5 Best Places for Photos of Bryce Canyon
Last Updated on April 23, 2024 by Kelly
Bryce Canyon National Park will take your breath away. Between the deep reds of the canyon, the maze of hoodoos (tall columns of rocks), and the ponderosa pines, you’ll be thanking yourself for booking a trip to this incredible park. If this is your first time visiting Bryce Canyon, you’ll want to make sure that you see the park from its best vantage points. In this post, we’re sharing the 5 best places for photos at Bryce Canyon National Park. Be sure to add each of these locations to your itinerary!
Best Places for Photos at Bryce Canyon National Park
The top 5 best views you absolutely have to see based on our experience at Bryce Canyon National Park are:
- Sunrise Point
- Sunset Point
- Inspiration Point
- Bryce Point
- Mossy Cave Trail
These were our favorite spots when we visited this past June. Each of these spots gave a unique view of the park and provided some pretty epic photo opportunities!
1. Sunrise Point
There’s a reason that Sunrise Point is the first stop within the park. You’ll see the entire canyon in all its glory from this viewpoint. This was my first view of the canyon, and it completely stopped me in my tracks. After following a small trail from the parking lot to the canyon rim, we were suddenly rewarded with a full view of Bryce Canyon. I just stood there trying to take it all in.
The colors caught my eyes first. The rocks of the canyon were impossibly red. I had never seen rocks with such vibrant colors at that large of a scale. Then I noticed the canyon was filled with hundreds of rock spires. Then I looked to the horizon, and such just how expansive this view was: I could see for miles in every direction. I’ll never forget my first look at Bryce Canyon, and that’s why I recommend that you start here too!
Sunrise Point is the first of 4 points that provide a viewpoint of the main amphitheater. It was named Sunrise Point by early lodge operators. Sunrise Point is a great place to watch either the sunrise or the sunset, so feel free to visit this place at different times of day!
If you have some time for hiking, you can take the Queens Garden Trail down into the canyon from this viewpoint. It’s the easiest hike into the canyon itself if you want to walk among the hoodoos! (Just remember, what goes down must come back up!)
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Looking for a fun idea? Try horseback riding at Bryce Canyon!
2. Sunset Point
After viewing Sunrise Point, I highly recommend that you walk the Rim Trail to Sunrise Point. If you only have time for one trail, I recommend you do this one! You’ll get to walk along the canyon rim and get to see the main amphitheater from multiple viewpoints. There are many benches along the way, and there are nonstop views the entire way.
The view from Sunset Point will allow you to see richer colors of the canyon (thanks to the Claron Formation), and the hoodoos are even more tightly packed beneath this viewpoint.
And if you want to do a hike, the Navajo Loop Trailhead is located at Sunset Point.
3. Inspiration Point
The name says it all. Inspiration Point is, in a word, inspirational. From the viewing platform, you’ll get an almost aerial view of the canyon below you. From this vantage point, you’ll get a clear view of the Silent City, which is where the highest concentration of hoodoos are located.
4. Bryce Point
Bryce Point is an excellent point to watch the sunrise. The morning light will hit the hoodoos just right so that the bright red of the rock almost looks like it is on fire. From Bryce Point, you will be able to see a full view of the canyon to the north. It’s one of the most beautiful places for photos within Bryce Canyon National Park.
5. Mossy Cave Trail
Our last view is actually a bit off the beaten path, but still very accessible. While the above points are within the park’s main entrance, the Mossy Cave Trail is a separate drive to the southeast. We hiked this trail after having seen the “main sights” of Bryce Canyon, and it quickly became one of our favorites of the whole trip! It’s less than a mile long roundtrip, so it’s easy to complete this trail if you are short on time. On this trail, you’ll get to see hoodoos, a stream, a grotto, a turret arch, and a waterfall. This hike has it all! We liked it so much, we wrote a full post on the Mossy Cave Trail about our experience.
One of our favorite photos at Bryce Canyon National Park was taken by the first bridge on the Mossy Cave Trail. If you stand down by the stream, you can take a photo of the bridge and the hoodoos behind it.
Psst… looking for a hotel near Bryce Canyon? We stayed at the Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel, and we would recommend it to others!
We also really liked taking photos of the waterfall at the Mossy Cave Trail. You won’t see other waterfalls like this one at Bryce Canyon, so it’s definitely a treat to hike along the water.
In addition to hoodoos, you’ll also see unique geographical features like this turret arch.
The Mossy Cave Trail is definitely one of the best places for photos at Bryce Canyon National Park!
Bryce Canyon was just one of our stops during our 3-week road trip to Utah and Arizona. Be sure to check out our trip highlights!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best view of Bryce Canyon?
Bryce Canyon National Park contains numerous overlooks with excellent views of the canyon. These include Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, Sunrise Point, and Sunset Point. Of these, our favorite viewpoint was at Sunset Point. We were able to see lots of hoodoos, and the colors were extraordinarily vibrant.
Where is the best place to watch the sunset at Bryce Canyon?
We recommend that you watch the sunset at Sunset Point. The already vibrant colors of the canyon will absolutely glow during golden house and sunset.
Summary
Visiting Bryce Canyon National Park is a photographer’s dream. As you prepare for your trip, we definitely recommend that you visit the following locations for photography: Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, and the Mossy Cave Trail. We hope that this post about the 5 best locations for photos was helpful to you!
Disclaimer: We always strive for content accuracy. Since the time of publishing, travel-related information regarding pricing, schedules, and hours may have changed. Please look up such information directly from each vendor or institution for the most current information.
