Bryce Canyon National Park with Kids

KID RATINGS

Fun: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
Difficulty: Very Easy    Easy    Moderate    Hard    Very Hard
(Activities range from very easy to hard depending on what you are doing)

KEY FEATURES

Terrain: Dirt, rocks, forest, exposed trails, hoodoos, waterfall, stream
Time Needed: A few hours to a few days
When to Go: Spring, Summer, Fall

Hiking Distance: Varies depending on trail

COST

$35 per vehicle for a 7 day pass

Free if you have a 4th grader with Every Kid Outdoors program

AMENITIES

• Food and Lodging in Bryce City.

• These three hotels are the closest to Bryce Canyon National Park and offer great access to activities and restaurants:

  Ruby’s Inn

  Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel

  Bryce View Lodge

• Campgrounds within Bryce Canyon National Park: 

  North Campground: 99 sites including tent and RV, first-come first-served

  Sunset Campground: 100 sites including tent and RV, reserve on a 6 month rolling basis. Book 6 months ahead of time in order to get a site.

• Bathrooms and water available at the Visitor’s Center.

THINGS TO BRING

• Food for camping or snacks for day use

• Water

• Sunscreen

• Camping gear if camping

• Good hiking shoes

• Weather appropriate outdoor attire

DETAILS

 “There is so much to do at Bryce Canyon National Park with kids! We visited for a couple days in July and loved it!

What is great about Bryce Canyon is that it is a little cooler than the other 4 National Parks in Utah because its elevation is around 9,000 ft. This makes it a great park to visit in the summer. Although, it was still warm enough in July that we tried to hike in the morning or evening and hit the pool in the afternoon. 

See below for ideas and details on things to do with your kids including unique hiking, scenic drives, rodeo, bike paths, horse back riding, ATV trails and more. 

What is a Hoodoo?

Bryce Canyon National Park is not an actual canyon. It is a collection of “natural amphitheaters” filled with red and white Hoodoos. Hoodoos the tall irregular rock features you see in the pictures.

Bryce Canyon National Park has the largest collection of Hoodoos in the world. The Hoodoos create a backdrop of beauty that is one of a kind. No where else in the world can you see these types of views.

THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS 

Hiking

There are many hiking options within Bryce Canyon National Park from very easy to very hard. We were able to do several hikes with an 11, 10, 7 and 2 year old listed below. 

There are longer trails within the park that we didn’t have time to do. Get more hike ideas here.

Wall Street & Queens Garden Loop: 3.2 miles, 640 feet elevation gain, loop trail. Probably the most iconic Bryce Canyon hike. If you only have time for one hike this is the one to do. Do this hike counterclockwise taking Wall Street first. The Wall Street area is so much better hiking the switch-backs down instead of up.

Navajo Loop Trail (Thor’s Hammer): 1.5 miles, 500 feet elevation gain, loop trail. This loop also includes Wall Street but is a shorter loop without Queens Garden. You will see Thor’s hammer on this loop. I recommend hiking the Wall Street portion first. 

Mossy Cave: 1 mile, 100 feet elevation gain, out and back trail. Mossy Cave is located off of Highway 12 outside the main park. This is short, sweet and fun. It features a small overhang covered in moss and a waterfall. We went in the evening when the trail was not crowded so we were able to play near the waterfall for awhile. 

Bristlecone Loop Trail: 1 mile, 100 feet feet elevation gain, loop trail. Bristlecone hike is located at Rainbow Point. The trail loops through the forest and offers beautiful views of the southern areas of the park.

Sunset to Sunrise Point: 1 mile, 80 feet elevation gain, out and back trail. This is a heavily trafficked trail between the two most popular view points of the park. Beautiful views, but try to go early or in the evening to miss the crowds. If you do the Wall Street to Queens Garden loop you will cover this hike. 

Camping

Camping within Bryce Canyon National Park allows quick and easy access to some of the most beautiful scenery within the park. There are two campgrounds within Bryce Canyon National Park.

North Campground

Located just east of the Visitor’s Center near the park entrance. No water, electrical or sewer hookups available. There are 99 sites and are all first-come, first-served. Get there early if you want a site in the summer or on holidays. Have a plan B just in case you don’t get a site.

Sunset Campground

Located near Sunset Point. No water, electrical or sewer hookups available. There are 100 sites available that you reserve through Reservations.gov on a six month rolling basis. Reserve six months ahead of time if visiting May through September. 

Scenic Drive

Follow UT-63 for 18 miles to travel the length of Bryce Canyon National Pare. This drive is a must for anyone visiting the park. There are many scenic viewpoints along the way.

There is a shuttle system that travels the length of the scenic drive. You can get on the shuttle at Ruby’s Inn outside the park and travel to many points of interest, including the most southern area at Rainbow Point. There is a shuttle at every stop about every 15 minutes. This is a great way to see the park on busy days when it is hard to find parking.

Rodeo

Ruby’s Inn hosts the Bryce Canyon Country Rodeo nightly Wed through Saturday from Memorial day to August. Great way to get into the Country Western spirit.

Horse Back Riding

Canyon Trail Rides are available within Bryce Canyon National Park.

Ruby’s Horseback Adventures offer scenic rides outside the park in areas that are similar to Bryce Canyon such as red canyon.

ATV/UTV Riding

ATV/UTV Riding isn’t allowed within the park, but the surrounding area has miles of trails to explore. Check out these trails. If you don’t own your own you can rent. Follow link for off road tours and rentals.

Visitor’s Center

We love going through National Park visitor’s centers for learning opportunities and to get Junior Ranger books. The Junior Ranger program keeps the kids busy while we drive and helps them learn about each park and how to preserve it.

Old Bryce Town

Old Bryce Town is a western themed shopping area that is a lot of fun. There is ice-cream, baked goods a rock shop and more. We had fun strolling around here and shopping for rocks.

Biking

There is an 18 mile shared use path from Red Canyon outside the park to Inspiration Point within Bryce Canyon. The most popular route on this path is a 5 mile stretch from the shuttle station to Inspiration Point. If you didn’t bring your own bike you can rent one here.

Star Gazing

Bryce Canyon National Park has an incredible night sky where you can easily see the Milky Way. The Park has an awesome astronomy program and offers over 100 programs each year! We didn’t know about this program when we visited but we had family members who attended an astronomy program a few weeks after we were there. They said it was their favorite part of Bryce Canyon! Sad we missed out.

PROS & CONS

PROS

• Unique and beautiful scenery

• Diverse hiking opportunities: short, long, flat, steep.

• Other fun activities within Bryce City

• Close to other outdoor adventures such as Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Kodachrome Basin State Park and Zion National Park

• Higher elevation so not as hot as other southern Utah locations in the summer

CONS

• Popular trails and viewpoints can become crowded in peak season

DIRECTIONS

Bryce Canyon National Park is located in Central Southern Utah south of Highway 12 on UT-63. Follow the map below or enter Bryce Canyon National Park into your GPS device/phone. 

MAPS

MORE INFO

National Park Service

OTHER NEARBY ADVENTURES

Red Canyon (20 mins)

Kodachrome Basin State Park (35 mins)

Willis Creek Slot Canyon (45 mins)

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park (1 hour)

Zion National Park (1 hour 20 min)