Sight · Bryce Canyon National Park
See Mud and Noon Canyon Buttes from a quick roadside pullout.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Bryce Canyon Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Bryce Canyon National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Swamp Canyon: Why the Name Fits“Swamp Canyon's overlook is coming up, with Mud and Noon Canyon Buttes beyond the rim. Two tiny creeks and a spring keep the canyon below unusually wet for Bryce, supporting grasses and willows.”
Plays as you drive up to Swamp Canyon in the Parkwolf Bryce Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Super fun and useful app! We especially enjoyed the guide as we drove through Bryce Canyon National Park.”
Guide
Swamp Canyon is a roadside overlook on Bryce Canyon’s Southern Scenic Drive, at mile 6 of the 18-mile route. It’s one of nine viewpoints along the drive and works best as a short pause if you’re already heading south: here, the hoodoo-filled Bryce Amphitheater starts giving way to steeper cliffs and buttes. The overlook is marked wheelchair accessible, though route and surface details aren’t given.
Face southeast for Mud and Noon Canyon Buttes. You can see the overlook without hiking to the canyon floor. The Swamp Canyon Loop starts at the north end of the parking lot and is a separate, moderately strenuous 4-mile (6.4 km) loop that descends 647 feet (198 m); allow three to four hours for the hike.
Below the rim, two tiny creeks and a spring keep this canyon wetter than most of Bryce. They support grasses and willows, along with tiger salamanders and wild iris. The canyon stays wet year-round by park standards, which is why the name sounds surprising in this dry landscape.
The buttes to the southeast are partway between broad mesas and narrow spires. At Bryce, hoodoos begin as narrow rock fins; freezing water opens holes that grow into arches. When an arch roof collapses, its two legs remain as separate spires.
Wildlife
15 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
50 sightingsUtah Prairie DogMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
331 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
118 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
41 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
44 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Bryce Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSwamp Canyon Connector Trail2.1 mi · 1.5 hr · At the trailheadA short, steep drop takes you below the rim into piney canyon.
ModerateSheep Creek Trail5.8 mi · 4 hr · At the trailheadFollow the cliffs down to a shaded campsite, then climb back out.
ModerateSwamp Canyon Loop4 mi · 3.5 hr · At the trailheadA quieter loop through meadow, forest, and red-rock canyon country.
ModerateWhiteman Connecting Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA wooded descent reaches the Under-the-Rim backcountry trail.
ChallengingHat Shop Trail4 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA steep descent to gray-capped hoodoos, then the climb back.
ChallengingBryce Amphitheater Traverse4.7 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA hoodoo descent, a clockwise trail stretch, and a steep rim climb.
ChallengingPeekaboo Loop Trail5.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayWall of Windows close up; a 1,560-foot climb back to the rim.
ModerateThe Rim Trail5.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayFive and a half rim miles link Bryce Amphitheater’s big overlooks.
Picnic area · 1.5 mi awayCCC Picnic AreaA forested picnic break with a little CCC history nearby.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayParia ViewA quieter overlook above Yellow Creek’s 500-foot amphitheater
Picnic area · 2.6 mi awayWhiteman Bench Picnic AreaPicnic tables beside a visible story of forest recovery.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayInspiration PointThree levels offer different angles over the hoodoo amphitheater.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayWall of WindowsA close-up of this limestone fin comes with a full hike.
Campground · 3.2 mi awaySunset CampgroundStay among pines, with an RV loop and two tent-only loops.
Restroom · 3.2 mi awayPeekaboo Loop RestroomA seasonal pit toilet on the west side of Peekaboo Loop.
Sight · 3.3 mi awayPiracy PointA short walk to wooded views and an unusual watershed story.Parkwolf’s Bryce Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
