Bryce Canyon National Park
Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park's high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.
Alerts
- ClosureTrail Closures Due to Recent Rains
Wall Street is closed until further notice. Other park trails are open but muddy, and hikers are urged to use caution.
- CautionCurrent Fire Restrictions
Fires are only allowed in established fire pits.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehicleAdmits one private, non-commercial vehicle (15 passenger capacity or less) and all occupants. | $35 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. | $30 | |
| Per PersonAdmits one individual with no car to the park - typically used for bicyclists and walk-ins. Youth 15 and under are admitted free. | $20 | |
| NonresidentEach non-US resident aged 16 and older visiting Bryce Canyon National Park must pay a $100 nonresident fee (in addition to the standard entrance fee), unless admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass. This includes nonresidents entering as part of a commercial tour group, commercial use authorization (CUA) group, or concessioner tour group. | $100 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkAs US citizens and residents, valid for entry into Bryce Canyon National Park for 12 months from purchase date. | $70 | |
All park visitors are required to purchase a recreational use pass upon entering Bryce Canyon National Park.
Hours
| Park is Open 24-7 | Daily · All Day |
When to go
June draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| North Campground ↗ | 100 sites | |
| $30 a night · North Campground is open 24 hours a day, year-round, weather permitting. Typically, from October 5-December 31, only Loops A & B are open. · Books through nps.gov | ||
| Sunset Campground ↗ | 99 sites | |
| $30 a night · Open April through October, weather dependent. Closed in Winter. See dates in Reservation section. When open, Sunset Campground is open 24 hours a day. · Books through nps.gov | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Bryce Canyon Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The Bryce Canyon Visitor Center might be one of your first stops when visiting Bryce Canyon National Park. Here you can obtain driving and hiking directions beyond those available on this website, weather forecasts, a current schedule of Park Ranger guided programs, Junior Ranger booklets, and…
Explore
Things to do
- Full Moon Hike60-120 Minutes
Typically offered year-round at sunset as weather permits. Those planning to join a ranger-led full moon hike at Bryce Canyon National Park can make reservations online via Recreation.gov.
Opens on the Park Service site - Get a Passport Stamp
Are you a "Passport to Your National Parks" cancellation collector? Bryce Canyon has a cancellation stamp to commemorate your visit in your passport book.
Opens on the Park Service site - Navajo/Peekaboo Combination Loop3-4 Hours
Combine two of our most iconic trails, the Navajo and Peekaboo Loop trails, into a mini Figure-8 combination loop. Start the hike at Sunset Point, descend down either side of the Navajo Loop (Two Bridges in winter), connect to the Peekaboo Loop…
Opens on the Park Service site - Navajo Loop Trail1-2 Hours
The iconic Navajo Loop Trail begins and ends at Sunset Point. Its switchbacks wind between narrow walls of colorful limestone with views of towering Douglas-fir trees and the park's most famous hoodoo: Thor's hammer.
Opens on the Park Service site - Swamp Canyon Loop3-4 Hours
Swamp Canyon appears relatively small and sheltered from the overlook, allowing the viewer to develop a more intimate connection with the landscape than some of the grander viewpoints in the park.
Opens on the Park Service site - Figure-8 Combination4-5 Hours
The Figure-8 Combination combines three amphitheater hikes, Queen's Garden, Navajo Loop, and the Peekaboo Loop, into one ultimate hike! We recommend a clockwise direction descending Queen's Garden, connecting to the Peekaboo Loop (we recommend…
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 12Hide
- Queen's/Navajo Combination Loop2-3 Hours
Our most popular hike in the park and the one we most recommend to first-time visitors. The Queen's/Navajo Combination Loop combines the open views and unique hoodoos of the Queen's Garden Trail with the iconic switchbacks and towering canyon walls…
Opens on the Park Service site - Queen's Garden Trail1-2 Hours
The Queen's Garden Trail is the least difficult of the trails descending from the rim into the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater. Hike this out-and-back trail to the Queen Victoria hoodoo at the end of a short spur trail and experience the splendor of…
Opens on the Park Service site - Bryce Canyon Evening Program45-60 Minutes
Evening programs, typically offered from Memorial Day through Labor Day, offer topics that go beyond the rim! Check the calendar for daily times and locations.
Opens on the Park Service site - Riggs Spring Loop4-5 Hours
The Riggs Spring Loop is a backcountry trail that begins and ends at Yovimpa Point. This trail travels through spruce, fir, and bristlecone forests offering beautiful views of distant cliffs.
Opens on the Park Service site - Rim Walk with a Ranger45-60 Minutes
Typically offered Memorial Day through Labor Day at Sunset Point at 2:00 p.m. Join a Ranger and experience the enchantment of the hoodoos, the history of the people who have passed through the amphitheaters for thousands of years, and the many ways…
Opens on the Park Service site - Hoodoo Geology Talk20-30 Minutes
Typically offered year-round at Sunset Point at 11 a.m. Geologists have spent years studying the unique geologic story of Bryce Canyon and its amphitheaters of hoodoos.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Events
- Geology Ranger Talk10/1411:00 AM · runs through Oct 31 · freeRanger Talk alcove to right of Sunset Point
- Rim Walk with a Ranger10/1402:00 PM · runs through Oct 31 · freeSunset to Sunrise Rim Trail.
- Full Moon Hike10/2505:30 PM · free · registration requiredMeeting location and route varies.
- Veterans Day11/11· runs through Nov 11 · freeBryce Canyon
News
- Discover Cooler Days and Safe Summer Adventures at Bryce Canyon National Park ↗2026-08-10
Visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park can enjoy sweeping views of the park’s remarkable geodiversity while taking advantage of cooler temperatures at overlooks that sit near 8,000 feet.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Horse BarnBuilding · Bryce Canyon · 2.9 mi
- Bryce Canyon Lodge Historic District (Boundary Increase)Historic district · Bryce Canyon · 3.1 mi
- Utah Parks Company Service StationBuilding · Bryce Canyon · 3.2 mi
- Administration Building, OldBuilding · Bryce Canyon · 3.4 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Bryce Canyon. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for Bryce Canyon National Park
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthPronghorn 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 202 birds, 61 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · California Condor · Cooper's Hawk · Ferruginous Hawk · Flammulated Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Northern Pygmy-Owl · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · American White Pelican · American Wigeon · Black-crowned Night-Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Cinnamon Teal · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Eared Grebe · Great Blue Heron · Green-winged Teal · Lesser Scaup · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Snowy Egret · Tundra Swan · Western Grebe · White-faced Ibis
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · Black-bellied Plover · California Gull · Forster's Tern · Franklin's Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Killdeer · Least Sandpiper · Lesser Yellowlegs · Long-billed Curlew · Long-billed Dowitcher · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · Willet · Wilson's Phalarope · Wilson's Snipe
Gamebirds & dovesBand-tailed Pigeon · Blue Grouse · Gambel's Quail · Greater Sage-Grouse · Mourning Dove · Ring-necked Pheasant · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersAcorn Woodpecker · American Three-toed Woodpecker · Downy Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-naped Sapsucker · Williamson's Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Calliope Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black Rosy-Finch · Black-billed Magpie · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-chinned Sparrow · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-necked Stilt · Black-throated Gray Warbler · Black-throated Sparrow · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Bohemian Waxwing · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · Bushtit · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's Kingbird · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Chukar · Clark's Nutcracker · Cliff Swallow · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Raven · Common Yellowthroat · Cordilleran Flycatcher · Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed) · Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) · Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) · Dusky Flycatcher · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Grace's Warbler · Gray Catbird · Gray Flycatcher · Gray Jay · Gray Vireo · Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Juniper Titmouse · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · MacGillivray's Warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Nashville Warbler · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Pine Grosbeak · Pine Siskin · Pinyon Jay · Plumbeous Vireo · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rock Wren · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Sage Thrasher · Sagebrush Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Scott's Oriole · Song Sparrow · Sora · Spotted Towhee · Steller's Jay · Swainson's Thrush · Townsend's Solitaire · Townsend's Warbler · Tree Swallow · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Virginia's Warbler · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western Wood-Pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-rumped Warbler
Small mammalsBlack-tailed Jackrabbit · Brush Mouse · Bushy-tailed Woodrat · Canyon Mouse · Cliff Chipmunk · Deer Mouse · Desert Cottontail · Desert Woodrat · Dwarf Shrew · Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel · Great Basin Pocket Mouse · Least Chipmunk · Long-tailed Vole · Merriam's Shrew · Montane Shrew · Montane Vole · Mountain Cottontail · North American Porcupine · Northern Flying Squirrel · Northern Pocket Gopher · Ord's Kangaroo Rat · Pinon Mouse · Red Squirrel · Rock Squirrel · Sagebrush Vole · Uinta Chipmunk · Utah Prairie Dog · Western Harvest Mouse · White-tailed Jackrabbit · Yellow-bellied Marmot
PredatorsAmerican Badger · American Black Bear · Bobcat · Canada lynx · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Long-tailed Weasel · Mountain Lion · Red Fox · Ringtail · Striped Skunk · Western Spotted Skunk
Hoofed mammalsBighorn Sheep · Elk · Mule Deer · Pronghorn · mountain goat
BatsAllen's Big-eared Bat · Big Brown Bat · California Myotis · Fringed Myotis · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Myotis · Long-eared Myotis · Long-legged Myotis · Pallid Bat · Silver-haired Bat · Spotted Bat · Townsend's Big-eared Bat · Western Small-footed Myotis · Yuma Myotis
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Skiing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Due of its high elevation climate, weather at Bryce Canyon through autumn, winter, and spring can be highly variable. From October to May temperatures fall below freezing nearly every night. The park typically experiences its coldest and snowiest periods from December through February. Spring storms in March and April can still produce heavy snowfall that may impact travel in the region. Summer highs are typically in the 70s-80s F and afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Bryce Canyon?
Entrance is $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, and $20 per person on foot or bike. Admits one private, non-commercial vehicle (15 passenger capacity or less) and all occupants.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Bryce Canyon?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Bryce Canyon-only annual pass is $70.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Bryce Canyon takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
Do international visitors pay more at Bryce Canyon?
Yes. Visitors who are not US residents, age 16 and up, pay a $100 surcharge on top of the entrance fee, or carry the $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass.
Source: The nonresident fee, explained
When is entrance to Bryce Canyon free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Bryce Canyon?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Bryce Canyon. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
Is Bryce Canyon open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Bryce Canyon?
Yes. The Park Service lists 2 campgrounds in Bryce Canyon: North and Sunset. 2 take reservations through Recreation.gov.
Which Bryce Canyon campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Dump station: North and Sunset.
Source: Campgrounds
Do camping fees at Bryce Canyon include the entrance fee?
No. Camping is charged per night on top of the entrance fee or a pass; North is $30 a night.
Source: Campgrounds
Do Bryce Canyon campgrounds book through Recreation.gov?
No. North and Sunset take reservations through nps.gov.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Bryce Canyon right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Trail Closures Due to Recent Rains; Current Fire Restrictions.
Source: Alerts
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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