Of Utah’s five national parks, Bryce Canyon floats under the radar of many hikers and roadtrippers.
But this little gem of a National Park is worth a visit, even if only for one full day.
It’s an easy stopover from big sister Zion National Park (1 hour, 20 minutes away), Capitol Reef National Park (2 hours away), or the highly photographed Antelope Canyons and Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona (2.5 hours away).
Below are six pro tips for maximizing your visit to Bryce Canyon… save this post for your future USA roadtrip!
1. Get up early
In July and August, the canyon gets HOT around 11 a.m. and stays hot until sunset. If you plan to hike, get up at sunrise and into the canyon and out before midday… you’ll thank me later.
Besides beating the heat, the rising sun sets the canyon on fire with dreamy purples, blues, and soft oranges.
2. Stay up late
If you’re at Bryce Canyon on a clear night, STAY UP FOR THE STARS!
Bryce Canyon is one of the few remaining places where the night sky isn’t polluted by nearby cities. In fact, light pollution is at one of its lowest points in the entire United States here, meaning it’s dark, people!
Stargaze to your heart’s content – you can see millions of stars on a clear night.
The best times are the week before a new moon or the week during a new moon. If you’re a star-a-holic, try to plan your visit around the moon’s phases.
The park rangers also frequently host astronomy and night sky programs. Check at the Visitors Center for the next one.
3. Drink tons of water
Even if you’re up early and rest during the hottest part of the day, it’s blazing here in summertime. Bring plenty of water and drink it (peep the water straw in the pic above)!
A good baseline is to drink one liter of water every two hours, sipping not guzzling. But if it’s hot and you’re doing a strenuous hike, aim for one liter every hour.
All that water you promised yourself you’d start drinking for better skin/weight loss/general hydration? You finally have a reason to drink it! 😉
4. Dress in layers
Even though days can be hot, Bryce Canyon sits at a higher elevation than other parks in Utah and nights can be chilly to downright freezing.
In the height of summer (July and August), mornings are chilly (I always start a hike with a long-sleeve t-shirt over a tank top) and evenings cool – perfect for bonfires, if no fire restrictions are in place. You’re also likely to encounter short but intense thunderstorms in the afternoons.
Bringing and wearing layers allows you to adapt to whatever temperature you might encounter.
Beyond July and August temps are moderate to mild, so you’ll want plenty of layers to keep warm. You can find temperature averages on the Bryce Canyon website. In April and October, you may even encounter snow storms, so check ahead and come prepared!
5. Camp in the park
Staying in the park means you’re right in the heart of the action.
If you’re a planner like me, and know exactly what date you’ll be rocking up at Bryce Canyon, you can make a reservation for Sunset Campground.
You can only reserve ahead during peak season (late-May to mid-October). From April to mid-May and the last few weeks of October, it’s first-come, first-serve for the 100 camping spots there. It’s closed in the winter.
If you’re more a free spirited traveler or all of Sunset was full when you looked, don’t worry — you won’t be sleeping under the stars in the canyon (although that doesn’t sound half bad. Bryce’s second campground — North Campground — is always first-come, first-serve.
Just show up and find a spot in North Campground on a first-come, first-serve basis. But get there early! On weekends and holidays (and sometimes randomly during the week), the 99 spots in this campground can be filled by mid-morning.
6. Hike, hike, hike
What hikes you choose depend on your fitness level. Bryce Canyon is a great National Park for those who aren’t keen hikers, because it has dozens of epic viewpoints and a free shuttle that will take you to all of them.
If you want to hike, but are a beginner and prefer shorter routes, ask for some at the Visitors Center or check out the AllTrails app. You can filter by difficulty and length, and see others’ ratings of each hike.
If you’re a more advanced hiker and love a challenge for a rewarding view, check out my post on the best hikes in Bryce Canyon.
The main thing to remember: you’re hiking into a canyon. That means the way down will be nice and easy and beautiful and all the things you dreamed of (okay, maybe an exaggeration). But once you reach the bottom, snap all your pics, and appreciate just how stunning the canyon is, you still have to get back out.
That means climbing up and up and up until you’re back at the rim. In my opinion, it’s so worth the effort, but just remember that every step down is two steps back up.
Bryce Canyon National Park should be an easy add to any road trip itinerary, and hopefully these tips will help you make the most of your visit. Read my one-day itinerary for Bryce Canyon to maximize your time here.