One Day in Bryce Canyon with Kids: The Perfect Itinerary

We have visited Bryce Canyon several times as a family, and plan to return. We’ve stayed overnight, but almost always do it as a day trip from another location. While you certainly can make an entire family vacation around this one park and the surrounding area, many visitors only spend one day in Bryce Canyon. Let me help you figure out what activities would be best for your family with only one day to explore.

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Big Picture

When spending one day in Bryce Canyon, you want to consider the following before making any set plans:

• Who is with you? We’ve been to Bryce Canyon with babies in carriers, toddlers, school-aged children, teens, 20-somethings, and retirees. It truly is a park for everyone. However, not every activity is for everyone. Consider who will be with you, who might feel left out, and if everyone has enough stamina for the more rigorous hikes.
  
• What kind of gear do you have? If Bryce Canyon is just a quick stopover from other destinations where you weren’t hiking, make sure you have proper hiking gear and supplies. Bryce Canyon has several options that don’t require special gear, so if you only have flip-flops and one water bottle for the whole family, stick to the simpler sites rather than a hike down into the canyon.
  
• When are you visiting? One day in Bryce Canyon can be worth it no matter the time of year. However, considering the season and weather can help you better plan activities and schedule enough time for them all.
  
  Summer is fantastic, but crowded and hot at midday. Extra traffic congestion or needing the shuttle and the heat may slow you down. Winter is beautiful, but you may want to rent extra gear like snowshoes or cross-country skis. Rentals take additional time as does hiking in snowshoes, and some trails may be closed. Spring and Fall can be great, but be aware of Spring Break and Fall Break, particularly the breaks for Utah schools. And of course, the sunrise and sunset times vary according to the seasons, so your available daylight hours may be more limited.
  
• Where are you coming from and where are you going to? Are you stopping by Bryce Canyon on your way between two different locations? If so, you will want to make sure you leave early enough in the morning to get there and leave Bryce Canyon in time to arrive at your next destination. Making Bryce Canyon City a stopover on your road trip may be a nice way to break up a long drive and give you more time in the park the next day before moving on to your next destination.
  
• Why are you visiting? Is simply visiting a bucket list item you want to check off? Are you hitting as many parks with your 4th grader who has a free pass? Are there certain sites you want to see or hikes you want to explore? Do you want to see all the hoodoos and bristlecone pines you can find? Do your kids want to complete the Junior Ranger program while there? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you know what activities to prioritize when planning your visit.

Fill in the Details

Once you have an idea of the big picture, it’s time to pick your activities and when you will do each of them. By no means must you have a rigid, timed itinerary for one day in Bryce Canyon. However, having a rough idea of where you are going and how long you will spend at each stop can help you keep a good pace and maximize your time in the park. Just be open to skipping an activity if your family is enjoying a particular site. No need to rush through for the sake of the itinerary.

So with no further ado, here is my ideal one-day in Bryce Canyon itinerary with kids.

Who: Family of 5 with children between 4 and 10 years old

What: Tennis shoes, snacks, lunch in our cooler, water for everyone (hike ready). My current favorite water bottle is this Owala one – the perfect size and light to carry. The insulated ones are great too, but they get too heavy for me.

When: Mid-October, Utah Fall Break

Where: Spent the night in Bryce Canyon City and will be driving to Provo that night.

Why: It’s a family favorite and we want to try a new hike.

Morning

7:30 am – Wake up, get dressed

8:00 am – Breakfast at the hotel

9:00 am – Arrive at the visitor center to get trail updates, use the bathroom, fill the waters, and pick up Junior Ranger books.

Make sure to bring your booklets and a pencil with you throughout your day and fill them out when you take breaks. Bryce Canyon offers an additional challenge called “Hike the Hoodoos”. This does require a minimum of three miles of hiking, but if you follow the itinerary below you will be able to meet the requirements. Make sure to take a picture or do a pencil rubbing at each designated marker on the way to earn your prize (a water bottle sticker when we went.)

9:30 am – Drive to Sunrise Point and hike Tower Bridge (3 miles, 2-3 hours). Eat lunch while taking a break on the trail. (Another popular option would be the Navajo Loop/Queen’s Garden Trail.)

Afternoon

12:30 pm – Bathroom breaks, snack breaks, work on Junior Ranger books

1:00 pm – Hike from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point and back

2:00 pm – Leave for Bristlecone Loop Trail

2:30 pm – Hike Bristlecone Loop Trail

4:00 pm – Arrive back at the visitor center to earn Junior Ranger badges

Evening

5:00 pm – Grab Subway for dinner (located just outside of the park)

5:30 pm – Hike around Mossy Cave

6:30 pm – Drive to Provo (3 1/2 hours)

This would be a long day for the kids (and parents!), but I planned the longest and hardest hike first, added some less strenuous activities in between, and tried to plan in some buffer time for happy distractions and/or meltdowns (probably both). If the day started to get away from us, we could decide to skip either Bristlecone Loop or Mossy Cave. Both are a little outside of the main Bryce Canyon area and it takes longer to travel to them.

Only One Day in Bryce Canyon? You Bet!

As you can see, a family can pack a lot into 10 hours at Bryce Canyon. If you have a shorter amount of time, reconsider what you most want to see. If you’re there for the views, then head to the lookouts and take it all in. On the other hand, if you really want to get down into the canyon, then that may be your one and only hike for the day. There is no wrong or right way to spend one day in Bryce Canyon, except if you skip it.

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