Top 9 Things To Do in Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon is one of the most incredible and unique national parks that America has to offer. The distinctive landscape is chock-full of hoodoos, arches, fins, and spires that are sure to take your breath away! These bizarre and unique desert features are the result of millions of years of weathering and erosion, and the variable landscape provides visitors with astonishing views that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world! There are so many things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park, that it can oftentimes be overwhelming to create an itinerary. With so many options and often limited time, how do you pick and choose the best activities? We have narrowed down a list of the must-do activities in and around Bryce Canyon National Park, so you can make the most of your vacation!

Bryce Canyon was designated as a national park in 1928 and has been an exceedingly popular destination for tourism ever since. Over 1.5 million visitors come to see the natural wonders of the park each year, and for good reason, too! Bryce Canyon is famous for its incredibly unique geological features that have been shaped by the forces of nature for millions of years. The landscape is incredibly unique with its abundance of slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires—features that will continue to change and evolve long into the future.

Taking the trek to Inspiration Point is one of the most popular things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park. It is a stop that you definitely don’t want to miss out on! This viewpoint provides onlookers with a bird’s-eye view of the largest collection of hoodoos in the world, from three different levels and a variety of perspectives. The out-and-back hike is rated as easy, and it is 0.6 miles roundtrip. 

When hiking to this unbeatable viewpoint, it is very important to stay on the trails and behind railings. The cliffs are made up of crumbly rock, and they are extremely sheer.

With minimal light pollution and unobstructed views, Bryce Canyon is one of the best places in the world to admire the starry night sky. The night sky is so dark in Bryce Canyon that stargazers can look upon thousands of stars on a dark and moonless night. The national park even offers guided full moon hikes and constellation tours to educate visitors about the science and cultural history of astronomy in the area. While these programs are free to the public, they require registration to secure a spot. Make sure to reserve your spot ahead of time!

Bryce Canyon Lodge, the only lodging option within the park, offers fun and family-friendly horseback rides that take you along the beautiful scenic trails in the park. They offer both half-day and full-day options, but the full-day option is only available to groups with no children under 10 years of age. The guides are professional, friendly, and very knowledgeable about the natural history of Bryce Canyon. Taking a trail ride through this incredible wonderland of hoodoos and red rocks is the best way to see the park from the ground before experiencing the sweeping views from above on our scenic Bryce Canyon flight tour.

To see Bryce Canyon from above is truly amazing and an adventure you will never forget! The deep, rugged canyons, the rock formations, the beautiful tall pines—you can take it all in with a scenic flight with Redtail Air.

Booking a tour in a covered wagon will allow you to sit back and enjoy the views as you meander through the canyon. The one-hour wagon ride will take you out to the Fairyland Rim of Bryce Canyon and through the Tropic Canal, which was dug out by the pioneers from Tropic Reservoir all the way up the mountain! Experience the wild western landscape just as the pioneers did in the 1800s, and see the relatively unchanged landscape from the comfort of your wagon. A wagon ride is definitely one of the greatest things to do in Bryce Canyon. The ride is an unforgettable and fun experience for people of all ages, and it guarantees that you have a true western experience during your trip. 

When you take a scenic flight with Redtail Air, you get incredible aerial views from high above Bryce Canyon that can’t be seen by any other means. The next best way to get top-down views of the landscape is hiking the Rim Trail, which offers views down into the hoodoo wonderland. Hiking the Rim Trail is the next best way to get a bird’s-eye view of the incredible Bryce Canyon amphitheater. We recommend taking in the views from as many ways and as many angles as possible during your visit to Bryce Canyon.

The main road that cuts through Bryce Canyon National Park is 18 miles long. The park encompasses the first three miles, and the latter 15 are known as the Southern Scenic Drive. On the way, there are nine scenic overlooks that offer great places to pull over and enjoy some incredible views. A point-to-point drive will take about 40 minutes, but stopping at the viewpoints can make your excursion 2–3 hours long. Along the way, some of the must-see viewpoints are Rainbow Point, Yovimpa Point, Agua Canyon, and Natural Bridge. Many of these incredible viewpoints can also be admired from high above the ground on our Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Park combo tour!

Do you love learning new things about the gorgeous places you visit? The Visitor Center Museum is a great place to stop to absorb some local knowledge. The museum offers exhibits that educate visitors about geologic history, ecology, and human history of the area. It also provides special exhibits about the night sky (astrology) and air quality! The Visitor Center Museum is a great stop for folks of all ages to learn exciting facts about the local history. During your scenic flight, our pilots are happy to teach you fun and interesting facts about the local area, as well as point out all the best things to see.

It’s almost hard to believe that wildlife can thrive in such an arid desert landscape, but the truth is wildlife is abundant in Bryce Canyon National Park! When you take the time and look closely enough, you can see animals like hummingbirds, Peregrine Falcons, elk, and pronghorn wandering through the Bryce Canyon amphitheater. Many of these animals have extraordinary adaptations that allow them to thrive in what can be a harsh, dry environment. If you are a wildlife lover, be sure to visit Bryce Canyon in the early morning or dusk hours for the best opportunities to witness the park’s amazing biodiversity. When the temps start to heat up in the afternoon, you can take a Redtail Air scenic flight above the landscape to stay cool. You can also scope out the best wildlife-viewing areas from the plane! Our pilots can help to point you in the right direction to see some incredible animals. The ponderosa forests and mixed juniper and ponderosa woodland areas are great places to start. Be sure to bring your binoculars to help you spot elusive animals across the vast landscape.

There are endless opportunities for fun and recreation in Bryce Canyon National Park. When it comes down to it, you can’t go wrong when visiting this amazing destination. Because this gorgeous national park is a very popular tourist destination, it is important to book your activities ahead of time. Whether you are coming for a day or for a week, it’s easy to fill up your schedule with fun things to do. If you can’t seem to fit in everything you want to do this time around, that just means you will have to come back again for another visit soon!