Infos zum Bryce Canyon NP

Bryce Canyon Summer Construction Schedule Announced

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Hoodoos, potholes and cracking pavement—the power of frost wedging shapes Bryce Canyon National Park in a variety of ways. To help preserve and improve existing pavement, the park is planning a variety of entrance fee-funded projects this summer. Minimal impact to visitor experience is expected for most of these projects, though some traffic delays and detours will occur. As always, park visitors can enjoy the most predictable visit by riding the park shuttle.

The most extensive project this summer will be the complete resurfacing of the Lodge Loop road. This one-mile section of roadway connects the Bryce Lodge and Sunrise Point area with the main park road. Resurfacing work will occur from June 15th through September 15th. Traffic delays of no more than 15 minutes will occur between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on work days. No work is scheduled to occur on weekends or federal holidays.

At nearby Sunrise Point, replacement of a quarter mile of aging asphalt sidewalk is likely to begin in May and continue in stages through the summer. The new concrete path will comply with the standards of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968, providing a fully accessible connection to the Rim Trail. Pedestrians can expect short-term detours in this area.

To help increase the lifespan of existing pavement, resealing of both the Visitor Center and Additional Parking lot across the road are expected to begin in June. Closures should not last more than 72 hours, and one parking lot will remain open while the other is being resealed. Restriping of parking spaces will also occur to help clarify traffic flow in these lots.

Also in June, the Shared-Use Path will be resealed from the park’s northern boundary to Inspiration Point. Sections of this popular multi-use bicycle and pedestrian path are expected to close for no more than a day at a time.

Lastly, restriping of the full 18 miles of the main park road is scheduled for July and August. Short-term closures of less than an hour may occur along sections of the road, though most traffic will only be temporarily slowed.

Infrastructure improvement projects like these are possible thanks to visitor fee dollars. At Bryce Canyon, 80 percent of entrance and recreation fees collected remain at the park for projects to improve the visitor experience. The remaining 20 percent is used to benefit parks that do not collect fees.

As construction begins, visitors should expect the park to announce any temporary closures on its website and social media channels. Please visit the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/brca and follow the park on social media for details on park operations before your visit.

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Bryce Canyon National Park Selected as 2022 Leave No Trace Hot Spot

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With the park's centennial year approaching in 2023, staff at Bryce Canyon National Park have been looking for opportunities not only to celebrate Bryce Canyon’s past but also the challenges and opportunities of its future. As a part of that effort, the park’s Mossy Cave Trail was nominated and chosen as a 2022 Hot Spot by the Leave No Trace organization. From August 25th to August 29th, a Subaru/Leave No Trace Team will work with the National Park Service to provide area visitors, land managers, volunteers and the local community with information, service work and education to reduce impacts at this and other popular outdoor areas.

Through a nationwide nominations process, Leave No Trace selects Hot Spot locations each year: popular outdoor areas across the country that have experienced heavy recreational use and human-created impacts, including excessive trash, damage to vegetation, trail erosion, disturbance to wildlife and more. Hot Spots empower people to be the solution to these impacts in their communities, an essential objective of the Leave No Trace organization.

“Hot Spot locations are heavily damaged, but can recover with the help of a motivated community and an encompassing infusion of Leave No Trace programming. Centered around training, these efforts include a series of targeted workshops for local land managers, partners and volunteers, as well as community outreach events for the public conducted by expert Leave No Trace educators,” said Dana Watts, Executive Director of the Leave No Trace organization. “Our goal is to put these Hot Spot areas on the road to recovery, while also creating aspirational guidance and recommendations for public lands across the globe.”

“Mossy Cave and Water Canyon are especially beautiful and unique features in an already beautiful and unique broader landscape. We want people to be able to enjoy visiting them for generations to come,” said Tyra Olstad, Physical Scientist for Bryce Canyon National Park. “While the immediate goal of the Hot Spot is to find ways to mitigate recreation-related impacts in the Mossy Cave area, in the long run we’re hoping to build a community of land managers, local residents and visitors who are all good stewards of Mossy Cave, Bryce Canyon National Park and beyond."

The following events are free and open to the public, and we encourage people of all ages to attend:

Friday, August 26
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Create your Own Leave No Trace Pack Out Bag. Family-friendly activity at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center Plaza focused on disposing of waste properly. Visitors will leave with a kid-friendly reusable trash bag to help protect and care for natural areas.

8:30 – 9:30 p.m.: Water in the Desert: Geology and History of Mossy Cave. Evening presentation at the North Campground Outdoor Theater on the natural and cultural history of Mossy Cave, the history of Tropic Ditch and how to minimize impacts while visiting these special places.

Saturday, August 27
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Stewardship Service Project: Trash Pickup and Trail Impacts Survey. Join Leave No Trace and the National Park Service (NPS) for a family-friendly volunteer day cleaning up and documenting impacts along the Mossy Cave Trail.

8:30 – 9:30 p.m.: How to be the Best Sasquatch You Can. Evening presentation at the North Campground Outdoor Theater focused on Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, minimizing our impacts and how to protect your favorite outdoor spaces.

Sunday, August 28
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. & 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.: Ranger-guided walks at Mossy Cave. Meet at the Mossy Cave trailhead for ranger-guided walks about the geology and history of Mossy Cave and learn how Leave No Trace practices can help protect this special area.

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Public & Visitor Outreach. Leave No Trace staff will be at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center Plaza educating visitors about Leave No Trace skills and ethics, minimizing our impacts and enjoying the outdoors responsibly.

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Phased Temporary Closures of Campground Loops in October
The closures are required to allow crews to remove tree-related hazards

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To allow for the removal of tree-related hazards (such as dead limbs and standing trees at risk of falling) a phased closing of individual loops in both Sunset and North Campgrounds will occur between Monday, October 10th and Friday, October 21st. Loop closures will include closures to pedestrian traffic.

Wednesday, October 12th is the only night that all Sunset Campground loops will be closed.

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Bryce Canyon Backcountry Permits Moving to Recreation.gov
The change will add convenience and predictability to the park’s permitting experience

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Beginning December 1st, overnight visitors to Bryce Canyon’s backcountry areas will be able to reserve permits for peak season trips up to three months in advance using the website Recreation.gov. This will replace the old system, by which permits were only issued in-person, up to 48 hours in advance. This change will help standardize Bryce Canyon’s reservation processes and add convenience and predictability to visitors’ permitting experience.

Effective today, visitors can view the permits that will be available for reservation on Recreation.gov, by searching “Bryce Canyon National Park Backcountry Permits” or by following the direct link: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4675330. Permits for peak season trips occurring March through November will be available online up to three months in advance, as well as on a walk-in basis at the Visitor Center. The first online permits for March 2023 will become available on December 1st, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Permits for winter trips occurring December through February will remain on a walk-in basis, issued up to 48 hours in advance.

“This change aligns our backcountry permits with the developed campground reservations and digital pass options already available on Recreation.gov,” said park spokesperson Peter Densmore, “It also gives our visitors greater control of their trip planning. Under the walk-in system we’ve consistently heard from people concerned about backcountry permit availability during the park’s peak season. We hope that this new system will give them greater peace of mind knowing that their permit is secure.”

Online permit holders will still be required to check in at the Visitor Center before departing on their overnight trip to review backcountry regulations, rent a free bear canister, or have theirs inspected. This change will not affect permit costs, which remain $10 per permit plus $5 per person.

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Celebrate a Century of Wonder at Bryce Canyon National Park

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2023 will be a year of special programs and events in celebration of the park’s centennial

A cave without a ceiling, red rocks standing like men, nature’s most delicate jewel—Bryce Canyon National Park has been described as many things, and this year we’ll add “100 years old” to that list. To celebrate this historic milestone, the park and its partners are inviting the public to enjoy a year of special programs and events.

Utah’s second national park, Bryce Canyon was first protected as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding on June 8, 1923. From visitors numbering in the thousands in 1923 to over two million visitors in 2022, the park’s vibrant limestone hoodoos, fragrant ponderosa forests, and profoundly dark night skies are now beloved by visitors from all around the globe.

“Bryce Canyon’s centennial year is an opportunity to celebrate not only the rich past but also the present and future of this national park,” said park superintendent Jim Ireland, “2023 will be a year of celebration, and yet we also want it to be a year of connection between the park and its local communities, affiliated tribes, partners, visitors, and staff.”Events planned for the centennial year so far include:

Ruby’s Inn Winter Festival: February 18-20
Historic Photo Exhibit: April through November at Bryce Lodge
Utah Prairie Dog Day: May 12
Centennial Ceremony and Concert featuring The Piano Guys: June 8
Astronomy Festival: June 14-17
Bryce Canyon Butterfly Count: July 8
Geology Festival: July 14-15
All Employee Reunion: August 24-26
Plein Air “Paint Out” with Escalante Canyons Art Festival: September 18
Bryce Canyon Heritage Days Festival: September 28-30
Annular Eclipse: October 14
Christmas Bird Count: December 16

All centennial events will be open to the public, though some may require advance registration through the park or a partner organization.
Visit http://www.BryceCanyon.org for information about centennial events and partnership initiatives.

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Retaining Wall Failures Close Navajo Loop At Bryce Canyon National Park

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The collapse of some retaining walls along the Navajo Loop trail at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah has temporarily closed the trail, park staff announced Thursday.

Warming temps and melting snow have led to multiple retaining wall collapses and unsafe conditions, requiring the closure. The Queen's Garden and Peekaboo Loop trails remain open in this area.

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Bryce Canyon National Park ready to celebrate 100 years of ‘Bryce Moments’

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In 1923, Utah’s Bryce Canyon was designated a national treasure; a century, and 60 million visits later, it remains just that

A brief history of what many Utahns consider their favorite national park (don’t tell Zion or Arches):

1874: Ebenezer Bryce, a Latter-day Saint convert from Scotland, homesteads with his wife Mary on land just below the spectacular reddish-hued cliffs in remote southern Utah. He’s only there six years, but long enough for settlers to call the place “Bryce’s Canyon” and for Ebenezer to describe the towering sandstone maze in his backyard thusly: “It’s a helluva of a place to lose a cow.”

1915: J.W. Humphrey, a U.S. Forest Service supervisor, walks onto the rim above the Bryce amphitheater for the first time. Smitten like a schoolgirl, his description varies greatly from Ebenezer Bryce’s: “You can perhaps imagine my surprise at the indescribable beauty. … It was sundown before I could be dragged from the canyon view.” Humphrey publicizes Bryce by sending out photos and film to newspapers, magazines and TV stations and building roads and constructing trails. He establishes a campground on the rim, charging campers a one-dollar fee, fully refundable if they don’t think the view is worth it. He brags that he never had to return a single dollar.

1923: President Warren G. Harding declares Bryce Canyon a national monument.

1928: Bryce Canyon is upgraded to a national park.

We’re bringing all this up now because this coming Thursday, June 8, Bryce Canyon will celebrate its centennial. The park has been in federal protection and preservation for 100 years, during which time more than 60 million visits have been logged by the National Park Service. Every year Bryce gets more popular, growing from around 20,000 annual visits in the first years, to over 500,000 in 1975, to over one million in 2002, to over two million in 2016.

In 2022, the park logged 2.4 million visits. This year, who knows how many the centennial will attract?

Peter Densmore, the park’s public information officer, has been helping prepare for the big birthday party all through the winter. The hundred-year commemoration will go on all season, but festivities on June 8 will kick things off in style. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is scheduled to open the celebration that day with a speech, followed by a concert that night featuring The Piano Guys and the popular resident country band, the Bryce Canyon Wranglers.

Reportedly, the show will include a song specially written for the centennial by the Wranglers’ lead singer, Tim Gates. (Gates knows his subject: he also recently wrote a song entitled “Helluva of a place to lose a cow”).

The speeches and concert will take place at various points along the vaunted Bryce Canyon rim, overlooking the thousands upon thousands of hoodoos (vertical sandstone pillars) that make up the park and for the past 100 years, and more, have inspired people to experience what Densmore and his fellow rangers refer to as the “Bryce Moment.”

A Bryce Moment is when the park’s magnificent panorama suddenly comes into focus — the natural world equivalent of, say, looking up at the Empire State Building or seeing the Taj Mahal.

“It’s always happening,” Densmore says. “You can go out there and see it throughout the day. Even if they’ve seen photos of the place it’s a completely different experience to step out on the edge of that plateau and suddenly, all at once, it’s all there, this theatrical reveal. It’s sublime. You can go back to the very earliest written accounts of people seeing Bryce for the first time and the sentiment and the feeling and the impression is the same — even if so much else has changed over the last 100 years.”

Since February, on a social media campaign he’s entitled “Hoodoo you love?” Densmore has been encouraging people to post their Bryce Moments online, to “talk about how Bryce Canyon has brought more love in your life. We’re really looking at finding these little slices of life at Bryce Canyon, to help people experience the last 100 years in ways that are maybe forgotten.”

In August, an employee reunion is planned, open to anyone and everyone who has worked or volunteered at the park or vicinity in any capacity over the past 100 years.

The goal is to spend the summer celebrating Bryce Canyon turning 100 in a one-of-a-kind Bryce Canyon style.

“We’re told by lots of people that Bryce is their favorite national park,” says Densmore’s colleague, BJ Cluff, the park’s visitor services manager who has also been up to her eyeballs planning and preparing for the centennial. Why is that? She searches for the right answer. “It’s not as crowded as a couple of the others, it’s easier to find places where you can have solitude. And let’s face it, when you stand and look out over those hoodoos, when the sun is just right, it’s a place where you can feel a connection to the land that is completely unique. There is no place in the world like Bryce Canyon.”

What J.W. Humphrey said, in other words. And Ebenezer Bryce, in his own kinda way.

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100 Years of Bryce Canyon, over 50 Million Years of Fossils

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Explore deep time and ancient life at Bryce Canyon’s annual Geology Festival

Bryce Canyon's centennial Geology Festival is scheduled for Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15 and will include guided hikes, geology programs and interactive family-friendly booths. This year’s festival will also feature special evening programs from author and geologist Christa Sadler and park paleontology fellow Tut Tran exploring fossil discoveries within and around Bryce Canyon National Park. As always, the annual Geology Festival is free with park admission, though some programs may require free tickets to attend.

Both days of the festival will begin at 10 a.m. with a geologist-guided hike that will last around 90 minutes. These family-friendly hikes require free tickets that can be picked up the day of the hike at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m.

At 12 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday, interactive geology and paleontology booths will open to the public in the Visitor Center plaza until 4 p.m. Booths will feature local public lands and educational institutions, including Dixie National Forest Lake Powell District, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Southern Utah University’s Geology Club, St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, Utah Geological Survey and Zion National Park.

Bryce Canyon’s daily 11 a.m. geology talks and 2 p.m. rim walks exploring natural and cultural history will continue to be offered throughout the festival. These programs both begin at Sunset Point and are open to the public.

At 8 p.m., special evening programs will be offered at the North Campground Outdoor Theater. On Friday night, paleontology fellow Tut Tran will present on paleontological work he and fellow researchers have been spearheading in the park since last summer. After a nearly ten-year hiatus in research, their findings have underscored Bryce Canyon’s potential to produce scientifically significant fossils, from snails and clams to crocodilians, mammals and even dinosaurs.

Saturday night will feature renowned geologist, educator, writer and naturalist Christa Sadler. With research and field experience in places ranging from the Grand Canyon to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, her work has kept her outdoors in one form or another for more than twenty years. She has authored multiple books, including “Life in Stone: Fossils of the Colorado Plateau” and “Where Dinosaurs Roamed: Lost Worlds of Utah's Grand Staircase”. Her talk will cover the paleontology of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Bryce Canyon's immediate neighbor to the east, which in recent years has produced many new dinosaur species.

These special evening programs are open to the public, unless inclement weather requires a relocation to the Bryce Canyon Lodge. If inclement weather requires the program to be moved to the lodge, seats will be reserved for ticket holders. Free tickets can be picked up the day of the program at the Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m.

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Woman dies in national park with 'monsoonal rains' believed to be contributing factor

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Last Friday, a hiker died at Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park during a day when thunderstorms resulted in serious flash flooding.

An investigation into the situation was launched after authorities received a report of an overdue hiker at about 7 p.m., with the hiker identified as 64-year-old Jeanna Roblez Howell of Sedona.

Howell had not returned from an afternoon hike on the 8-mile Fairyland Loop Trail.

A search and rescue mission was conducted, with authorities finding the body of Howell in Campbell Canyon at 1:30 a.m. the following morning. The location of her body was about one mile east of Fairyland Loop Trail. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.

According to authorities, an afternoon thunderstorm brought monsoonal rains that resulted in flash flooding in dry washes along Fairyland Loop. A cause of death is yet to be released in the case, though this weather is believed to be a contributing factor.

Authorities have also stated that they believe Howell was an experienced hiker, also equipped with a Garmin GPS device at the time that would ultimately help authorities find her body quickly, per a report from KSLTV.

Monsoon rains can be common during the afternoon in the American West, which can make flash flooding a major risk. It's crucial to be aware of the forecast prior to entering wild terrain.

Bryce Canyon National Park takes roughly five hours to drive to from the western Colorado city of Grand Junction.

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Popular trail closed at Bryce Canyon National Park after heavy rains cause damage

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A popular trail at Bryce Canyon National Park was closed during Labor Day weekend after heavy rain created dangerous conditions in the area.

Park officials said Saturday afternoon's storm brought rock slides and deep mud across Navajo Loop Trail, damaging retaining walls and leading them to temporarily close the trail to visitors.

They said the decision to close it was made after a trail assessment was conducted.

It will remain closed until crews make the necessary reinforcements and repairs, officials said. An estimated time of when that would be was not immediately shared.

The damage occurred while a Flood Watch was in effect in southern Utah. A Flood Watch will also be in effect in northern Utah from Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon.

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Campground reservation and fee changes coming to Bryce Canyon

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Planning to camp in Bryce Canyon National Park next year? Today the park announced changes to its campground reservation system and fee structure. These changes are designed to improve both the visitor planning experience and campground operations.

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Bryce Canyon private horse reservations moving to Recreation.gov

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The change offers convenience and transparency for those planning a private horse or mule ride in the park

Beginning April 1, those planning to ride private stock within Bryce Canyon National Park will be able to make ride reservations online via Recreation.gov. This will replace the old system, by which reservations were made by calling or e-mailing designated park staff during regular business hours. Information on private ride reservations as well as wrangler-led horse and mule rides can be found at go.nps.gov/BryceHorse.

Private stock rides for up to 10 riders will continue to be available every half hour from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. from May through October, depending on weather and trail conditions. Reservations for the entire season will become available on April 1 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time each year. A $1 processing fee per reservation will cover the cost of Recreation.gov services.

“This change aligns our private horse rides with the digital pass and campground reservation options already available on Recreation.gov,” said park superintendent Jim Ireland, “It also gives private stock owners the ability to better plan their visit. By moving reservations online, Bryce Canyon visitors will be able to view available time slots and book their next ride, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Since 2015, private stock riders have been required to make reservations for a specific time by calling or e-mailing designated park staff during regular business hours. These reservations often required multiple calls or e-mails to book available times and could be delayed if staff were on other calls or otherwise unavailable.

Private stock use has also increased significantly since 2015. That year the park saw 124 private rider reservations in 33 groups. In 2023 there were 923 rider reservations in 207 groups—an increase of nearly 650%. An online self-reservation process offers a more efficient way to meet this rising demand.

To learn more about both private and wrangler-led horse and mule rides in Bryce Canyon National Park, visit go.nps.gov/BryceHorse.

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Bryce Canyon announces visitor information for Spring 2024

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Important seasonal updates for park facilities, concessions and shuttle operations

Planning a visit to Bryce Canyon National Park this spring? Today the park announced updated facilities, concessions and shuttle information for its 2024 spring season. No reservations are required to enter Bryce Canyon National Park, but planning ahead will help park visitors to enjoy a predictable visit even on the busiest days.

Shuttle Operations

Starting April 5, the Bryce Canyon Shuttle will be available to help ease traffic congestion at popular viewpoints and trailheads. Unlimited use of the shuttle is included with your park admission.

Shuttle service will run until Oct. 20, and begin every day at 8 a.m. In spring and fall, the last bus will depart the park at 6:15 p.m. Final bus times will extend to 8:10 p.m. from May 10 to Sept. 22.

Visitors riding the shuttle are encouraged to take advantage of free parking at the shuttle station in Bryce Canyon City. As in years past, vehicles 23 feet (7 meters) and longer are restricted from parking at Bryce Amphitheater viewpoints during shuttle operating hours.

Campgrounds

North Campground remains open all winter for first-come, first-served camping, and will transition to reservation-based camping May 18 through Oct. 7. Reservations are available on a 6-month rolling basis.

Sunset Campground is closed each winter, and will open for first-come, first-served camping April 15 through May 17. Reservation-based camping on a 14-day rolling basis is available May 18 through Oct. 14. Sunset Campground returns to first-come, first-served camping on Oct. 15 before closing for the winter season on Nov. 1.

Sunset Campground’s Group Site also remains on a reservation basis from May 20 through Oct. 14. Reservations are available on a 12-month rolling basis.

Reservations for North and Sunset Campgrounds can be made online at Recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.

Park Concessions

The General Store at Sunrise Point is currently open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On March 27, shower and laundry facilities will reopen, and operating hours will extend to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On May 1, summer hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. will take effect.

The Lodge at Bryce Canyon will also reopen on March 27. Lodging reservations can be made by visiting http://www.visitbrycecanyon.com or by calling 855-765-0255. The historic Lodge dining room will serve breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Valhalla Pizzeria is expected to reopen in early May this year.

The park’s historic service station will also reopen this spring to provide e-bike and bicycle rentals, though the official date is weather-dependent. The adjacent Shared-Use Path provides 18 miles of paved path for hikers and bikers between Inspiration Point and Red Canyon.

For those looking to explore below the canyon rim, Canyon Trail Rides will begin providing horse and mule rides as soon as April 1 if weather and trail conditions allow. Visit http://www.canyonrides.com or call 435-679-8665 for booking and other information.

Visitor Information

Currently the Visitor Center and Bryce Canyon Association Bookstore is open every day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Hours will extend to 6 p.m. on April 7 and then to 8 p.m. on May 5.

As your 2024 visit to Bryce Canyon approaches, we recommend visiting http://www.nps.gov/brycecanyon for conditions, alerts, and other important information. Those planning a visit are also welcomed to contact the park via social media, or by calling (435) 834-5322.

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