Tropic Ditch Falls

Tropic Ditch Falls is a small, human-made cascade in Water Canyon, along the Mossy Cave Trail at Bryce Canyon’s north end. It’s a good add-on to the cave rather than a separate drive: the full trail is 0.8 mile round trip, about an hour, with 150 feet of climbing. The falls are fed by an irrigation ditch, so don’t count on a big flow every day; visitors sometimes find the cascade low or dry. On busy days, the area can be crowded from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Go early or later if you have the choice.

The small trailhead lot is on SR-12 about 3.5 miles east of the UT-63 junction, just after a little bridge. You can reach it without passing the park’s main entrance booths, but it’s still a fee area; keep your park pass or proof of admission in the vehicle. If the lot is full, don’t park on the highway shoulder. The short trail starts uphill and later descends. Stay on the main route, and use the bridges to enter and leave the water rather than cutting new paths along the bank. The trail is not accessible, though accessible restrooms are at the trailhead. Pets aren’t allowed on the trail; service animals are.

About 40 men began digging the Tropic Ditch by hand in 1889 and finished the 10-mile canal on May 23, 1892. It carried water from the East Fork of the Sevier River through Water Canyon toward the Paria Valley. The new canal secured water for the nearby farming communities, and took its name from Tropic. It has supplied irrigation to Tropic and Cannonville almost every year since; the exception was the 2002 drought.

The stream makes a greener pocket in an otherwise dry park landscape. Meadow-like patches along the trail support plants such as Mountain Death Camas and Watson Bog Orchid, and animals come here to drink, though busy daytime traffic tends to keep wildlife away. From the bridge on the established trail, frame the white drop against the orange canyon walls and include a little of the stream below to show where the water goes.