The Entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is a 36,000 acre expanse of fascinating and curious geological marvels. Photos and text can’t do it justice. It’s an adventure you simply must experience for yourself.
Map of Bryce Canyon National Park
Map of Bryce Canyon National Park
Points of Interest in Bryce Canyon National Park
Sunrise Point
Sunset Point, Sunset Trail and Sunset Campground
Sunset Point offers a magnificent view of Bryce Canyon Park, particularly in the moments leading up to sunset. Hiking from this point, you encounter the Sunset Trail, a hike which experienced athletes have rated at medium-level difficulty.
Navajo Loop Trail
The Navajo Loop Trail is a fantastic choice for people who want a hike that isn’t excessively strenuous. From this scenic trail, you can easily reach the Queen’s Garden Trail. This trail is also one of your best choices for getting an up-close look at the iconic Thor’s Hammer hoodoo.
Thor’s Hammer
Thor’s Hammer is an impressive, remarkable and mystifying “hoodoo” — a type of rock formation — that’s visible from the lookout at Sunset Point. It stand about 150 feet tall and is far more imposing in person than it looks in pictures. This formation is one of the most photographed landmarks in all of Bryce Canyon National Park. If you’re paying even a little bit of attention when you look at this hoodoo, you’re likely to become curious about how on earth the large rock at the top of this formation stays in place.
For an improved and up-close view of Thor’s Hammer, you can descend using the Wall Street entrance of the Navajo trail. Thor’s Hammer is close to the trailhead, so you don’t have to go too far to check it out. You can also view “the Three Sisters” rock formation from the Navajo Loop Trail.
It’s actually possible to view Thor’s Hammer from either side of the Navajo Loop Trail. As you’re coming off the Peekaboo Trail, you can also view Thor’s Hammer if you take the left hand side of the trail along Wall Street.
Here you can see a picture of Thor’s Hammer, which is one of the many remarkable hoodoos you can see when you visit Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.
Bryce Canyon National Park Hours of Operation
Bryce Canyon National Park is open all year long, in spring, summer, fall and winter, for 24 hours per day. However, park facilities, such as the Visitor Center and bookstore, are not always open.
Bryce Canyon in Winter
Bryce Canyon National Park is open in wintertime. It’s a fantastic time to visit the park if you’d like to try snowshoeing, winter hiking, cross-country skiing or backpacking. If you’re into photography, you’ll find the winter scenes in Bryce Canyon are well worth making the trip to see and photograph. Bring gear that’s suitable for low-light photography including a tripod and a remote shutter release.
If you visit Bryce Canyon during the wintertime, perhaps you might enjoy going on a free ranger-guided snowshoe hike. Whether or not you try one of the organized activities, be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Waterproof snow boots or hiking boots are a requirement for participating in many of the ranger-led winter activities in the park. You absolutely do not want to wear tennis shoes or dress shoes when you visit Bryce Canyon in the snow.
Bryce Canyon National Park. Photo Credit: Joshua Stevens created this NASA Earth Observatory image using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Bryce Canyon National Park — Jesse Allen createde this NASA Earth Observatory image using data obtained courtesy of the University of Marylands Global Land Cover Facility.
References
- At the NASA Earth Observatory Website — Bryce Canyon National Park
- At the NASA Earth Observatory Website — Bryce Canyon National Park Website
- At the National Park Service Website — Wintertime Activities
- At the Wikimedia Commons Website — National Park Service Map of Bryce Canyon National Park