Distance: 6.6
miles
Walking
time: 3 1/2 hours
Elevations:
600 ft. loss/gain
Sunset Point Trailhead (start): 8,000 ft.
Queens Garden: 7,600 ft.
Bryce Creek: 7,400 ft.
Trail:
Excellent, well marked trail
Season:
Summer to mid-fall. The trail is covered with snow
during the winter months. For current conditions call
the Visitor Center, Bryce Canyon National Park, at
(435) 834-5322.
Vicinity:
Bryce Canyon National Park
|
| Bryce
Canyon National Park is one place where you can see a
lot of fantastic scenery in a very short time. There are
numerous trails below the rim, especially in the area
between Sunrise Point and Bryce Point where most of the
strange rock formations are found, and a number of variations
of this hike are possible. The 6.6 mile hike I describe
here is actually a combination of three separate hikes
suggested by the Park Service: the Queens Garden Trail
(1.6 miles), the Wall Street Trail (0.7 mile), and the
Peekaboo Loop (4.8 miles). I suggest you do them all together
because the only really strenuous part of any of the hikes
is the climb out of the canyon. Why not see as much as
possible before climbing out?
From Sunset Point the trail drops off the rim into Bryce
Canyon, descending rather steeply into a forest of spires
and pinnacles, or "hoodoos". You can take
either of two trails for this portion of the hike, but
if you have ever seen the urban canyons of New York
City I suggest you take Wall Street Trail on the right.
This trail was metaphorically named after Wall Street
Canyon in Manhattan, where New York’s skyscrapers
tower over the narrow road below. The Wall Street Trail
lasts only 0.7 mile, but in this distance you descend
520 feet. This is close to the lowest point on the hike,
so you can relax for the next 4 1/2 miles.
Turn right at the trail junction at the bottom of Wall
Street and head for the Peekaboo Loop. After 0.3 mile
there is another junction where you will need to make
another right turn and walk a few hundred feet to the
beginning of the Peekaboo Loop. When you reach the beginning
of the loop I suggest you take the left fork and walk
around it in a clockwise direction. The Wall of Windows,
which is the highlight of Peekaboo, should be approached
from the south, its most impressive side.
As you enter the loop you will see the Fairy Castle
above you on the left and Bryce Point straight ahead.
If you have good eyes you will probably be able to see
people on Bryce Point looking down at you. They are
about a mile away and 900 feet higher. You will probably
also notice that the Peekaboo Loop is a horse trail.
During the summer horses can be hired at the Bryce Canyon
Lodge for daily rides into the canyon; if you meet one
of the riding tours stand aside and let them pass.
A little less than half way through Peekaboo Loop the
path meets another trail coming down from Bryce Point.
Bear to the right and stay on Peekaboo as the trail
swings north and heads back along the west side of the
loop. The next point of interest is the Wall of Windows,
a large fin of sedimentary rock that is slowly eroding
into a line of hoodoos. The uneven erosion down the
sides of the fin has caused about a dozen windows of
various sizes to open up in the wall, hence its name.
If you are interested in photographing the Wall of Windows
the best lighting is before noon, while the sun is in
the east. From the Wall of Windows the trail continues
northward, passing by the Cathedral and returning to
the trail junction at the beginning of the loop. From
there you should retrace your steps for about 0.3 mile
back to the bottom of the Wall Street Trail.
From the bottom of the Wall Street Trail, head north,
past the Navajo Loop Trail, and on towards the Queens
Garden. Queens Garden is one of the gems of Bryce. It
is a picture postcard scene, perfectly decorated with
trees and rock formations as only nature can do. Although
Queens Garden is near the end of the hike, you should
save your lunch to eat here if possible. There is no
better place to relax and enjoy the tranquility of the
Canyon. From Queens Garden it is 0.8 mile, and 400 feet
in elevation gain, to the top of the rim. The trail
exits the canyon at Sunrise Point, 0.5 mile along the
Rim Trail from Sunset Point where the hike began.
|
