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A field guide to walking Bryce Trail journeys
Along the rim. Down among the hoodoos. Back into the forest.
Explore twelve trails through their mapped paths, changing elevations and things worth noticing.
Read the field guideThe table retains NPS published totals. The interactive profile is calculated independently from a fixed mapped itinerary, which can use different endpoints, a particular branch or an added spur. Read each route’s variant and source notes; the shape of a line cannot establish current opening.
Queen’s Garden–Navajo: how the branches and return climb fit together · Sunrise · Wall Street · Measurement methods
Bryce Canyon Conservancy · Trail Journeys · Source check October 2, 2026
Independent learning overview. Check current NPS conditions before a trip.
USGS bare-earth relief Elevation colors · true-scale 3D
Elevation above NAVD88 · profile scale differs from the map
Touch the profile or map, or use the slider’s arrow keys. The marker follows the same mapped path in every view.
What to notice
Read this journey →Make room for the return
Compare the park’s published distances and climbing totals. A short descent can leave a steep climb for the end.
| Select | Journey | NPS distance | NPS ascent | NPS difficulty | Field guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Mossy CaveOut-and-back | 0.8 mi / 1.3 km | 150 ft / 46 m | Easy | Read route → |
| — | Bristlecone LoopLoop | 1.0 mi / 1.6 km | 200 ft / 61 m | Easy | Read route → |
| — | Sunset to SunriseOut-and-back | 1.0 mi / 1.6 km | 40 ft / 12 m | Easy | Read route → |
| — | Navajo LoopLoop + retraced section | 1.3 mi / 2.1 km | 515 ft / 157 m | Moderate | Read route → |
| — | Queen’s GardenOut-and-back | 1.8 mi / 2.9 km | 450 ft / 137 m | Moderate | Read route → |
| — | Queen’s Garden / NavajoLoop + retraced section | 2.9 mi / 4.6 km | 625 ft / 191 m | Moderate | Read route → |
| — | Tower BridgeOut-and-back | 3.0 mi / 4.8 km | 760 ft / 232 m | Moderate | Read route → |
| — | Hat ShopOut-and-back | 4.0 mi / 6.4 km | 1,380 ft / 421 m | Strenuous | Read route → |
| — | Swamp Canyon LoopLoop + retraced section | 4.0 mi / 6.4 km | 800 ft / 244 m | Moderate | Read route → |
| — | Peekaboo LoopLoop + retraced section | 5.5 mi / 8.9 km | 1,560 ft / 474 m | Strenuous | Read route → |
| — | Fairyland LoopLoop | 8.0 mi / 12.9 km | 1,900 ft / 579 m | Strenuous | Read route → |
| — | Riggs Spring LoopLoop | 8.5 mi / 14.2 km | 2,248 ft / 685 m | Strenuous | Read route → |
NPS categories describe the published hikes. Variants and omitted approaches can change the mapped totals. Read the route notes; these figures are not an assessment of your ability or current conditions.
Every route, without the renderer
The complete guide includes twelve route diagrams, elevation profiles, learning stops, source notes and the places where records disagree. It works without JavaScript or WebGL.
Derived The same ground, two ways to read it.A mapped study, with its working shown
The route lines, terrain and written interpretation come from different sources. None is a ground-level scan or a report from today’s trail.
Most paths come from Utah’s public trail compilation; Navajo uses NPS centerlines. Selected source segments join at matching endpoints. Hat Shop and Mossy Cave end at the nearest source-line position to a documented NPS point. No connector is drawn to the point itself.
Profiles sample a 10 m USGS bare-earth grid every 25 m or less, then use a three-sample mean. Ascent adds every upward step in the resulting profile. Mapping error beside a cliff can change that result substantially. The grid does not recover arches, tunnels or trail tread.
Numbered stops either refer to an NPS mapped point or mark an editorial pause along a documented segment. Each says which. Terrain colors and lighting explain relief; they are not aerial or ground photography.
Independent route catalogue (JSON)Credits & data termsCalculation notesNPS hiking guidance ↗Current shuttle details ↗
Places
Twenty-three places from Mossy Cave to Riggs Spring, each with its photograph, terrain, canyon section, early photographs, best light, walks and sources.
See all placesEach place page gathers its photograph, terrain, history and sources.