This hike took place during our July 2019 road trip from Colorado to California. Along the way, we also stopped in Escalante National Monument and hiked the Lower Calf Creek Falls trail. And here’s some encouragement from Sarah to visit Utah’s national parks during the off-season.

This was our first visit to Bryce Canyon National Park. And nothing sums up the day better than both boys proclaiming that “this was the best hike” they’ve ever been on. 

We only spent one day in Bryce Canyon, and not even a full day at that. We arrived around 9 or so in the morning, did this hike, took a shower, and then were on the road again. There are pay showers near the trailhead, and after a couple of hikes was the perfect way to refresh and prep for the hours of driving ahead.

During this visit we hiked Queen’s Garden Trail starting at Sunrise Point and then following one leg of the Navajo Loop Trail up to Sunset Point. Sunrise and Sunset Points are the highest points of this route, so whichever way to go, you’ll start with a descent down into the canyon and then you’ll have to make your way out. Some of the photos give you an idea of just how steep the climb is in some sections, but it’s totally worth it for the magical experience of walking among the hoodoos. 

Hoodoos are the name given to these rock formations. They are created as erosion washes away the relatively soft sandstone layers, which are topped by some sort of harder stone. That harder stone is protecting the stone directly under it, slowing the rate of erosion and allowing these spires to form.

While we understand how the rock formations came to be, why they’re called hoodoos is a bit of a mystery. Hoodoo is a variation of the word voodoo, and it’s believed that it is used to refer to something that has bad luck. So perhaps these formations were erie enough to get a bad reputation?

In an effort to encourage visitors to get out and hike among the hoodoos, they’ve created a “Hike the Hoodoos” challenge. If a visitor hikes three miles within the park and takes their photo with the hoodoo benchmark signs (or takes a rubbing of the hoodoo emblem) along the way, they’ll get a prize at the visitor’s center.

We didn’t quite make the 3 mile mark on this trip, but we were able to get a number of awkward not-smiling-for-the-camera pics!

I like to think that I’m a master manipulator when it comes to national park photography – always trying to angle the camera so that I only get our family in the frame. But, I had to take a few photos like the one below to document just how crowded these trails were. Yet even with the crowds, this was such a beautiful and awe-inspiring hike.