We visited Bryce Canyon National Park with kids in mid-April (our two kids were 3 & 5 at the time). Our family loves being active while enjoying the beauty of nature, so Bryce Canyon was a perfect outdoor destination for us. We spent 5 days hiking in Bryce Canyon with kids and enjoying all the beauty it has to offer.
For families who love the outdoors, the great news is that there is plenty of family friendly hikes in the state parks near Bryce Canyon. In addition to sharing our favorite things to do in Bryce Canyon with kids, we also share our favorite family-friendly hiking trails in Red Canyon and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
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Visiting national parks with our kids is one of our favorite things to do on family vacations. If your family vacation plans extend beyond Utah, check out our favorite family-friendly national parks in the US.
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Kid-Friendly Bryce Canyon National Park Hiking Trails
If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know that hiking is one of our favorite things to do while traveling with kids; in fact it’s the main reason we decided to go on a Utah road trip with kids.
Here are the kid-friendly Bryce Canyon hikes we enjoyed:
1. Fairyland Loop Trail
The Fairyland Loop Trail is one of the best hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park. We’ve hiked with our kids all over the world, and this one is one of our favorite family hikes of all time!
The Fairyland Loop access road was still closed for the season so we parked in the “Additional Parking” area shortly after passing the entry gates. From here, we walked through the campground to access the Rim Trail.
Once on the Rim Trail we hiked south until we found the Tower Bridge Trailhead (which is a portion of the Fairyland Loop).
The Tower Bridge Trail is mostly downhill and winds through some incredible Bryce Canyon scenery, including many up-close encounters with the national park’s famous hoodoos.
The Fairyland Loop Trail follows ridge tops affording views of the surrounding valley in multiple directions. I lost track of how many times my jaw dropped as we turned another corner for yet another insanely beautiful Bryce Canyon postcard view.
To see the Tower Bridge, you leave the Fairyland Loop trail and walk along a spur trail for 650 feet (200 m) until you come across a clearing affording good views of the arch formation.
The Tower Bridge is just as it sounds, a rock formation which looks like a bridge; nicely named! It’s interesting enough to take the time to do the side trail.
The actual Fairyland Loop Trail begins at this point and the ridgetop Bryce Canyon scenery continues to impress. The beautiful trees, the towering cliffs, the babbling brook, the hoodoos, etc. all come together to create a magical landscape. If you and your kids are physically capable, the Fairyland Loop trail is a must-do Bryce Canyon hike.
The Fairyland Loop ends at Fairyland Point. (During the warmer months you could begin your hike here as the access road will be open). If you started your hike at the Tower Bridge, you’ll hike northwest along the Rim Trail to get back to your car.
Fairyland Loop Trail is ranked a “Strenuous Bryce Canyon Hike” by the National Park Service, which I’d mostly agree with. Personally, I’d call it “lightly strenuous”. It’s officially an 8 mile / 12.9 km Bryce Canyon hike with 1,900 feet / 579 m of elevation gain.
Our GPS showed it 25% longer, but the difference is most likely the “parent miles” we put on going back and forth between kids, chasing blown off baseball caps, etc.
The elevation gain on the Fairyland Loop trail may sound scary, but in reality it comes in three major uphill sections, which we didn’t find too difficult.
Our kids hiked 5.6 miles of the 9.3 miles we hiked, which was their best hiking distance ever! They hiked mostly the downhill and flat sections of the Fairyland Loop, while we used our carriers for the uphill sections.
AllTrails Map
Get directions to the trailhead and the Fairyland Loop trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
2. Queen’s Garden Trail
The relative ease of getting incredible views and seeing hoodoos up close makes Queen’s Garden Trail one of Bryce Canyon National Park’s most popular hikes.
We started out at Sunset Point and walked north on the on the easy & paved Rim Trail. The views of the famous Bryce Canyon hoodoos from the Queen’s Garden trail are pretty incredible.
You don’t even need to do any real hiking to enjoy the vistas as the views begin just minutes away from the parking lot. The Rim Trail is nice and flat and is an easy Bryce Canyon walk for anyone at any fitness level. There are many benches to sit and enjoy the view along the way.
Before long we arrived at Sunrise Point, which is another Bryce Canyon lookout point with great views of the rock formations below. The Queen’s Garden trailhead is found here, heading east and descending into the canyon for some up-close encounters with the park’s most famous landmarks.
The Queen’s Garden hiking trail becomes especially fun at this stage, winding down, around and even through some of the hoodoos. Only when you are up close can you get an appreciation for the sheer size of these incredible rock formations.
The Queen’s Garden trail was mostly dry, but had some snow and some mud along the way, so we were glad to be wearing proper hiking boots. The trail into the canyon is single-file in places, with two-way foot traffic and has lots of pretty steep drop offs, so watch your kids very closely.
There is approximately 500 feet (150 m) of elevation gain on the Queen’s Garden hike, so you’ll work up a sweat as you walk back up to the Rim Trail, but it is definitely worth the effort!
Most people who are reasonably fit should be able to enjoy the Queen’s Garden hike. Our 3 year old son was able to walk the whole 2.8 mile / 4.4 km all by himself. Our 5 year old could have, but she was not feeling well and we carried her back to the top.
Facilities: There is a building within the parking lot which has bathrooms and potable water fountains for your water bladders.
AllTrails Map
Get the Queen’s Garden trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
3. Mossy Cave Trail
The Mossy Cave hike is on the east side of Bryce Canyon National Park just off Highway 12. Mossy Cave is an extremely popular Bryce Canyon kid-friendly hike as it is really easy and short (1 mile / 1.6 km each direction), has a waterfall and a cave with either moss or icicles.
The Mossy Cave Trail is also a scenic Bryce Canyon hike, following along a milky white river with hoodoos and arches looming overhead. The kids will enjoy crossing the bridges and balancing on fallen tree trunks. In the grand scheme of things, the waterfall on the Mossy Cave trail isn’t much, but it’s still a pretty nice sight.
The Mossy Cave is pretty small, but it’s unique in that it offers something different to look at depending on season. In the warmer months, the cave will be filled with moss and in the colder months it’ll be filled with giant icicles.
When we hiked the Mossy Cave trail in April, it was a great time to visit as there were still many large icicles, but we could also see moss starting to grow on the cave walls.
AllTrails Map
Get directions to the trailhead and the Mossy Cave trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
More Things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park with Kids
Bryce Canyon Junior Ranger Program
One of the best things to do in Bryce Canyon for kids is the Junior Ranger program (for kids ages 3 and up.) To earn a Bryce Canyon Junior Ranger badge, kids must attend at least one Bryce Canyon Ranger Program and complete a series of fun (and educational…) age-appropriate activities from an activity book you can pick up from the Visitor Center Information Desk.
The older the kid, the more Junior Ranger activities they need to complete. One of the required activities will be to pick up some trash within the national park, so bring a little garbage bag with you.
Once a Bryce Canyon Park Ranger has confirmed your child has completed all the required activities, they will lead your child in saying a Junior Ranger oath and present them with a Bryce Canyon Junior Ranger badge.
Our kids love the Junior Ranger programs. They keep our family outings interesting for them and they learn a lot about nature and the park we are visiting. I’m not ashamed to admit I learned a ton too!
We highly recommend your kids become Bryce Canyon Junior Rangers too!
“I Hiked the Hoodoos” Medallions
To encourage kids to be active within Bryce Canyon National Park, they have hidden 9 “I Hiked the Hoodoos” medallions throughout the park. They can be found on Interpretive Signs on some of Bryce Canyon’s most popular hikes.
Kids who take pencil rubbings or photos of three medallions will earn a reward at the Visitor Center.
Bryce Canyon Visitor Center
The Bryce Canyon National Park Visitor Center is pretty cool for kids with good interpretive displays about the formation of the canyon, early settlers and wildlife who call the park home. It’s worth a stop for sure, although good luck keeping your kids out of the gift shop!
Easy Nearby Add-Ons (Red Canyon + Kodachrome)
As amazing as Bryce Canyon National Park is, there are two amazing parks nearby which are worth a visit for some different, yet equally amazing scenery. During our 5 days in Bryce Canyon with kids, we enjoyed some family hiking in the Red Canyon and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
3 Kid-Friendly Hikes in Red Canyon
We first laid eyes on Red Canyon in the Dixie National Forest as we drove towards Bryce Canyon. We were blown away by the beauty of the Red Canyon area and promised ourselves to come back and enjoy some time here.
The Red Canyon area is incredibly beautiful but is much quiter than its more famous neighbor Bryce Canyon gets. I enjoyed the ancient, windblown, gnarled trees as much as I did the red rock hoodoos.
These kid-friendly Red Canyon hikes can be enjoyed by anyone in moderate condition. Our kids were able to hike all three back-to-back with no help. The Red Canyon hiking trails are often narrow and on the side of a hill with loose rocks, so watch your little ones carefully.
We ultimately spent a full day hiking Red Canyon with kids, combining a series of three shorter hikes into a single, amazing outing. We parked at this small roadside lot just west of the Red Canyon Visitor Center as all three of our Red Canyon hikes started here.
1. Bird’s Eye Trail
We began our day of hiking Red Canyon with kids on the easy one-way Bird’s Eye Trail (0.8 mile / 1.5 km).
The Bird’s Eye trail starts off through thick forest beneath the massive red hoodoos which loom overhead. The trail slowly and gently snakes its way up the hillside, bringing you much closer to the hoodoos.
Once you reach the summit of the Bird’s Eye trail, you will be rewarded two ways: 1) you can really appreciate the size and beauty of these massive rock formations and 2) the vistas of the Red Canyon from above are quite spectacular.
The Bird’s Eye hiking trail eventually starts to descend and reaches the highway. We returned to our car via the paved Red Canyon Bicycle Trail (which is one the opposite side of the highway).
AllTrails Map
Get directions to the trailhead and the Bird’s Eye trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
2. Pink Ledges Trail
Once back at our car, we walked to the Red Canyon Visitor Center and found the Pink Ledges trailhead at the far side of the parking lot.
The Pink Ledges Trail is similar to the Bird’s Eye Trail, but it’s shorter (0.7 miles / 1.1 km) and gets you up close to a dense cluster of pink hoodoos, which have interesting ledge formations within them.
This collection of hoodoos are really quite stunning and are definitely worth the easy effort to hike up the Pink Ledges trail to see them.
AllTrails Map
Get directions to the trailhead and the Pink Ledges trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
3. Golden Wall Trail / Castle Bridge Trail Loop
After a well deserved lunch on a fallen log in the forest, we crossed to the south side of the highway to do our third and final kid-friendly Red Canyon hike of the day, the Golden Wall Trail to the Castle Bridge Trail Loop.
The Golden Wall hiking trail begins with a slight uphill walk through a beautiful, old growth forest. There are not many views of hoodoos at this stage, but the ancient, windblown trees are incredibly beautiful.
There are Ponderosa Punes scattered through the forest, which are great fun for kids. No, really! Have them go up and smell the bark; it smells sweet. People disagree on the smell, but many think Ponderosa Pine bark smells like butterscotch, vanilla or even baked cookies! (I’m in the butterscotch camp).
After a short hike through the forest, you will come to a junction; the Castle Bridge trailhead is to the left. The Castle Bridge Trail becomes slightly more challenging, but the views are incredible.
The Castle Bridge Trail begins at the bottom of a valley, with a massive wall of red rock hoodoos looming overhead on the left canyon wall. The hiking trail winds up the right wall of the canyon, offering many different views of the spectacular hoodoos.
The Castle Bridge trail can get a little steep in spots, but it’s not too bad. Eventually, the Castle Bridge Trail crests at the top of the ridge and you follow it along the top for a while, again enjoying amazing views of the area.
Eventually the Castle Bridge Trail ends and meets up with the Golden Wall Trail again. Turn right here to head back towards the parking lot.
AllTrails Map
Get directions to the trailhead and the Golden Wall Trail to Castle Bridge trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
Kid-Friendly Hikes in Kodachrome Basin State Park
Kodachrome Basin State Park is approximately 30 minutes southeast of Bryce Canyon. It is not part of Bryce Canyon National Park, so you’ll need to pay a modest admission charge.
Kodachrome Basin is close enough to Bryce Canyon National Park that is seems similar in topography, but it’s different enough to make the trip down here worthwhile.
The hoodoos and cliffs in Kodachrome Basin have a massive layer of white sediment sitting on top of the red, which makes for a really interesting effect.
1. Angel’s Palace Trail
The Angel’s Palace Trail is an incredibly fun kid-friendly Kodachrome Basin hike. This 1.5 mile (2.5 km) hiking loop begins with a short walk through the bottom of a canyon. The cliff walls in Kodachrome Basin are different than they are at Bryce Canyon; they are much smoother and quite interesting to look at.
Once the canyon ends, the Angel’s Palace Trail climbs the back canyon wall until you are up top, looking down on the canyon. The hiking trail stays elevated and winds its way through many interesting rock formations, all the while offering excellent views of Kodachrome Basin State Park and beyond.
Your kids will have a great time racing and climbing their way through this interesting Kodachrome Basin hiking trail. As is typical in this area, there are many sharp drop-offs, so watch your kids closely.
AllTrails Map
Get directions to the trailhead and the Angel’s Palace trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
2. Panorama Trail
Panorama Trail is an easy 3.1 mile / 5 km loop which winds through the beautiful red rock monoliths found in the west side of the park (there are add-on trails which can add up to 3 additional miles to this hike).
The kid-friendly Panorama Trail is nice and flat with no extended elevation gains or losses. The views of the red rocks with the towering white cliffs beyond are stunning. The kids had a lot of fun finding shiny crystals in rocks found in-and-around the trail!
We added the short but fun Secret Passage loop to our hike, which took us through a tight little canyon and up close to the edge of one of the red mountains.
AllTrails Map
Get directions to the trailhead and the Panorama Trail map on your phone with the AllTrails app.
Where to Eat in Bryce Canyon with Kids
Bryce Canyon Pines Restaurant
The Bryce Canyon Pines Restaurant is a popular, kid-friendly restaurant near Bryce Canyon that specializes in sandwiches and pies. It has a similar price point to the Canyon Diner, but the quality was way better, so if you are able, come here instead.
Celine enjoyed her French Dip, while I devoured my Club House with snowshoe sweet potato fries. The kids split orders of chicken fingers and mac and cheese.
For dessert, we demolished a chocolate cream pie. It was so good, I bet it lasted less than 2 minutes with 4 hungry forks digging into it!
We got a table at the Bryce Canyon Pines restaurant easy enough at 5 PM, but there was a big lineup to get in as we left at 6.
Bryce Canyon Pines Restaurant on Google Maps
The Pizza Place
This kid-friendly pizza restaurant is also located in Tropic. The kids had just finished breaking their hiking distance record, so we wanted to reward them with a big pizza and ice cream feast.
The kids devoured a 50/25/25 Hawaiian/Pepperoni/Cheese pizza while we split a large Navajo Taco pizza (with ground beef, beans, lettuce, tomato and sour cream).
We had read about Navajo Tacos being a unique Utah food, so when we saw the pizza variation on the Pizza Place menu, we had to give it a try, and we’re glad we did!
The Pizza Place on Google Maps
Canyon Diner
It can be expensive traveling to Bryce Canyon with kids, so the Canyon Diner is a good alternative for families looking for inexpensive kid-friendly food.
Our kids loved their cheese pizza and I thought my chicken finger combo was decent, but Celine said her cheeseburger was pretty awful.
Where to Stay in Bryce Canyon National Park with Kids
Kid-Friendly Bryce Canyon Hotels
For our family trip to Bryce Canyon National Park, we stayed 5 nights at the Best Western Plus Ruby Inn. Just minutes outside the national park, this rustic, massive Bryce Canyon hotel complex is good value for the money, considering its amazing location.
The Best Western Plus Ruby Inn offers great amenities for kids, with an indoor swimming pool, hot tub and a very well stocked gift shop with groceries and all kinds of stuff your kids will beg you for. Most guests of the Ruby Inn will enjoy a complimentary buffet breakfast in the onsite restaurant. The buffet is large with a decent selection of hot and cold dishes to choose from.
There is a newer (and less rustic…) Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel across the highway. It tends to be more expensive than the Ruby Inn though…
Bryce Canyon Vacation Home Rentals
Although we chose to stay at a family-friendly Bryce Canyon hotel this time, when we travel we typically try to find a kid-friendly Airbnb or VRBO. As a family with small kids, we really like our own bedrooms, a full kitchen and laundry facilities. There are lots of kid-friendly Bryce Canyon vacation rentals on Airbnb or VRBO.
If you are interested camping near Bryce Canyon National Park, you can choose between two campsites within the national park; the North Campground and the Sunset Campground.
We did a lot of camping with our kids in Utah, but we passed on camping at Bryce Canyon National Park as both locations were first-come, first-serve. Coming all the way down from Canada, we couldn’t take the risk of not getting a guaranteed spot at a Bryce Canyon campground.
What to Bring to Bryce Canyon National Park
The best thing to do in Bryce Canyon with kids is hiking. We’re minimalists when it comes to hiking gear, but here is what we would recommend you bring with you on your family hikes in Bryce Canyon each day:
The most important consideration when visiting Bryce Canyon National Park with kids is to protect them against the sun. For sun protection we recommend kids wear hiking hats and sunscreen, while carrying water bladders for the adults and kids will help keep everyone hydrated.
The National Park Service Junior Ranger program encourages kids to pick up 3 pieces of garbage on every hike. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone did that? At a minimum, bring a small garbage bag to carry out your own trash, and even better, carry out someone else’s too.
If you plan on doing a lot of hiking in Bryce Canyon with your kids, take a moment to check out our Tips for Hiking with Kids and the Best Hiking Gear for Kids. The miles will go faster and you’ll all have more fun with these hiking songs for kids.
Visiting Other Utah National Parks with Kids
No family trip to Utah would be complete without a visit to all of the Mighty 5 National Parks! We’ve got you covered with detailed posts on all the hikes we did and where we stayed here:
- Arches National Park with Kids
- Canyonlands National Park with Kids
- Capitol Reef National Park with Kids
- Zion National Park with Kids.
We also highly recommend a stop at Goblin Valley State Park with kids!
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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