An Easy One Day in Bryce Canyon with Kids
We just got back from a trip to Bryce Canyon National Park with the kids and there are a lot of things I was surprised about. How big is the park? How crowded is it? Is one day at Bryce Canyon enough?
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After spending an entire day in Bryce Canyon with kids, I’m here to answer all those questions for you so you can prepare to see this magical park with your family. And in this post, it shows you and easy way to spend one day in Bryce Canyon so you don’t miss anything.
Here’s how long you need, what to do, and how to spend one day in Bryce Canyon with kids.
Note: These photos have no filters or edits on them. What you see is what you get!
Table of Contents
Is 1 Day at Bryce Canyon Enough?
Honestly, having two days at Bryce would be great for those that enjoy hiking and digging in deep. But to visit Bryce Canyon with kids, 1 day is plenty!
We booked 2 nights, but were surprised with the layout and features of the park. Don’t get me wrong, the park was magical. But we definitely covered the highlights in just 1 day.
And having kids with us meant we weren’t doing the big 7 to 11 mile hikes.
So YES, 1 day in Bryce Canyon is a great amount of time. I’ll begin here with a basic itinerary of how to spend your one day in a way that is family-friendly.
One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park with Kids
Here is a basic 1 day itinerary for Bryce Canyon for families.
Shuttle to (or Park at) Sunset/Sunrise
Drive into the park (or take the shuttle in if it’s peak season!) and park near the lodge or at one of the lots for sunrise or sunset.
Enjoy the grand views of the main amphitheater at the Sunrise to Sunset trail. This is an easy, flat, paved trail to get views of the canyon below. It’s just about 1 mile to get from one point to the other.
1. Hike Navajo and Queen’s Garden Trail
Start your day with a great, kid-friendly hike. We did the Navajo + Queen’s Garden trail. This takes you from Sunset to Sunrise, but down through the canyon instead of across the top viewpoint area.
You can also do the opposite and start at Sunrise and end up at Sunset, which will begin you on the Queen’s Garden Trail and end going up the switchbacks of the Navajo trail. It doesn’t matter which way you go.
The Navajo Loop takes you through some impressive red rock walls
Navajo Loop- If you’ve seen the popular steep, switchback trail, that is on Navajo Loop. You begin at Sunset Point and go down the switchbacks, into steep red canyon walls through what is called Wall Street. It’s amazing.
If you only do the Navajo Loop, you’re mileage hits about 1.6 miles and you’ll end up back at Sunset Point.
Queen’s Garden Trail– You can cut your hike shorter by looping back to the start from the Navajo Trail, or you can continue on through the Queen’s Garden trail. I highly recommend continuing.
The Queen’s Garden takes you through a new landscape of forested, flat surface where the red rock takes a break.
Just a short break though, as the red rock formations come back beautiful and bright and you hit the end section of this trail. You’ll end up going uphill (since you descended into the canyon during the Navajo section) and land at Sunrise point.
Doing the Navajo + Queen’s Garden combo takes you to right about 3 miles.
Can we do it with kids? Yes, absolutely. The hardest part of the trail was the steep switchbacks of Navajo. This plan takes you counterclockwise, taking you down those switchbacks and more gradually up to Sunrise Point.
We actually did the trail clockwise. We began at Sunrise and ended with the switchbacks. Even though they were steep, they were fun and my kids had a blast going up.
2. Picnic in the Park
I always recommend bringing in a lunch in National Parks because it’s just an awesome experience to eat with a view.
There are a few picnic areas in Bryce Canyon giving you great views or atmosphere.
Along the main road through the park you can find the CCC picnic area, Whiteman Bench picnic area, or picnic tables at Yovimpa Point (two areas, one “Yovimpa” and one “Rainbow Point”.)
As always, pack EVERYTHING back up and take it with you. Please don’t litter in our beautiful parks.
Don’t Want to Pack a Picnic? There are a couple restaurants near the lodge (daily) and even a food truck at Far View Point (limited).
3. Hike Bristlecone Loop
If you’re looking for easy and short Bryce Canyon hikes with kids, this is the one.
After the kids are fueled up and rested from the morning hike, head to the trailhead for Bristlecone Loop. This can be found at the very end of the road in the park, at the same parking area for Yovimpa Point.
Bristlecone Loop is an easy, scenic hike just over 1 mile. It takes you through plenty of trees to many lookout points into the other side of the canyon.
This is an easy, mostly flat trail that will be great for kids of all ages!
4. Scenic Overlooks
Yes, you passed all the scenic overlooks on your way to the back of the park. But now as you drive back out, they’ll all be on the right side, making pulling over much easier.
On the way back from Yovimpa Point, you’ll come to:
- Black Birch Canyon
- Ponderosa Canyon
- Agua Canyon
- Natural Bridge Overlook (don’t miss this one)
- Farview Point
- Swamp Canyon
Each are cool lookout points worth a quick pullover. If you don’t want to stop at every one of them, that’s understandable. I would definitely stop at Natural Bridge though, because that one has a cool arch.
5. Visitor Center
Whether you do that now in the itinerary or later, make sure to stop at the visitor center at Bryce Canyon. There are some cool exhibits, helpful rangers, Junior Ranger programs, and great souvenirs.
There’s also a cool reward you can cash in on.
If you have hiked 3 miles or more, make sure to stop at the information desk. Here you can show them pictures from your hike, proving you did the miles, and receive a prize! This is called the HooDoo challenge.
I’m not sure if the prize is always the same or not (and I won’t spoil it), but they told us our prize was very exclusive and the only way to get this item was to do the challenge. It is not for sale anywhere!
6. Sunset at Bryce Canyon
Depending on the time of year you visit, you may have to go grab dinner and return to the park later. If you’re there in the colder months, it may already be time for sunset!
Head back to Sunrise/Sunset point and just enjoy the view of the amphitheater as the sun turns the hoo doos a deep shade of gold and red. It really takes on a whole new view when you go at sunset.
Note: The picture above wasn’t quite at sunset, but it was in the evening. Compare that to the same photo at the top from morning and you can tell how the light is hitting different and already changing the hue! (No filters used or added on these photos).
Tips for your visit to Bryce Canyon with kids
You May Need to Take the Shuttle
The first tip I’ll mention is that if you visit during the busy months, you either need to arrive really early or take the shuttle.
Or, accept the fact that parking may be a pain.
You can can catch the shuttle right outside the park. There will be signs and marquees encouraging you to park and shuttle in if you’re there on a busy day.
When you drive into the park and try to park in a full lot, you’ll also have lots of rangers encouraging you to go back and shuttle in.
The shuttle services the main amphitheater areas and viewpoints. It does not drive into the back of the park. While the back of the park gets crowded, it is a lot less crowded than the area near Sunrise/Sunset and the lodges.
What to Bring to Bryce Canyon
I recommend bringing what you’d typically bring on an outdoor adventure. Specifically:
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Hiking Day Pack
- Snacks
- Water bottles (reusable are always best!)
- Picnic Lunch in a cooler
- Layers (early/later in the day are different temps than midday)
- Hiking shoes (sneakers with good soles will do for this itinerary)
- Hiking Child-Carrier if you’ve got really little ones
- Hand Sanitizer (for when vault toilets are empty, or because the ones in there sometimes smell gross)
- Tissue and/or toilet paper (again, busy season can empty out vault toilet supplies pretty quickly)
- Your phone or fancy camera, because WOW are there some great pictures!
Cell Phone Coverage in Bryce Canyon
I can only speak to my provider here. I use Xfinity, which is pretty compatible with Verizon since they use their towers.
I had service within the amphitheater area and in the back at Yovimpa Point.
However, along the road in the park I did lose service a few times (like when we stopped around mile 8 or 9 for our picnic lunch).
Don’t count on your phone working throughout the park. But it is nice that there are a few areas that seem to have decent service.
This Park isn’t Yosemite
All I mean by that is you won’t spend an entire week exploring and still be missing out. Bryce Canyon is smaller compared to some of the national park giants out there. Which is one of the reasons it’s a great national park to bring kids to. You won’t feel FOMO so much because you have little kids along for the ride.
When I visited the visitor center and asked for recommendations, the ranger told me: It doesn’t matter which hike you do at the amphitheater. You’ll basically see the same thing no matter which hike you do.
That was kind of a bummer in a way. The Queen’s and Navajo trail is the most popular hike through the amphitheater because it gives you a great feel for what’s down below. Beyond that, you’re just adding beautiful miles to the hike for similar views.
Yes, the other hikes are probably amazing, but if you have KIDS with you, don’t feel like you need to do the 7-mile hike. You’ll be good and see the majority of sites with the 3-mile one.
The Crowds
During the year, you should be able to find parking fairly easily. Come summertime, the crowds grow and grow, making it more difficult to find parking, especially in the amphitheater area.
This is where my advice from earlier in this post comes in. Take the shuttle! There is ample parking just outside the park where you can hop on the FREE shuttle that takes you to all the points around the amphitheater.
The shuttle doesn’t go beyond the main amphitheater viewpoints, so you’ll need to drive beyond that.
To avoid crowds, go catch the sunrise! This will get you in super early, before the rest of the world is awake.
OR, go for sunset. As a bonus, hang out at the park another hour or two and catch the night sky.
Other Nearby Parks
Many people often combine Bryce Canyon with other nearby national parks. Zion is just under 1-1/2 hours away, Captiol Reef is 2 hours to the east, and Moab is 4 hours away and the landing spot for both Canyonlands and Arches National Park.
Many people who have more time to travel will combine these “Mighty 5” national parks in one trip or even take in some of southern Arizona while they are in the area.
Where to Stay in Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon Lodge- in the park!
The best place to stay when you visit Bryce Canyon is right in the park at the lodge. Not only is it a beautiful place to stay, but it’s located right in the parking area for Sunrise and Sunset points. This saves a huge headache in busy months when you’re trying to find somewhere to park!
Ruby’s Inn- Best Western
Right outside the park is Ruby’s Inn, part of Bryce Canyon City. This is a highly recommended hotel and as such, it sells out quickly during peak times. You’ll get an awesome indoor pool and free breakfast.
Two Sunsets Hotel
The town of Panguitch is a quick and easy 20 minute drive from Bryce Canyon. This is where we stayed, at the Two Sunsets Hotel. The town has restaurants, a grocery store, and cute shops. Two Sunsets is a local hotel with great service. We especially like that we got a room with 3 actual beds to fit us all comfortably.
As a bonus, you’ll get a little peek at Red Canyon as you drive from Panguitch to Bryce Canyon.
One Day in Bryce Canyon with Kids
While there are longer hikes around, you can get a great feel and incredible views throughout Bryce Canyon with kids on shorter, easier, but still incredible hikes and viewpoints. You don’t need to do long hikes to experience the park, you can see all the best parts even with little ones.
Just one day in Bryce Canyon is enough to really appreciate the park and this shows you how to spend your day for all the highlights. Pack your day bag and head into the park, then enjoy all the best things to do in Bryce Canyon with the whole family.
