with a little exercise by hiking the short but somewhat steep trail from Inspiration Point to Upper Inspiration Point, where there might be fewer people crowding the fenced area. You can also watch (and photograph) that great golden orb ascend above the horizon as you walk below the amphitheater rim among the hoodoos -  Thor’s Hammer is a great spot for some sunrise photography.
  
  
• Hike all or a portion of the Rim Trail. This 11-mile (~18km) round trip hike extends from Fairyland Canyon and ends at Bryce Point. The views all along the trail are spectacular, offering superb sunrise, sunset, and blue hour photo ops. Periodically, you’ll spy log benches perfect for snack and water breaks to regain your energy, and the portion of the trail from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point is paved and wheelchair accessible (except in severe weather).
  
  
• There are plenty of easy-to-moderate-to-strenuous trails, but If you only have time to hike one trail, make it the Queens Garden Trail. After watching sunrise from Sunrise Point, walk back to the rim trail and follow the sign for the Queens Garden trailhead. You’ll descend into a dreamlike world of bizarre rock formations “representative of garden-like features.” Hike beyond the Queens Garden and onto the canyon floor to connect up with the Navajo Loop trail, where you’ll traverse the switchbacks back up to the rim top.  
  
  
  

  The view along the Fairyland Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson

• If you want to test your stamina on something longer and a bit more strenuous, then the 8-mile Fairyland Loop Trail is just the ticket. Beginning at Fairyland Loop in the northern portion of the park, you’ll see outstanding scenery within Fairyland Canyon, a smaller amphitheater adjoining Bryce Amphitheater. Deviate a little and take the spur trail to see Tower Bridge, then continue your hike back up to the rim and along the Rim Trail back to your starting point.
  
  
• Remember to pack plenty of water and snacks along, no matter what trail you take. The dry atmosphere will suck the moisture out of you before you realize you might be getting dehydrated. Carry some salty snacks, too, for replenishing salt loss from sweat. Hyponatremia can be just as serious as dehydration.
  
  
• You might encounter quick, heavy rains during the summer monsoon season, so pack raingear for yourself and your camera. Monitor the weather. Those huge “thunderbumper” clouds look dramatically beautiful, but along with the rain comes lightning. Lightning strikes have accounted for a number of deaths and injuries in the park. If you hear a clap of thunder, seek shelter such as a building with walls, roof and floor, or return to your vehicle. If you can’t get to a safe location, then avoid higher elevations, open areas, standing under a tree, and pit toilets. If you happen to be hiking and see a round burned spot along the trail, or a single charred tree trunk, then you are looking at  past lightning strikes. Read more about lightning safety in the park.
  
  
• For winter visits, bring your snow shoes. Wear traction devices on your hiking boots for icy trails you encounter. Depending upon your winter arrival, you might be there for the  annual Bryce Canyon Winter Festival or Christmas Bird Count.
  
  
• Speaking of birds, bring your binoculars or telephoto lens to view and photograph any of the 175 different species you might encounter in this park, including common ravens, western bluebirds, Steller’s jays, and Clark’s nutcrackers.
  
  
• Drive, take the shuttle, or hike to all the main view areas: Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, and Bryce Point. Then, drive (the shuttle doesn’t go any further) the 18-mile park road. All the view areas are on the left side of the road as you wind your way to 9,115-ft Rainbow Point, so it’s easier to stop for those views on your way back. Stretch your legs along the 1-mile Bristlecone Loop Trail for broad views of the Grand Escalante Staircase while walking next to ancient bristlecone pines, some as old as 1,800 years.  
  
  
• Ride your bike along Bryce Canyon’s paved 18-mile Shared-Use Path from Inspiration Point to Red Canyon, outside the park. You’ll avoid the cars, but will still need to obey traffic rules and be considerate of pedestrians using the path (remember, “shared-use”).
  
  
• Stay up late and join one of the park’s Astronomy & Night Sky Programs or grab a ticket to join one of Bryce Canyon’s Astronomy Rangers for a full moon hike. “Half the Park is After Dark.” If you happen to visit Bryce Canyon during the summer, you might arrive during the park’s annual 4-day Astronomy Festival.
  
  
  

  Cedar Breaks Amphitheater, Cedar Breaks National Monument / National Park Service

• Make a side trip to Cedar Breaks National Monument for less-crowded views of different vistas a little over an hour’s drive from Bryce Canyon. This park is open year-round, but access to parts of it in the winter might be a little difficult unless you bring along snowshoes or cross-country skis.
   
• Remember to check the park’s website to find out if and where pets are allowed as well as for any alerts and closures due to construction, weather-related damage, or Covid-19 precautions.
  
  
• As you make your trip plans, remember, the coronavirus pandemic is not over, yet. Per the National Park Service, whose parent organization is the Department of the Interior: “To protect the health of those who live, work, and visit America’s national parks, face masks are required in all NPS buildings and facilities. Masks are also required on NPS-managed lands when physical distancing cannot be maintained, including narrow or busy trails, overlooks, and historic homes.” So, travel safely, take some masks, practice social distancing and wash your hands often.
  
  
  

  A springtime snowfall, Bryce Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson