Bryce Canyon, Hiking Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop Trails

We were already out west on our Zion and Grand Canyon trip, and on a whim we decided to add a day trip to Bryce Canyon National Park in October. So glad we did. The view from the rim - Sunrise Point and Sunset Point - is incredible all on its own, but dropping down into the hoodoos on the Queen's Garden Trail and linking up with the Navajo Loop turned into what might be the best three mile hike we've ever done. Watch the video below, then read on for the details.

An Easy Add-On to a Bigger Trip

Bryce wasn't originally the centerpiece of this trip - Zion and the Grand Canyon were - but it turned out to be one of the easiest national park stops we've done. The parking lot sits right at the rim, so if you only have an hour, you can just walk along the Overlook and take in the view. We had more time than that, so we went all in on the hike instead.

Dropping Into Queen's Garden

We started down the Queen's Garden Trail planning to link it up with the Navajo Loop for about three miles total. The trail switchbacks down off the rim through the hoodoos, and it's an easy, gradual descent - the kind of trail where you keep stopping just to look at another strange rock formation. It was chilly enough at the rim that we started in sweatshirts, but once we were down in the canyon and moving, the layers started coming off. We even spotted a group on horseback making their way through the formations below us, which looked like a pretty incredible way to see the canyon floor.

Onto the Navajo Loop and Wall Street

After winding through Queen's Garden, we picked up the Navajo Loop for the last stretch. This is where the trail changes character completely - the walls close in and you end up in the section called Wall Street, a narrow slot with sheer rock rising up on both sides. It's a tight, switchback-heavy climb back toward the rim - we joked it should be called Switchback City - but the scale of the walls makes it one of the most memorable parts of the whole hike.

Why It Might Be the Best Hike We've Done

What makes this loop stand out is how much variety is packed into just three miles. You start on the rim looking down into a sea of orange hoodoos, drop into the canyon and wander among the spires up close, pass through a pine forest with a real elevation change, and then squeeze through the narrow walls of Wall Street on the way back out. We saw a few chipmunks along the way, including one particularly well-fed one, and the weather in early October was about as good as it gets - crisp enough at the rim for a sweatshirt, but comfortable the moment you're moving.

Know Before You Go

The parking lot right at the rim makes this an easy stop even if you're short on time - you can just walk the Overlook between Sunrise and Sunset Points and get a feel for the park. But if you have a couple of hours, do the full Queen's Garden to Navajo Loop combination. It's about three miles, moderate in difficulty, and takes you from the rim down among the hoodoos, through a pine forest, and back up through the narrow walls of Wall Street. Layer up for a cool morning at elevation, but be ready to shed the sweatshirt once you're hiking. We'd go back in a heartbeat.