Bryce Canyon National Park Camping
notifications Text me when there's a cancellation at Bryce Canyon National Park
Overview
A brief introduction to Bryce Canyon National Park
Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park's high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.
Bryce Canyon National Park () is a national park of the United States located in southwestern Utah. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rock. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce Canyon National Park is much smaller and sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).
The area is in portions of Garfield County and Kane County.
The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. The area was originally designated as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and was redesignated as a national park by Congress in 1928. The park covers 35,835 acres (55.992 sq mi; 14,502 ha; 145.02 km2) and receives substantially fewer visitors than Zion National Park (nearly 4.3 million in 2016) or Grand Canyon National Park (almost 6 million in 2016), largely due to Bryce's more remote location. In 2023, Bryce Canyon received 2,461,269.
ARE Bryce Canyon National Park campsites SOLD OUT?
We can help! Many campsite reservations are cancelled daily. Just tell us when you’d like to camp at Bryce Canyon National Park, and how long you want to camp for. We’ll text you when a suitable spot opens up!
Scan for cancellationsContact Bryce Canyon National Park
- Recreation.gov
- Booking site: https://www.recreation.gov
Spotted an error?
Whoops! Sometimes we make mistakes. Want to help improve the Bryce Canyon National Park listing? Please suggest a correction.
Other nearby parks
Open to camping at other nearby parks? Here are a few other parks you'll find in the vicinity.
Reviews
Camper reviews for Bryce Canyon National Park
Wish we had more time at Bryce!
We spent one night at North Camground in Bryce Canyon. I love the location of this campground. You can walk to the rim trail, we even took our coffee there in the morning to watch the sunrise, and you can walk to the market where they have showers! These showers were key after 2 long days of traveling and exploring Zion.
We only had time for one hike in Bryce, so we did the Navajo and Queens Garden loop. The gentleman working the store suggeted we start by going down "Wall Street" and return via Queens Garden. I think either would have been great but I enjoyed Wall Street going down for sure.
The market is small but well stocked, and as I mentioned the showers were great. Resonably priced and 8 minutes which was perfect. We even went to the lodge to check it out, it is a very cool histroical place. I think I still prefer camping, but I was glad to explore the lodge a bit.
I wish we had more time at Bryce, it was a cooler temperature than the rest of the Utah parks which was a relief. And the hoodoos are so amazing. I would definitely plan for 2 nights there at least nist time.
Amy Mattison reviewed Bryce Canyon National Park
on September 7th, 2023
Map
View a map of Bryce Canyon National Park
UNABLE TO RESERVE A CAMPSITE?
Get notified when a sold-out campground has availability
Tell us when, where, and how long you want to camp for. We’ll notify you (via SMS) when a suitable spot opens up at that campground—so you can nab that sold-out campsite reservation!
