The Best Western Bryce Canyon Grand puts you at the center of one of the most spectacular collections of natural landscapes in the American Southwest. Bryce Canyon National Park is a mile from the front door, and within a two-hour drive you can reach Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Kodachrome Basin, and Lake Powell. Use the guide below to plan your days and make the most of your time in southern Utah.
Exploring Bryce Canyon National Park
0.5 Miles from the Hotel · Paid Access · Open Year-round
Bryce Canyon National Park sits at over 8,000 feet on the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, looking down into a series of natural amphitheaters filled with thousands of hoodoos, those iconic spires of red, orange, and white limestone carved by millions of years of frost and erosion. No photograph fully prepares you for the scale of it in person. Plan at least a full day here, though most visitors wish they had planned for two.
Bryce Canyon Viewpoints
The scenic drive connects thirteen overlooks along the rim. Bryce Point and Inspiration Point offer the most dramatic panoramas across the full amphitheater. Sunrise Point and Sunset Point are the most accessible and the best spots to catch the early morning light that turns the hoodoos a deep amber. Rainbow Point at the southern end of the park sits at 9,115 feet with views stretching across three states on a clear day.
Hiking in Bryce Canyon
The most rewarding experiences come from descending into the canyon rather than just viewing it from the rim.
Navajo Loop Trail (1.3 miles, strenuous) — Drops into the canyon through a dramatic slot called Wall Street, winds among towering hoodoos, and climbs back out via a different route. Allow 1.5 hours.
Queens Garden Trail (1.8 miles, moderate) — The easiest descent into the canyon. Often combined with the Navajo Loop for a 2.9-mile loop covering the best of the main amphitheater.
Rim Trail (11 miles, easy) — A mostly flat walk connecting all major viewpoints along the canyon rim. The section between Sunrise and Sunset Point is paved and accessible for all fitness levels.
Bryce Canyon Transportation
The free Bryce Canyon Shuttle runs daily from late May through early September, stopping at all major viewpoints and trailheads. The shuttle stop is a short walk from the hotel near Ruby's Inn, making it easy to skip the Bryce Canyon parking situation entirely on busy summer days.
Travel tip: Â Bryce Canyon sits at over 8,000 feet so temperatures are cooler than the surrounding desert and nights can drop into the 40s even in July. Bring layers regardless of the time of year.
Other Nearby Attractions
Red Canyon
10 Minute Drive · Free to Access · Open Year-round
Often called the most photographed place in Utah, Red Canyon sits right along Scenic Byway 12 on the way into Bryce Canyon. Part of the Dixie National Forest, it features brilliant scarlet rock formations rising dramatically against a backdrop of deep green ponderosa pines, a color combination that stops most visitors in their tracks. The trail system is extensive and varied, with options for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, and ATV riders.
Popular trails include Pink Ledges, Hoodoo, Birdseye, and Golden Wall, plus the 21-mile Red Canyon Bicycle Trail that connects all the way to Bryce Canyon City. It is an easy and rewarding stop before or after the national park, and because it is less visited, you will often have the trails to yourself.
Best for: Hiking, mountain biking, photography, and a quieter alternative to Bryce Canyon.
Cedar Breaks National Monument
1 Hour Drive · Paid entry
Cedar Breaks is Bryce Canyon's lesser-known but equally spectacular neighbor. Crowning the Markagunt Plateau at over 10,000 feet, it looks down into a half-mile deep natural amphitheater of hoodoos and spires painted in vivid shades of pink, red, orange, and purple — similar to Bryce but without the crowds.
The scenic roads through the park are open to vehicles from May through mid-November, offering easy access to breathtaking overlooks. Ancient bristlecone pine trees, some of the oldest living organisms on Earth, line the hiking trails along the rim. On clear summer nights, Cedar Breaks is an internationally certified Dark Sky Park and one of the best places in Utah for stargazing. In winter, the road closes to vehicles but the park stays open for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and guided snowshoe hikes with rangers.
Zion National Park
1.5 Hour Drive · Paid entry · Open year-round
Zion is one of the most visited national parks in America, and a short drive from Bryce Canyon makes it an easy addition to any southern Utah itinerary. The park is a canyon of brilliant green set against soaring red cliffs, with the Virgin River carving its way through the sandstone below.
Angel's Landing, The Narrows, and Emerald Pools are among the most famous trails in the national park system, ranging from easy riverside walks to strenuous summit climbs. The park is accessible year-round via Highway 9 from I-15, and the free Zion shuttle runs through the main canyon during peak season, making it easy to access trailheads without worrying about parking.
Best for: Hiking, canyoneering, scenic drives, and family visits.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
40 Minute Drive · Free Access · Open year-round
At nearly 1.9 million acres, Grand Staircase-Escalante is one of the largest and most remote protected landscapes in the United States. Stretching from the boundary of Bryce Canyon National Park east toward Capitol Reef and south to the Arizona border, it encompasses slot canyons, towering cliffs, ancient fossils, and Native American rock art across an almost incomprehensible expanse of desert wilderness.
The Escalante Canyons area is the most accessible, with popular destinations like Calf Creek Falls, Peek-a-Boo Gulch, and Spooky Gulch drawing hikers and canyoneers. The monument borders Bryce Canyon directly and visiting both on the same trip gives you a remarkable contrast of landscapes and an experience of southern Utah that most visitors never get to see.
Best for: Slot canyons, hiking, canyoneering, photography, and off-road exploration.
Kodachrome Basin State Park
40 Minute Drive · Paid entry · Open year-round
Named after the famous Kodak film by a National Geographic expedition team who visited in 1948, Kodachrome Basin is one of Utah's most visually striking state parks. The landscape is dotted with 67 monolithic stone spires called sand pipes, a geological feature found almost nowhere else on Earth, set against layered red and white canyon walls that reveal over 180 million years of geological history.
The park offers several hiking trails ranging from easy walks to longer backcountry routes, as well as horseback riding, camping, and some of the most vivid sunset photography opportunities in southern Utah. It is easy to combine with a visit to Grand Staircase-Escalante on the same day.
Best for: Photography, hiking, camping, horseback riding, and geology enthusiasts.
Lake Powell
2.5 Hour Drive · Paid entry · Open year-round
Lake Powell is one of the most dramatic reservoir landscapes in the American West, stretching nearly 200 miles through the red rock canyon country of southern Utah and northern Arizona. Formed by the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, the lake offers access to remarkable landmarks including Rainbow Bridge National Monument, one of the largest natural bridges in the world, as well as the historic pioneer route known as Hole in the Rock.
Boating, kayaking, fishing, and houseboat rentals are popular on the lake, and the canyon walls rising directly from the water create a scenery unlike anything else in Utah. It is a longer drive from Bryce Canyon and best suited as an overnight extension of your southern Utah trip.
Best for: Boating, kayaking, photography, and multi-day itineraries.
Ready to Explore Southern Utah?
The Best Western Bryce Canyon Grand is the ideal base for experiencing everything the region has to offer. Start your mornings with a complimentary hot breakfast, take advantage of our shuttle service to the park, and come back each evening to a comfortable room just a mile from the canyon rim.
