2 Unique Itineraries for One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park

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If you’re wondering how to take advantage of your one day in Bryce Canyon National Park, I’ve got you!

Spending 1 day in Bryce Canyon National Park is perfect to get the gist of it and see everything you need to see – thousands of gravity-defying stone spires, some arches, and sunset and sunrise views.

While I did the Grand Circle road trip, I spent 3 days in Bryce Canyon. I hiked all over, got to enjoy all the views and car camped for free near the national park.

Just like with that road trip’s destinations and the over 20 national parks I’ve visited during my 2-year US road trip, I’m sharing my experiences in this blog. I want you to be able to camp for free (or not, it’s rough), hike the best trails and not miss any of the park’s iconic destinations.

In this travel guide, I’ll give you two itineraries: one with a tough hike through gorgeous landscapes, and another with less hiking, but still enough hiking to see some incredible sights.

Both itineraries have hiking because no trip to a national park is complete without immersing yourself in nature.

I spent 3 days here and wished I had only been 1 day SO THAT I could spend more time at other national parks like Zion or Capitol Reef. I’m not saying Bryce Canyon isn’t worth it – it’s absolutely picturesque and SO beautiful.

But there’s more to do and more of a variety of landscapes at the national parks near Bryce Canyon, and they’re some of the USA’s best national parks. So, I recommend 1 busy day of hiking in Bryce Canyon and moving on.

Now, here are my 2 possible itineraries for exploring Bryce Canyon in one day!

How to get to Bryce Canyon National Park

You’ll need to drive to Bryce Canyon, and the best way to get there is from the Las Vegas airport (4 hours away). The next closest big airport is in Salt Lake City, only 4 and a half hours from Bryce Canyon.

Driving from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon National Park is best because the road takes you through Zion National Park, meaning you get more bang for your buck.

At that point, you could even make a big road trip out of it and do the entire Grand Circle.

The closest airport to Bryce Canyon is in Cedar City but is only served by connections to and from Salt Lake City.

Where to Stay for your One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park

Camping near Bryce Canyon National Park

If you’re camping, there are two campgrounds inside the national park: North Campground and Sunset Campground.

• North Campground is open all year, while Sunset Campground is closed in the winter.
• Both campgrounds costs $30 per night (and per site, whether you’re in a tent or RV).

These are really popular, so make your reservations way in advance!

Now, the best area to find free camping near Bryce Canyon National Park is East Fork Road (FR 087). It’s where we went SUV camping for free.

I seriously recommend camping or finding free camping. The hotels near Bryce Canyon are expensive (because it’s SO popular), and it’s what will make your trip expensive. Outside of lodging, all you’re paying for is food, gas and access to the park!

The exact coordinates for where we car camped close to Bryce Canyon National Park are: 37.671341, -112.202766.

But there are LOTS more places to camp for free close to Bryce Canyon!

If you’re planning any sort of trip in the Southwest, I actually made a free map with 70+ free car camping spots I found and vetted during my 2 years on the road. It’s my go-to resource whenever I’m planning where to sleep for the night.

👉 Grab the map for free below – I’ll email it to you right away!

Hotels near Bryce Canyon National Park

There aren’t as many hotel options in Bryce Canyon as in other national parks, but there are good ones.

The best place to stay in Bryce Canyon National Park is:

📍Most Convenient: The Lodge at Bryce Canyon

This hotel is inside the park, which just makes everything easy. It has 2 restaurants and is right next to Sunrise and Sunset Points. This level of convenience makes it extremely popular, so make your reservation WAY ahead of time.

📍Budget: Bryce Canyon View Lodge

The View Lodge is more of a motel, but its location is ideal. Interestingly, it doesn’t have a particularly amazing view and it’s not much of a “budget” hotel. It does have a pool, free shuttle to the airport and is 9 minutes from Bryce Canyon.

1 Day in Bryce Canyon

The difference between the two itineraries is that itinerary #1 has a tough hike followed by an easier hike, with the option to also do the scenic drive.

Itinerary #2 only includes the easier hike and combines it with the scenic drive. The scenic drive is optional in itinerary #1 because I don’t think it’s necessary with all the hiking and views involved.

My favorite is itinerary is #1 because of all the hiking – it’s super immersive. It’s also the one I did!

Itinerary #1: One Day, 3 Trails (What I Did)

In this itinerary, you’ll enjoy the sunrise, hike a long, gorgeous loop, eat a yummy meal, do the most iconic Bryce Canyon hike and hopefully get a light show for sunset.

Catch the Sunrise at SUNrise point

You’ve got a big day ahead, so this itinerary starts bright and early to catch the sunrise.

I mean, there’s an outlook called Sunrise Point, so you kind of have to make the effort anyway! Plus, the trailhead for the Fairyland Loop Trail is right next door.

Fairyland Loop Trail

This hike will take you on an 8-mile journey with 1,900 feet of elevation gain (although AllTrails says it’s less).

If you’re facing the canyon, head left from Sunrise Point and follow the sign to the Fairyland Loop. It’s the trail heading down into the canyon.

The Fairyland Loop Trail is special, and it’s on this itinerary for two reasons:

1. It’s way less crowded because it’s set apart from the more popular outlooks and trails.
2. Its wow-factor. The sheer number of hoodoos is astounding, the green forest combines with the red rock, and you even see an arch called Tower Bridge.

The trail winds down and down until you reach Tower Bridge, which is a formation that eroded to look like Tower Bridge in London. It’s amazing… and huge. You have to take a short spur trail to see it.

After seeing Tower Bridge, the trail finally stops going down. It winds up and down, taking you through countless hoodoos and beautiful vistas of the canyon.

Towards the end, the Fairyland Loop Trail gets steeper and you begin the climb up to Fairyland Point. The tough part is over.

But you still have to hike the Rim Trail back to Sunrise Point. It’s a whole lot easier, since it’s mostly flat compared to what you already hiked. But this part was what felt the LONGEST to me because I was so tired.

At least you have views of the canyon on your left the entire way back to Sunrise Point.

Downtime

It’s time to take it easy after that hike… before the next one.

You’ve got lots of options before then:

• Lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge restaurant (see reviews here) or Valhalla Pizza (see reviews here)
• Picnic in the park (what I did)
• The Scenic Drive (more info in itinerary #2)
• Go to the Visitor Center and watch the park film (highly recommended)

Once you’ve rested, head back to Sunrise Point for the Queen’s Garden trailhead.

Queen’s Garden to Navajo Loop

The Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop trails are the two most popular hikes in Bryce Canyon.

They’re not too difficult, and they take you through everything you NEED to see. While the Fairyland Loop holds many wonders and has views of things far away and nearby, the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop trails are super immersive!

Everything is right up in your face, the hoodoos tower over you on both sides, and you go THROUGH tunnels in a few hoodoos.

It’s like getting a ChatGPT summary of what Bryce Canyon is: a super condensed hike with everything in it.

Here’s how to hike the Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop:

1. The Queen’s Garden trail begins, once again, at Sunrise Point (so you can find a parking spot once and stay there all day – useful in the high season)
2. Stay on trail, following the signs that say “Queen’s Garden.” You can take a quick detour to the right to see the Queen Victoria Hoodoo. This is where, if you were just doing Queen’s Garden, you would turn back.
3. If you keep going after the detour, the hike leads you to a 4-way junction. To the left is the Peakaboo Trail, which is really long. Straight is the Wall Street section of the Navajo Loop. Right is the Two Bridges section of the Navajo Loop. The Two Bridges section has the super iconic switchbacks Bryce Canyon is known for, so that’s where I went. Plus, Wall Street is closed during the winter.
4. At the top, you get to Sunset Point and all that’s left is a pretty short hike on the Rim Trail to Sunrise Point.

If you’d like to see a map of this loop before doing it, the trail description on the NPS website has a really good one.

Sunset and Stargazing

Sunsets in Bryce Canyon are also amazing… you guessed it, at Sunset Point.

But with sunset comes another unique treat!

Bryce Canyon National Park holds International Dark Sky status, which means light pollution around the park is near zero.

On a night with no moon, you can see millions of stars and the Milkyway in the sky.

Dinner

There are several dinner options in Bryce Canyon.

The most ideally located is the Lodge (see reviews here) inside the national park. They serve delicious food, from loaded salads to several cuts of meat, not to mention their burgers and deserts.

6 minutes from the park, in Bryce Canyon City, the two highest rated restaurants are Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill and Ruby’s Inn Cowboy’s Buffet & Steak Room.

And just like that, you had a perfect one day in Bryce Canyon National Park!

Itinerary #2: 1 Iconic Hike Looping 2 Trails

In this itinerary, you might want to see the sunrise if you’re into that. But you definitely have to hike the most popular trail in Bryce Canyon and then go to all the must-see overlooks on the scenic drive.

Sunrise?

Sunrise at Bryce Canyon is magical – the landscape that already looks like a painting turns into a palette with orange and pink hues. Bonus if there’s clouds… but not too many

Then, you can have a sit-down breakfast at the Bryce Canyon Lodge or a quick one at the General Store.

Queen’s Garden to Navajo Loop

Whether or not you watched the sunrise, it’s time for a hike!

Combining Queen’s Garden and the Navajo Loop trail takes you on a journey through the essence of Bryce Canyon. It’s the perfect hike for a chill and noteworthy one day in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Alternatively, you could just do the Queen’s Garden or Navajo Loop trail, which are even shorter done by themselves.

For a complete explanation on how to loop these two hikes, go back up in this blog post to itinerary #1!

Lunch & a SCENIC DRIVE

To replenish calories, grab a delicious lunch from the Lodge.

You can have a salad or a burger, but let’s be honest – after that hike, you deserve a burger.

The scenic drive is best enjoyed from south to north. That way, you’re always pulling into the overlooks on your right.

So, drive the 40 minutes (18 miles) to Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point, two of the best lookouts.

On your drive back, you can stop at any of the 9 scenic overlooks, but make sure you at least stop at Agua Canyon and Natural Bridge.

What’s nice, after a morning hike, is that there is little to no hiking required during the scenic drive. The overlooks are always a short walk from the parking.

Sunset and Stargazing

The sunset in Bryce Canyon is just as amazing as the sunrise.

The world becomes a canvas as Bryce Canyon turns into a pastel painting.

After a light show, the stars start blinking into view – first one, then two… and then millions. Bryce Canyon is a dark sky park, meaning light pollution is near zero. The view of the night sky here is one of the best you’ll ever see.

Dinner

For dinner, you can eat at the park’s restaurants or at Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill or Ruby’s Inn Cowboy’s Buffet & Steak Room in Bryce Canyon City.

But you might just eat on the road as you drive to your next destination!

Where to next?

Bryce Canyon National Park is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and getting to it forces you to pass other national parks, no matter the direction.

• To the southwest, you have Zion National Park, only about 1 hour and a half (80 miles) away.
• Capitol Reef National Park is 2 hours and 20 minutes (120 miles) to the northeast.
• Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has a lot of access points along the road to Capitol Reef.

With such a high concentration of cool places (southern Utah is ridiculous), the area is popular for road trips like the Grand Circle (what I did) or the Utah Mighty 5.

Bryce Canyon National Park is awesome, and it’s only a tiny part of what can be the road trip of a lifetime.

Watch my Trip to Bryce Canyon & Capitol Reef!

Like the sound of this itinerary to one day in Bryce? Check out the video I made of my trip there – plus a little bit about my day in Capitol Reef National Park!

MAP for One Day in Bryce Canyon

I’ve put together a custom Google Map to help make planning your one day in Bryce Canyon easier. It includes all the key stops, trailheads, viewpoints, and lodging options mentioned in this post.

This interactive map covers both possible itineraries and is perfect for visualizing your route through Bryce Canyon National Park. Whether you’re hiking the Fairyland Loop, catching sunrise at Sunrise Point, or driving to your free camping, it’s all pinned and ready.

👉 Open the full map in Google Maps or see it embedded below. Tap the icon on the top left to see the entire menu.

Frequently Asked Questions