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Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the big 5 national parks in the beautiful state of Utah.
Located near Cannonville, Utah about a 4-ish hour drive south from Salt Lake City.
Bryce Park is known for its big red rock spires, called hoodoos and vistas. Hiking is popular in the park, and they even offer full moon hikes, check out recreation.gov for booking information. Dogs are allowed in the campgrounds and on paved roads, but are not allowed on any of the trails
That being said the most popular trail in Bryce Canyon National Park is the Navajo loop trail. This is about 1.5 miles long with about 500ish feet of elevation gain. It is rated moderately easy. This hike takes you from the rim at Sunset point down to the valley floor and past some popular
hoodoos. Hoodoos are red rock formations that stick up from the ground. This is a beautiful and popular hike.
If you do bring your dog to southern Utah, you must check out Kodachrome Basin State Park. A state park near Bryce Canyon. Dogs are allowed on leash, on the trails in this state park. We took our Weimaraner here for a hike around the park and it was beautiful. Spring and Fall are the best seasons to visit Bryce Canyon and Kodachrome Basin parks, because summer gets unbearably hot during the daytime. So if you are visiting in the summer, do your hiking early in the morning or in the early evening hours. Remember to take plenty of water for your hikes and pack sunscreen as well.
There are several hotels in this area, a Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn and Bryce Canyon Resort. If camping is more your style, try out Bryce Camp and Glamp.
They offer camping spots, and glamping domes for rent. On site they offer horseshoes, volleyball and cornhole as well as a Stargazing pad. This area of Utah is a Dark Sky area and the views of the stars at night are some of the best in the world. This campground also has a tesla charger onsite if you happen to drive your tesla to camp.
If you would like to camp for free, you are able to camp on BLM land. BLM land is public land and camping is allowed for free, although there aren’t campgrounds, or hookups available. You will have to pack in all of your water and supplies and pack out your trash.
The best area for camping on BLM land is off of Tom’s Spring Road. Which is a dirt road near Cannonville, Utah. Cars are usually able to make it on this road but check out local road conditions before coming. Snow runoff in the spring is common and can make the road muddy and impassable for cars, so a 4×4 would be required.
If you are camping on BLM land, make sure to check for current fire restrictions. In the hot summer months campfires may be off limits and usually are. So you will need to plan to cook on a BBQ grill and not over a campfire.
Hiking in Kodachrome state park is beautiful and there are several trails to choose from. There is also campsites available, and bike rentals within the park. We hiked the Panorama Trail which is a loop and is rated as easy. This trail can be done as a 3 mile or 6 mile loop and takes you along the valley floor to several cool rock features. Other hikes in the park include Angels Palace Trail which takes you up 150ft to panoramic views of the park. It is roughly a 1.5 mile hike and is rated as moderately easy.
The Nature trail is another short 0.5 mile loop down near the campgrounds and takes you along a trail marked with signs pointing out the flora and fauna of the area. It’s an easy stroll and is listed as an accessible trail that accommodates wheelchairs on the hard ground. It is short and fun to do with little kiddos as well. Remember to always stay on the trails, there is cryptobiotic soil here and one step off the path can ruin hundreds of years of cryptobiotic soil. If you don’t
know, cryptobiotic soil is a LIVING layer on top of the soil that is filled with living organisms like cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses and fungi. It takes hundreds of years to form. It is crucial to the health of the soil and plays an important role in arid desert like areas.
Outside of the parks in the area is a fun slot canyon hike. Willis Creek slot canyon is an easy 3+ mile out and back trail leading along Willis Creek, which may or may not be dry at certain times of the year. At first the hike will lead you down a hill to the creek bed and follows the creek with wide canyon walls until it becomes a slot canyon. Dogs are allowed on this trail and it’s not often
crowded. We only saw two other families hiking on the day we were there. If you have never hiked a slot canyon I highly recommend it. You can capture some stunning pictures against the walls of the slot canyon.
Pro Tip: Always check the weather before hiking in a slot canyon, flash floods can happen even
if it is raining miles away. Never hike a slot canyon if rain is in the forecast anywhere in the general area.
After your day of hiking stop in to get a bite to eat. There are a few restaurants in the area. The Pines restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a variety of menu items, including wild game chili, burgers, and salads.
You could also try The Lodge at Bryce canyon. This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a casual dining room. There is an elk chili that is good and for the vegetarian/ vegan eater, there is a warm grains bowl, the menu has a few fish and pasta dishes on offer and gets good ratings.
If you get tired of hiking, there are ATV tours and horseback riding available in the area of Cannonville.
Such a beautiful area of Utah I hope you enjoy your visit. If you are headed towards Moab, check out my posts here on what to see and do.
- Beck
Disclaimer: Some of the links in my posts are affilitate links. You will not pay more to use them, however I may earn a small commission. All recommended products I have personally purchased and recommend. Thank you
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