Start from 26 curated places around Bryce Canyon, UT, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Stone Hearth Grille
The closest thing the area has to a serious dinner-out, set on a hillside at the Stone Canyon Inn with a patio that faces the pink cliffs at sunset. Everything is made from scratch, with a menu built around grilled steaks, trout, and a few vegetarian plates.
The Pizza Place
A casual hand-tossed pizza spot at the Bryce Canyon Inn in Tropic that fills up with hikers at the end of the day. Pies come loaded with fresh toppings, there is local craft beer on tap, and the patio is the move on a warm evening.
Trails & outdoors
Queen's Garden Trail
The gentlest way down into the hoodoos, dropping from Sunrise Point along a switchbacked path to the spire that resembles Queen Victoria on her throne. It is the recommended descent route because the grade is easier going down than the Navajo side.
Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden Trail
The signature Bryce hike and the one most people should do: down the Queen's Garden switchbacks, through the hoodoos on the amphitheater floor, and back up the dramatic Navajo Loop past Wall Street and Thor's Hammer. About three miles with a manageable climb at the end.
Things to do
Dark Ranger Telescope Tours
A nightly astronomy program run by former park rangers in one of the darkest skies in the country, with big telescopes trained on planets, nebulae, and galaxies. The format mixes hands-on telescope time with a heated indoor presentation and laser-guided constellation tours.
Canyon Trail Rides
The park's official horse and mule outfitter, running two- and three-hour guided rides down into the amphitheater along a dedicated horse trail and the Peekaboo corridor. Riding the hoodoos from the saddle is a markedly different experience from hiking them.
Landmarks & sights
Sunrise Point
The classic first-light overlook on the north end of the main amphitheater, where the rising sun turns the hoodoos a deep orange. It is also the top of the Queen's Garden Trail, so most people pair the view with a walk down into the rock.
Sunset Point
The most-photographed viewpoint in the park, looking straight down on the Silent City maze of spires and the Thor's Hammer formation. Despite the name, it faces east, so the late-afternoon side light rather than an actual sunset is what makes the rock glow.