Bryce Canyon National Monument
Open all year. Bryce Canyon is a series of giant amphitheaters with millions of pink rock pinnacles called "hoodoos" that seem to glow at sunrise and sunset. These limestone formations in Bryce Canyon have been shaped and colored through erosion and oxidation of iron in the sediment. There's no place in the world quite like Bryce Canyon National Park.
Camping
Bryce Canyon National Park has two campgrounds located in close proximity to the Visitor Center, Bryce Canyon Lodge and the geologic wonder that is the Bryce Amphitheater. Backcountry camping information is also available. Both have restrooms with flush toilets, and drinking water. During the summer months token-operated laundry and shower facilities are available at the general store nearby. A fee-for-use dump station is available for RV users at the south end of North Campground.
Both campgrounds are located in Ponderosa Pine forest habitat with equal amounts of shade and sun, giving them a similar appearance. Neither campground has hook-ups, but a fee-for-use sanitary dump station is available seasonally near North Campground. All sites are limited to 10 people (with no more than 6 adults (adult=15 and up)), 3 tents and 2 vehicles and cost $10 per night. Holders of special such as the Golden Age and Golden Access get a 50% discount. Sites fill by early afternoon during the summer months. Click for a map of both campgrounds.
Back County Camping
BACKCOUNTRY OVERVIEW
Bryce Canyon's backcountry trails offer solitude, forests, meadows, wildlife, wildflowers and interesting geologic features. There are 8 campsites on the 22.9 mile (36.9 km) Under-the-Rim Trail. There are 4 campsites on the 8.8 mile (14.2 km) Riggs Spring Loop Trail. The trails are strenuous, with multiple changes in elevation. Elevations range from 6,800 feet (2,073 m) to 9,115 feet (2778 m).
Permits are required for all overnight stays. Permits may be purchased at the Visitor Center from 8 a.m. until one hour before closing. We do not accept advance reservations via the internet or mail. Reservations may be made up to 48 hours in advance, in person, at the visitor center.
- $5 - per permit / 1-2 persons / 7 nights maximum
- $10 - per permit / 3-6 persons / 7 nights maximum
- $15 - per permit / 7-15 persons (Group sites ONLY) / 7 nights maximum
Camp only at designated campsites. Leave no trace.
There is no shuttle service which serves the backcountry.
Water can be found at Right Fork Yellow Creek, Yellow Creek Groupsite, Yellow Creek, Sheep Creek, Iron Spring, Riggs Spring and Yovimpa Pass. Water must be purified by boiling (10 minutes), filtering or iodine treatment.
Open fires are not permitted. Camp stoves are permitted.
The 10 regular backcountry campsites are limited to a maximum of 6 people per site. The 2 group sites can have up to 15 persons.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Star Gazing Program
History
March 13, 1919: Utah Joint Memorial passed legislation which read in part: We urge that the Congress of the United States set aside for the use and enjoyment of the people a suitable area embracing "Bryce's Canyon" as a national monument under the name: "Temple of the Gods National Monument."
The mission of the National Park Service at Bryce Canyon National Park is to preserve, conserve, protect, and provide for the enjoyment of nationally significant resources including spectacular geologic formations, clean air, panoramic vistas, native vegetation and wildlife and the history of human interaction with them.
Bryce Canyon National Park is a scientist's laboratory and a child's playground. Because Bryce transcends 2000 feet (650 m) of elevation, the park exists in three distinct climatic zones: spruce/fir forest, Ponderosa Pine forest, and Pinyon Pine/juniper forest. This diversity of habitat provides for high biodiversity. Here at Bryce, you can enjoy over 100 species of birds, dozens of mammals, and more than a thousand plant species.
It is the uniqueness of the rocks that caused Bryce Canyon to be designated as a national park. These famous spires, called "hoodoos," are formed when ice and rainwater wear away the weak limestone that makes up the Claron Formation. However, the hoodoos' geologic story is also closely tied to the rest of the Grand Staircase region and the Cedar and Black Mountains volcanic complex.
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Bryce Canyon is a small national park in southwestern Utah. Named after the Mormon Pioneer Ebenezer Bryce, Bryce Canyon became a national park in 1924.
Bryce is famous for its worldly unique geology, consisting of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colorful limestone rock of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos." Tinted with colors too numerous and subtle to name, these whimsically arranged rocks create a wondrous landscape of mazes, offering some of the most exciting and memorable walks and hikes imaginable.
Ponderosa pines, high elevation meadows, and fir-spruce forests border the rim of the plateau and abound with wildlife. This area boasts some of the world's best air quality, offering panoramic views of three states and approaching 200 miles of visibility. This, coupled with the lack of nearby large light sources, creates unparalleled opportunities for stargazing.
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Historic Resource Study
Introduction
Small by National Park standards, the 56.2 square miles of Bryce Canyon National Park occupy the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in south-central Utah. The park is not a canyon. Rather, it is a spectacular series of more than a dozen amphitheaters, each of which is carved at least 1,000 feet into the chromatic limestone of the Paunsaugunt Plateau
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