Bryce Canyon is special. Despite a fascinating landscape, this National Park is nestled between some decidedly more famous destinations. The Grand Canyon, Zion, and Arches National Parks practically surround Bryce Canyon. Within each of those parks is a veritable city, with grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, tour buses, and throngs of people everywhere. The campgrounds are huge and crowded with massive RVs, the roads are busy with cars at practically all hours. People fight for parking spots in lots that were not designed to accommodate so many visitors.
By contrast, Bryce Canyon has a small and not-very-well-stocked camp store. The campground is not very big. It’s still a National Park, so the place is by no means empty, but it is not the Disneyland-like experience of the other more famous parks in the area. This is why I like Bryce Canyon. It’s great hiking, awesome landscapes, and moderate crowds. Paul and I had been through the park before, but we decided to backpack the Below the Rim Trail in October of 2020.
After spending a night camping and exploring the rim area, we loaded our packs and set out on the trail, eager to find some solitude and explore the backcountry. Our plans were soon foiled, as a ranger approached us from the opposite direction and let us know we’d have to turn around. There was a hiker missing, out for a day hike but now had spent a night in the wilderness without shelter. A search and rescue mission was being launched, and the trail would be closed.
This was our third attempt at backpacking that month, and for the third time things were not going to plan. We watched the helicopter as it scoured the landscape for signs of the missing man. We hoped he was okay out there. (They did find him, and he was okay).
Having to pivot once again, we figured we would just hike every mile of front country trail that Bryce has to offer, and that we did. There are a variety of loops, and all of them were fun. All are in fantastic shape, well-maintained, well-signed, and easy to follow.
We did the Fairyland Loop, the Peekaboo Loop, the entire Rim Trail, and the Navajo Loop. The hoodoos are so cool, and each trail offers interesting and unique formations that you often get to walk right up to, through, or around.
Bryce Canyon isn’t big enough to spend more than a few days, but this is a great little park that is worth a visit and a hike if you are in the area, especially if you are visiting some of the busier parks nearby. Maybe soon we’ll get back to do the Below the Rim Trail.