How To Spend 24 Hours in Bryce Canyon National Park
Are you heading to Bryce Canyon National Park and only have a day to see it? If you are like me, you only have a limited amount of time to spend in Bryce, and you want to be sure to see the best parts of Bryce without feeling overwhelmed and rushed. You want to really enjoy and savor the breathtaking scenery that makes Bryce Canyon National Park so amazing and unique.
Located in southern Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is famous for the largest collection of distinctive rock formations in the world, known as hoodoos. With an abundance of beautiful scenery and more than sixty five miles of amazing trails, we really wanted to make the most of our time in Bryce Canyon National Park.
Our trip to Bryce Canyon was spectacular and I wouldn’t change a thing. I wanted to share with you our itinerary because our time spent at Bryce was just amazing and one of the highlights of our trip to Utah.
Arriving at the park at 8am, we drove right to the stables. If you are planning on seeing other National Parks within the year, consider purchasing a pass for $80, as the entrance fee for just one park is $35.00.
Bryce Canyon Trail Rides
This is one of the absolute best horseback riding trips I have ever been on. The folks at Bryce Canyon Trail Rides are super friendly and knowledgeable, and the horses are well trained. Not to mention, the trails are magnificent! With every turn, the views are more glorius! Riding down into the canyon gives you a bird’s eye view of it, and each panoramic scene is better than the next.
I recommend the 90 minute trail ride, which I think is plenty. Riding down into the canyon, you stop briefly a few times to take pictures and to soak in the beauty that surrounds you.
After the trail ride, we decided to head into Tropic for some lunch.
IDK Barbecue
While researching our itinerary for the day, IDK Barbecue kept popping up and was highly recommended. We decided to give it a try, and we were so glad we did!
The drive to Tropic takes about a twenty minutes. Arriving at IDK at 11:30, there was already a line. Everything here is made to order, but the wait is well worth it.
Usually not a big fan of barbecue food, I figured I would give it a try and see if IDK lives up to all the hype. I’m so glad I did because I absolutely loved this place! (We enjoyed it so much, we came back for dinner.)
For lunch, I ordered the brisket nachos, and it was absolutely delicious! Imagine nachos and cheese sauce, topped with baked beans and brisket. I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it, but let me tell you, it is fabulous! The portion is huge and you can easily share with someone else.
Part of the reason I loved it so much is because their barbecue sauce is delicous. They should bottle it up and sell it….it’s that good. They have regular barbecue sauce, spicy barbecue sauce and smoky barbecue sauce. My absolute favorite is the spicy barbecue sauce. YUM!
Again, not being the biggest barbecue fan I just thought my lunch was amazing. By the time we left, the line was literally out the door.
Navajo Loop Trail
One of the best things about this trail is the spectacular scenery throughout the entire hike. This isn’t a typical destination hike where you are just walking to get to the end of the trail and see the view. With Navajo Loop, the entire trail is just glorious!
The experience of going down into the canyon is unlike any other.
The trail itself is a 1.5 mile loop and is rated as a moderate hike. It is steep at times, but there are plenty of places to stop along the way and rest. Stopping to take photos is a perfect excuse to rest for a bit and grab some water.
Typically, the trail takes between an hour or two to complete. As I mentioned before, the view of the hoodoos are amazing, and the beautiful colors of the canyon are out of this world.
We went down the Wall Street side and came up the Two Bridges side, and would recommend going that way. It just makes the hike a little easier in my opinion.
Once, you’re done with Navajo Loop, you are back at the top of the rim. It is a good spot to take a breather, relax and chat with the other hikers.
Scenic Drive
We decided we were going to hop in the car next and check out beautiful vista points Bryce Canyon is so well known for.
Bryce Point
Perhaps one of the most scenic vistas of the full amphitheater in Bryce. It’s no wonder it is one the most popular spots in the park and for good reason. Bryce Point is also an amazing place to watch the sunrise!
Paria View
This is a great place to stop and take some great photos of the sunset. Paria view is one of the only views where you can catch the sun going down behind the hoodoos.
Inspiration Point
Another opportunity to catch a bird’s eye view of the world’s largest collection of hoodoos found within the brace Amphitheater. There are three levels of rock formations that provides varied and magnificent views in every direction.
Natural Bridge
Natural Bridge really isn’t a bridge, but rather one of the seven natural arches in Bryce Canyon National Park. It is perhaps one of the best known and spans over eighty five feet.
There is no hiking to see this beautiful gift from Mother Nature, it can be seen by just getting out of your car!
Sunset Point
Not only is Sunset Point a great place to see the sunset, it is also the starting and finishing trailhead for the Queen’s Garden Navajo Loop and rim trails. The view here is equally impressive at sunrise and sunset.
Must Bring Items
Jacket
With an elevation over 8,000 ft, Bryce Canyon can be very cool and windy. The temperature changes considerably when hiking up and down the trails as well. A light portable jacket is a must at Bryce.
Good trail shoes
The main thing is to have shoes with bottoms that are going to give you traction. There’s a lot of red sand and loose gravel on the trails. On our hike, we saw a lot of people slipping and tripping who were wearing sandals or light sneakers. Bring a pair of a good pair of comfortable hiking shoes or sneakers that have good traction.
Sunscreen
The sun is a lot stronger at high elevations. Be sure to lather up before you hit the trails.
Water
Bring at least the equivalent of two 16 oz bottles while on the trail. Bryce Canyon does a nice job with providing refillable water stations.
Fully charged phone and extra battery pack
While cell phone service is pretty spotty here, you can use all of your phone battery taking pictures and videos. Bring a battery pack to recharge, you’ll be glad you did!
Shuttle Service
It’s so nice to know that if you are on a hike and you decide to go to the next trailhead and continue on once you are finished you can hop on one of the free shuttles to take you back to your car.
Final Thoughts
Bryce Canyon National Park is one of my most favorite parks in all of the United States. I so thoroughly enjoyed it because it was so unique and the fact that you can actually go down in the canyon.
I enjoyed spending 24-hours in Bryce Canyon and felt that we were able to do and see everything that we wanted to and wouldn’t change a thing.
If you are heading to Page, Arizona next, be sure to read How To Spend 24 Hours in Page, Arizona.