Wow. During a visit to Utah's 5 national parks, this state park was a clear highlight, offering…read moreincredible amenities, friendly staff, and otherworldly views and ambience. The visitor center will likely be the only place you'll have Internet connectivity, but that's okay, because there is so much to take in here. A great outdoor area, gift shop, and even ice cream. And the bathrooms are super modern with a rainfall showerhead with hand attachment as well. There is even a really cool laundry room located in an old west style saloon building. These are excellent amenities and exactly what you need after a long day of hiking. In addition, the park itself is picturesque, with great design and privacy for most camp sites. Incredible state park.

What a great Utah State Park. It might be small but it sure has a lot to offer. Great views, nice…read morehiking, and a great campground area to stay. Highly recommended.

This is a very nice viewpoint, similar to fairyland and sunset view. It's convenient because if…read moreyou're doing the famous Queen's garden to Navajo loop in a clockwise direction (definitely recommend!!) this is your starting point so you'll see the view point just before you begin the hike.

This is where you want to find yourself when the world begins to wake…read more If you're staying at the lodge, it's under a five-minute walk. I usually rise about an hour before sunrise, brew a cup of coffee, unless it's already waiting at the front desk, throw on some layers, and make my way to the rim to see what the sky has in store. This point offers a breathtaking 360-degree view of the Bryce Amphitheater, where thousands of hoodoos ignite in fiery hues as the morning sun climbs. With each passing minute, the colors shift and the sky begins to paint itself. It's quiet and peaceful. Most visitors are still tucked into their warm beds, and for the few who stand beside me in the cold, I offer a knowing smile. We understand what it means to be here, to witness a moment that will live in our hearts long after the day has passed. From this vantage, you can access the Rim Trail, descend into Queen's Garden, or connect to the Navajo Loop for a variety of scenic hikes. As always, check trail conditions on the National Park website, especially if you're visiting in fall or winter when closures are more common.

The Toadstool Hoodoos are cool rock formations formed by differential erosion. They look like…read moremushrooms, as the harder rock caps the softer rock underneath. The trailhead is marked by a sign on the side of the road, with a small parking lot. It was pretty busy when I went, with only a few spots remaining, although there was a good number of people arriving and leaving at the same time. The hike is an easy 1.5 miles that is well marked - although since this is a quite popular trail you can just follow the people ahead of you if you're worried about getting lost. Huge families with little children were walking this trail with ease. The views at the end are worth it, and you can get close to the rock formations as you like (although don't topple the rocks!).

This little hike is so random -- I saw it by chance looking ahead on the map while driving from…read morePage, AZ back toward Hurricane, UT by way of Zion NP. There is a dust/sand and gravel parking lot with a state sign denoting where this trail is just off the freeway, so it's very easy to find. I took off one star solely because it was very windy the day I came and because there is so much sand it will absolutely kick up into your eyes, nose and mouth unless you wear a mask and sunglasses/eye protection. Come prepared! The trail itself isn't long though, maybe 1-2 miles I think? And the view at the end of the toadstools is nice; it's not like goblin valley, but there are some cool formations and you can get some nice pics. Most of the trail is pretty flat, but there is a bit of a hill toward the end. There are also some rocks but it's not too bad, you could make it fine in tennis shoes rather than full hiking boots. The trail wasn't crowded the day I came, but there were enough other folks I ran into 3-5 groups each way, and a couple folks that were hanging out at the end of the trail. Of note, it is not a loop, it's out and back the way you came so plan accordingly if you're short on time! That said, if you want a nice detour/walk for an hour or so (depending on how fast you go), it's a nice, easy, and free stop.

This review is for Mossy Cave Turret Arch and Little Windows Trail which was a ~0.9 miles round…read moretrip that took ~30 minutes to complete. Short and easy hike with a nice views of Tropic Ditch Falls. The Mossy Cave was underwhelming and inaccessible. Where the trail splits; the left takes you to Mossy Cave and the right takes you to Tropic Ditch Falls. Limited parking spots (~10 cars). Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/eJfn0TT_nZw

Mossy Cave Trail is outside the fee area for Bryce Canyon Canyon National Park, and I'm not sure if…read morethe rangers check if you've paid. Anyways, I have an annual pass so I didn't worry about it. This is one of the lowest elevation hikes in the park as well as one of the only hikes that begins with a climb and ends with a descent, so if you're not sure about your endurance and want an easy, safe hike where you won't get stuck, this hike is for you! You can see hoodoos, and also Tropic Ditch Falls. It's not a waterfall in the usual sense, as it's a result of a man-made canal that diverted water from East Fork of the Sevier River to Bryce Canyon. I would say that the view was....ok. The trail also leads you to Mossy Cave, which isn't a cave but a sheltered overhang. I was in the season where there wasn't any moss, nor any icicles. It was pretty cold temperature-wise in the grotto. This is a low-effort, low reward type of hike, which is ok. In comparison to the beautiful views that you can get in the scenic drive inside the park, I would say skip this trail if you're short on time and wanting views.

Wow... now THAT'S what I call a hike!!! This loop is rated as "moderate" on AllTrails, but it's…read moredefinitely on the harder side of moderate. But the amazing views of the unique hoodoos are what makes this hike worth the trek. Whether you start clockwise or counterclockwise, you are definitely in for a serious workout. The trail is about 6.5 miles long and is a double loop that connects to Wall Street and the Queens Garden via the Navajo and Peekaboo Loop trails. The double loop is where it gets its' name "figure 8 combo". This is a great hike that incorporates so many wonderful highlights within the park since you really get a little bit of everything. I started this hike going counterclockwise from Sunset Point. Connected to the Navajo Loop and took a right down the switchbacks which will lead you to Wall Street. Wall Street is a gorgeous stretch of slot canyons that's honestly a must see if you're coming to Bryce. From there, the trail mellows out and opens up into a a gorgeous canyon filled with beautiful green trees and the cutest little chipmunks. I continued on the Navajo Loop Trail until I connected o the Peekaboo loop. This is where those inclines start to really hit. I climbed up to the top of peekaboo canyon until I reached a plateau that granted me 360 degree views of the stunning hoodoos that surrounded me. The peekaboo trail is also a popular trail for horseback riders, and many of them did pass me by on the trail. From here, I descended back down into the canyon and then back up through more of the marvelous hoodoos. I'd say this stretch of the Peekaboo trail is the most majestic because you literally have these gorgeous rock formations right at your fingertips and it's so insane. I took the Peekaboo loop to the Queens Garden trail. This was my absolute favorite and another amazing landmark that must not be missed. It literally looks like a castle. So crazy that these rock formations are naturally occurring like this. The last and final stretch is extremely tough. It's a steep incline all the way up to Sunrise Point. And let me tell you, EVERYONE who was near me going up this stretch was struggling. It was grueling, but the best part was being rewarded with the magnificent views of Sunrise Point at the top. Plus, the little chipmunks were just so damn cute. Definitely one of the most enjoyable National Park hikes that I've ever done. I feel like I saw so much of the park during this one hike alone. Would absolutely 1000% recommend, but bring lots of water and sunscreen if you're attempting this during the summertime.

Hike this April 3, 2021. This trail incorporates part of Navajo, Peek-A-Boo & Queens Garden. Sadly,…read morebecause there was still too much ice in parts, Wall Street was closed. This trail took about 4 hours. Started at Sunset Point and ended up at Sunrise Point. Loved the beginning of the Navajo Trail as it takes you down into the Amphitheatre and close to the hoodoos. The bottom with the trees unfortunately was less scenic and often times your views were obstructed by the trees. There were lots of nice arches within the hoodoos to pose in along the trail, and depending on when you go, there were numerous ice patches that remained on the trail during various parts of the Peek-A-Boo trail. The section that intersects Queens Garden was less interesting in the beginning but was well worth it as you got closer to the trailhead at Sunrise Point.

Addy was great leading us through peekaboo, such a beautiful place, I recommend the 3 hour ride,…read moreloved every minute!!

In theory, the ride offers unique views of the park. The reality is Bryce Canyon trails are steep…read moreand narrow resulting in one painfully long panic attack for me while my eyes were glued down on the trail, not the scenery. If you are an experienced rider and aren't afraid of heights, you'll be fine.

I'm glad I signed up for this race. Planned a trip to Bryce Canyon to check up the park, go off…read moreroading, mountain biking, and to run the race. Ok packed a lot into three nights but managed to do it all. Loved staying at Ruby's RV Campground because I woke up just in time to get ready and head over to the start. It was close to a mile away so I got I ride over, but still nice to wake up after 5 to start a 6 am race! Beautiful and scenic drop into the valley. It was a fast course but wasn't too steep grade my quads were not killing me at the end or after. Just under 850 runners total, which was nice to run with some peaceful breaks with no one around you.. running through tropic, you had local folks out cheering and one guy setup a mist sprayer we ran through. Lots a aid stops and tons of little kids out helping. Thanks to all the volunteers!!! The only draw back was the one way to town where you finished was trafficked by police, luckily my family got ready after I started and got in line to come down to the finish... it took them 45 minutes to get there... I did run into them on the route, that was a treat... if they were any later they would have missed me at the finish. They did offer shuttles back to places runners were staying so you either work with the traffic shutting down a lane or just run and go back. Incredible views with the sun rising!

If you ever get the opportunity to run a race in or near a National Park, I think you have to take…read moreit. It's certainly a nice change of pace to get out and run between huge red rock formations as opposed to the ever-present city sidewalk running. The race runs from Ruby's Inn at the mouth of Bryce Canyon Park to the city park in Cannonville along Hwy 12. The pre-race expo is at the finish line in Cannonville the night before. There's also a 5k that runs around Cannonville at the finish line. The course can probably be broken down into three segments.... PART 1, DAWN START (MILES 0-5): The race starts at 6 am where you still have the dim lighting of the early morning which made the race feel cool, even though the temperature would reach 100 degrees this day. The first two miles are pretty flat along the highway and it's a pretty easy start. It doesn't feel that crowded, despite over 1000 runners in the race. Once you reach the two mile mark, you've reached both the prettiest and the easiest part of the course. There are the towering pillars of red rock here and the course goes into a steep down hill for the next three miles. And by steep, I mean cliff face-type drop. I'm convinced I could have just put on one of those flying squirrel-type suits and just base jumped from mile 2 to 5. It seemed like I'd just started when I passed the five mile marker. As an aside, I did like the cool iron mile markers that were attached to the side of the road. PART 2, THE FLATTENING (MILES 5-8): After the steep downhill, the course flattens out until you get to the city of Tropic. It actually makes this part feel a little hard after the steep downhill, although this is a pretty easy section. The nice part of running next to a canyon is that it blocked the direct sunlight for a while. I'd almost finished this section before the sun first came over the top of the hills. PART 3, ROAD TO CANNONVILLE (MILES 8-13): At the finish, people were complaining about this part of the course. The sun was out and it got hot quickly and the course is a little rolling here. I felt it actually moved reasonably quickly and there were some scenic farms along the way. The course was also well organized with eight water stops and shuttles going from the finish back to Ruby's Inn (as well as stopping in Tropic). I think getting a hotel at the start (near Bryce Canyon) is the way to do this although as an alternate, you could stay in Cannonville. Then you could walk to the expo and back to the hotel at the race. They had 4:30 am shuttles to the start from Cannoville also. A recommended half marathon.

It may sound more like a cat bath, but it is actually a beautiful canyon within the Grand…read moreStaircase-Escalante Nat'l Monument. Access to the trailhead is only via Skutumpah Rd, which is a long, SW-to-NE dirt byway along the Northwest side of the monument lands. Note: It's always best to check in to one of the BLM visitors centers to find out the road status. (On our visit one bridge on this road was out, but we were lucky it was just beyond our destination.) The hike itself was stunning, starting with a sandy wash in open, high desert that quickly narrowed to a short and shallow slot canyon. But then it began to open up, and we strolled through a variety of ever-higher sandstone walls and ever-increasing plant life. The best part occurred about halfway along our route, where the canyon widened to about a half a mile, and we were surrounded by huge cliffs of Navaho sandstone. It felt very much like Zion valley here, but without the crowds. This was my favorite hike within Grand Staircase (though by a small margin). I would say I'd come back here again, but there were so many other choices we missed in this enormous monument, I'm not sure I could follow through with that promise. My overall review for Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument is here: (https://www.yelp.com/biz/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument-kanab-3?hrid=hvepdlsvONbCjylNk2EA6A&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct))