Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the most impressive natural wonders of the world. Located in rural Southern Utah about 1.5 hours North of Zion National Park making these two parks a perfect vacation for your family.
Bryce Canyon is located in a remote area of Utah surrounded with only small cities. The closest city is called Tropic which is where my Grandfather was born and lived until he joined the Navy in World War 2. This is one reason Bryce Canyon is special to our family.
Lodging
Even with lack of large cities and the accommodations that come with more populated areas. Bryce Canyon has many options. If you love to camp, then book one of the camp grounds early because visitors from all around the world want to enjoy experiences that only come from camping in a campground of a National Park.
Other lodging accommodations consist of RV and Motor Home hookups as well as many motel/hotel options. Our families favorite place to stay is called Ruby’s Inn. Ruby’s Inn is the closest lodging that is not within the park itself and has so many additional family activities available. Some of our favorites are the horse back riding, dinner and shows, gift shops, and ATV rentals.
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon National Park is open year round but hiking is best during the summer months with high temperatures reach the mid 80’s. Due to snow and ice in the winter, there are some trails that are closed and not accessible.
A couple tips when planing your trip.
- Plan your hikes to start early in the morning. The park is never closed so the sooner you can get to the hike, not only is it cooler but much less crowded. You will see large increases of visitors after 10 am.
- Weekends are busier, but the further up the park you go the less crowded it gets.
- It’s worth visiting the parks Visitors Center to speak with a Park Ranger. They always have so many great tips that are invaluable and specific for you and your group. The Park Rangers can also give you the details on how your children can become Junior Rangers which will certainly help keep the kidos entertained for awhile.
3 Favorite Family Friendly Hikes:
Depending on the skill level of you group there are difficulty levels for everyone. Even though it is not listed as one of our top three hikes, people of all skill levels and abilities can take the Rim Trail which will give you amazing views of the entire parks and the majority of the trail is paved. (View Bryce Canyon Trail Map)
Family Favorite Hikes:
Mossy Cave: This was my daughters favorite hike! Mossy Cave is one of the few hikes that are officially part of Bryce Canyon but you do not need to go through the fee station to access. This hike is considered an easy hike and it is known for its waterfall and cave.
During the summer the cave drips water from the moss that has accumulated. In the winter there are icicles that form. (I personally have never seen this) This trail is .8 miles long and take approximately 1 hours to complete.
Bristalcone Loop: This trail is the easiest of the three and is located on the far south end of the park at Rainbow Point (9115 ft elevation).
It takes a little longer to get there, but the 18 mile drive is beautiful. This hike is 1 mile long and will also take approximately 1 hour to complete. Why this hike makes our list of favorites is because it is one of the highest points in the park and has 360 degree views. This hike is among some bristlecone pines which can live thousands of years.
Navajo Loop: This is my favorite hike and even through it is considered a moderate in difficulty hike, the uniqueness is worth the extra effort. There are steeper descents which mean steeper inclines, but we were able to complete it with a couple 5 year old kids that walked (most the time).
This hike is 1.3 miles and took about 2 hours to complete. Our oldest son (13 year old) favorite part of the hike was the switch backs that head down into what is called Wall Street. (The Wall Street Section is closed much of the winter because of potential ice build up) This hike has some amazing views of Bryce Canyons famous Hoodoos but the fascination I had of the large trees that have grown at the bottom of Wall Street are my personal favorite.
There are many other hikes that are available to do, but most are longer or more challenging. If you love the outdoors and the natural creations of the world, Bryce Canyon will not disappoint. Our family is already planning a time to go back and experience some of the longer hikes.
Here is an amazing view from one of the many view points around the park that are not associated with any hiking (or very little).
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