Have you ever been drawn to a destination from one simple photo and thought to yourself, “I HAVE to go there one day?!” Bryce National Park was that place for me. The first time I saw a photo of Bryce, I said, “where is this place?” and then, “when can I go?” When I gazed at the photograph of the red hoodoos towering towards the blue sky, appearing like Mother Nature’s skyscrapers, there was a magnetic pull that drew me to this supernatural place. The energy of Bryce National Park was palpable from just one photo.

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Fast Facts:

Location: Bryce, Utah

Elevation: 7,664 (some parts over 8,000 ft)

Transportation: Shuttle Service, Hiking, Biking, Self-Drive

We only had one day in Bryce National Park, which seemed short at first, but ended up being the perfect amount of time in the area. Because we only had a day, we wanted to see as much as possible in a short amount of time, which is why we chose the Queen’s Garden trail. We parked by the Visitor Center, grabbed our electric bikes, and biked into the park to begin our hike.

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The Hike We Chose: Queen’s Garden

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  • Hike: Queen’s Garden
  • Distance: 1.8 miles
  • Type: Out and Back

Things to Know:

  • Amazing Views
  • Little Shade
  • Kid Friendly
  • Easy to Follow Path

This hike starts at Sunrise Point, which connects to various hikes in the area and offers stunning views from the rim of the canyon. Queen’s Garden starts with a .9 mile descent into the hoodoos where you’ll find yourself surrounded by gigantic towers of red rock. The hike is called Queen’s Garden because of a rock that appears similar to Queen Victoria at the turnaround point.

Since you’re descending for the first half of the hike, it seems fairly easy. However, on the way back to the starting point, you’ll be ascending the entire time at an elevation of over 8,000 ft. While this is an out and back hike, the views on the descent are different than the views on the ascent making it a unique, easy to access, and beautiful way to experience Bryce.

If you’d like to make this hike longer, you can connect to the Queen’s Garden / Navajo Loop trail, which will add on an extra mile.

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