It is certainly possible to enjoy the fantastical formations of Bryce Canyon from the scenic drive along the rim, but it is difficult to top getting up close with the hoodoos, there on the floor of the giant amphitheater that is Bryce Canyon.
You’ll see intriguing and even bizarre details walking amid the hoodoos, while colors snap back and forth from muted to vibrant, as clouds and sunshine create visual magic.
The “Bryce Canyon Hiking Map” shows the day hikes in the amphitheater, and many trails are interconnected, ranging from easy to moderate and on to strenuous. A cautionary note: hiking down into the amphitheater is easy — climbing out again is more demanding.
Easiest is Queens Garden (1.8 mile round trip) Use your imagination and you may even see Queen Victoria at the end of a short spur trail.
A moderate hike is the Hat Shop trail, (4 mile round trip) Hike down to the Under-the-Rim Trail to see a cluster of balanced-rock hoodoos.
A more strenuous hike is the Fairyland Loop (8 mile round trip) See the China Wall, Tower Bridge and tall hoodoos on this less-crowded trail.
For overnight, backcountry trails, you’ll need a permit. The famed Under-the-Rim Trail is 22.9 miles and has eight camp sites. Riggs Spring Loop Trail is 8.8 miles long and has four camp sites. The hiking is strenuous, with multiple up-and-down changes of elevation, from 6,800 feet to 9,115 feet.
Nearby is Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument, named for the 5,500-foot stairstep-like rise of formations from the rim of the Grand Canyon and up to the Bryce and Escalante River canyons.
There are a number of day hikes right off of Highway 12, or that split off from dirt roads within the monument.
An easy day hike is over to Escalante Natural Bridge, a 4 mile round-trip jaunt. There’s a two-mile hike upstream through the Escalante River, ankle- to knee-high. The arch is 130-foot high with a 100-foot span.
Phipps Wash is a moderate hike at 4 miles round-trip. You’ll hike down the banks of the Escalante River to seek the Maverick and Phipps arches.
More difficult is the 6 mile round-trip hike to reach Lower Calf Creek Falls — a 126-foot waterfall up a fantastic canyon. There’s a certain amount of bushwhacking involved in moving through the riparian vegetation, and you might get wet.
For backcountry hikers, the Boulder Mail Trail is 16 miles one way and generally takes two to three days to finish this challenging hike. This was once the supply/mail route between the tiny hamlets of Boulder and Escalante. Most hikers star at the Boulder landing strip and arrange to be picked up at the end of the trailhead for the Upper Escalante River, just outside of Escalante.
Taking a third day on this hike allows time to explore the Phipps-Death Hollow Outstanding Natural Area — wild-looking slickrock with spires, grottoes, gullies and more.
