Views from Bryce Point (October 2021)
Home to acres of hypnotic hoodoos, Bryce Canyon is a striking national park that draws about 1.5 million visitors to its site each year. The land is distinctive in its natural formations, due to millions of years of weathering and erosion that has captured the memories of those who’ve come across it. Whether you choose to go for a day trip from Zion National Park or spend a few days there, Bryce Canyon is a must-see when visiting Utah.
I had actually gone to Bryce Canyon back in 2007, when I was still a kid. I went in the summer, and it was quite temperate at no more than 80°F/27°C. My recollection is a bit fuzzy, although I still have photos from my time there. That said, to visit 14 years later as an adult– as well as in snowy conditions– was a different and unique experience.
Bryce Canyon hadn’t actually been on our radar for our road trip this time around– instead, we’d hoped to go to Cedar Breaks National Monument, which is a “mini-version” of Bryce Canyon. Unfortunately, Cedar Breaks was closed off due to excessive snow, as it’s at a higher elevation than other national parks around it, so we had to forgo that while staying in Zion National Park. And while we could’ve used more of our time to explore Zion, we also wanted to optimize our time spent at more sites in Utah.
That said, we ended up choosing Bryce Canyon as a short day trip from Zion. It’s about 90 minutes to 2 hours by car, so we headed out around 9h00 first to enter Zion and take Highway 9 out of the park and towards Bryce. The drive over was incredibly scenic, with absolutely no snow compared to the previous day and crisp, fall foliage on the trees and the pristine, blue ponds and budding snow-capped mountains in the background. This was true fall in Utah, and I was all for it.
We had been concerned that Bryce Canyon would be closed off due to snow fall, as it was with Cedar Breaks. Thankfully, the snow fall in Bryce wasn’t so bad, at about six inches (15 cm) that would burn off later in the day (comparatively, Cedar Breaks was at a whopping 17 inches/48 cm!). The light snow made for a lovely, but manageable, winter wonderland as we paid the $35 USD fee to enter the park.
Granted, a good part of Bryce Canyon was closed off due to more snow deeper inside, but the famous overlooks were open. As we didn’t plan to stay very long, we were fine just driving to the overlooks to admire the views, so after a brief bathroom break and souvenir stop at the visitor center, we attempted to head to the first overlook at Bryce Point.
Bryce Point was the deepest one in the park, as we found it best to go all the way through before turning around to check out the other viewpoints that were open that morning. Sadly, it’s also the most-popular, and we could not find parking at the lot– in fact, park rangers were forcing us to move out to prevent blocked traffic. We were informed to come back in 15 minutes to try again, so we headed out to a different overlook instead.
We managed to snag a spot at the less-crowded Paria View, which offered a closer view of the hoodoos. The lighting for photos wasn’t optimal, as the sun was facing behind the rock formations, but it was still a lovely sight to behold. The path to the viewpoint was snowy and icy, so we had to be careful not to slip on our way over!
At Paria View
Our second attempt to park at Bryce Point was successful. My dad actually dropped me off first, as it’d appeared that there were still no parking spaces available, but after he circled around again, he managed to snag a spot just as another car was leaving– luck was on our side! This goes to show that parking at national parks are no joke, as they aren’t necessarily your definition of calm and peaceful!
It was another icy, but short walk over to the overlook, where we got expansive views of the gleaming hoodoos, which were lightly dusted with the soon-to-be winter’s snow. It was something out of a fairytale, and I truly found the views from Bryce Point absolutely magical. The views also brought back memories of visiting over 14 years ago, as I remembered that we definitely stopped at this viewpoint for photos– I can see why!
Our next (and final) stop was at Inspiration Point, which is higher in elevation, but also offered worthwhile views. The parking lot was actually a bit bigger than Bryce Point’s, and it wasn’t too hard to find a spot to park, as more cars were constantly coming in and out. The walk up to the viewpoint is longer and steeper (made even more so with the slippery snow), but the sights above were gorgeous. I definitely felt more of a workout here than at the other viewpoints we checked out!
We had also tried to enter Sunset Point, but the traffic to get in was so backed up that we decided to forgo it– after all, we’d already seen three overlooks that looked more-or-less the same, so we didn’t expect Sunset Point to look any more different than the others. It was a matter of returning to the visitor center to park, eat our lunch in the car, and use the toilet facilities before returning to Zion around 13h00.
Although we only spent a couple of hours in Bryce, I actually enjoyed Bryce more than Zion. Yes, both are beautiful in their separate ways, but Bryce captured my attention more with its unique and brilliantly-colored hoodoos, which are iconic of the state of Utah. I may have frozen my butt off walking to the viewpoints there, but I have no regrets about our last-minute decision to revisit Bryce Canyon– it’s highly-recommended, should you ever visit Utah someday.
Thanks for reading. We’ll be leaving Utah and heading over to Nevada as we round off our road trip adventures. Look out for the next post soon!
— Rebecca
That looks gorgeous! (And cold!)
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It wasn’t too cold, as it was sunny, but the views were gorgeous!
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Great photos Rebecca bringing back happy memories of our own visit there.
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I’m glad you had a good time!
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So beautiful! Miss the USA for its natural beauty!
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I hope you can return someday!
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hypnotic hoodoos! they look like castles. I think that will be my new exclamation: hypnotic hoodoo!
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I like that! Great alliteration. Thanks for reading, Rebecca. 😊
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So, the snow was like the icing on top of the cake!
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Exactly! So lovely. 😍
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Bryce is beautiful, but seeing it with a dusting of snow is magnificent! Too bad about the crowds, but it looks like it’s the reality these days.
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Yes, US national parks are overrun with tourists these days. Not great, but despite that, the parks remain natural wonders of the country!
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Rebecca This is an interesting place we should have visited. An amazing image
Anita
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I hope you can visit someday!
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Looks and sounds fabulous, Rebecca. Having this year completed our first ever USA road trip, we are excited to see more. Bryce Canyon was on our long list, but didn’t make the short list simply through time constraints. Looks like a wonderful place.
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Ah, time constraints are a pain, and it’s painful to forgo a few stops due to it. All the same, that means all the more reason to return to the US and see Bryce next time– hope you can!
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Your photos with the snow give a very strong image of the Canyon. It is a pity that it is so difficult to get to the viewpoints.
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Given just how crowded US national parks are, it can be discouraging to visit. However, with a bit of patience and perseverance, we made it to Bryce’s viewpoints!
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When I was a child, I had Viewmaster disks with stereo photos of Bryce and Zion, and I always thought I would go there when I grew up. But I never have and probably won’t, because of the yukky car situation. But I enjoyed reading about your trip and seeing your car-free photos.
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I’m not surprised that Bryce and Zion make for stock images, given how beautiful they are! The crowds can deter people from wanting to visit these days, but I personally believe that it can still be done with a bit of patience. 🙂
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As a notorious autophobe, I am patient with crowds of people but not crowds of cars.
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We spent a few hours there on a road trip many years ago, but in late summer so it looked very different. Your photos show it looking quite magical in the snow! It’s a bit off-putting though to read about the crowds at the parking lots.
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Yes, I also went in the summer time over 15 years ago, and it was a different experience compared to my own recent visit. Still beautiful, regardless of the time of year!
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The layers of mountains here look absolutely incredible!
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They certainly were, thank you!
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I’m sorry to hear it was still so crowded outside of the busy summer season.
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Don’t be sorry about it! It was what it was, and I still had a good time. 😊
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I think the snow enhanced the beauty of the landscape. Love the contrast between the white snow and the brownish red stone. Somehow reminds me of powedered sugar on chocolate cake 😛
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Haha, it kind of does! Bryce is beautiful, regardless of the time of year!
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Simply stunning! We had the same experience with lack of parking in Arches. We missed out on some of the best hikes because the park was so crowded. I’m glad you got to see some of the hoodoos – they’re so cool!
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Yes, it appears that US national parks are overrun with tourists these days, to the extent it deters others from being able to do hikes, let alone visit at all…it’s unfortunate, but if one gets to see the sights, it’s definitely a win!
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It looks absolutely amazing, and so beautiful with a bit of snow. Looks like you had a great trip, even if the crowds were crazy!
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Yes! Despite the crowds, it was still worthwhile!
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What incredible, unique views, I have never seen anything quite like this in all my years of wandering. Some great shots here Rebecca, though I found myself drawn back to the Paria View one several times. The frosty touches add a lot to the atmosphere too I think, you were definitely well-rewarded for your butt-freezing efforts.
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I’m glad you enjoyed my post, Leighton! Paria View wasn’t on our itinerary, but I’m glad we stopped by for the views. It was chilly, but it was also a beautiful, blue-sky day! Thanks for stopping by; the last leg of my road trip will be up soon!
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The photos are stunning – nature at its best!
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Absolutely, thanks for stopping by!
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I love how the snow gives it a touch of a winter wonderland. ❄️ What an incredible photo of Paria View, too!
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A winter wonderland, indeed! Thanks for stopping by! 😊
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The snow definitely adds a magical element to the landscape there. The hoodoos are incredible and I bet you were glad to make the trip and enjoy seeing them even with a short time frame available. Utah sure has some spectacular scenery!
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I’m very glad we did the day trip over! Sometimes, it’s the last-minute plans that end up being the most-memorable! 😊
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Such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, and thank you for reading!
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These are some gorgeous photos! Thank you for sharing your adventure with us! I have been to Utah, but haven’t been able to visit Bryce Canyon yet. It is definitely on my list, though 😊 thank you for sharing!
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Thank you! I hope you can go to Bryce someday!
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Me too! And you’re very welcome 😊
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Wow, this place looks incredible! And the snow makes it even more surreal! Can’t wait to read more about your adventures in Utah!
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This is actually the last post on Utah (two of Zion, one of Bryce). Moving on to Las Vegas next!
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Oh, exciting! Can’t wait to read about it!
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THIS LOOKS INCREDIBLE!!! Going on the bucket list !
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I hope you can go someday!
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Amazing photos 👏
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Thanks!
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Glad you made it to Bryce Canyon. I was there twice, once in the 70s with my then boyfriend, and later in the 90s with my son. Magical walking around among those fantastical shapes!
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Bryce is truly a wondrous site in the US. Glad you got to experience it throughout the decades– perhaps it merits a return visit soon, now in the 2020’s? 😉
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Perhaps! ☺
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Thank you for sharing. One of my big goals is to visit all of the national parks in the US!
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I hope you can someday!
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Thank you! ☺️
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I too visited Bryce Canyon only a week or two prior to your visit. I saw it from a motorcycle on a beautiful warm autumn day. Utah’s change in season’s can be drastic and sudden. Thank you for sharing as I reminisced and smile while reading. Bryce Canyon; well, it is spectacular…
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Isn’t Bryce gorgeous? Even better to have the freedom to see it from the motorcycle! Utah is a beautiful state, and I’m glad you also found it spectacular. 😊
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Love Bryce! Even more beautiful with snow! Gives me some wonderful memories!
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Glad you enjoyed the post! Bryce is a beautiful worth going to (and returning to)!
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i think the snow makes it even more special! Another canyon with exceptional depth! thanks for sharing!
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The snow really enhances the beauty of Bryce, that’s for sure. Thanks for reading!
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