Yovimpa Point

Yovimpa Point is the high, south-facing overlook at the end of Bryce Canyon's main road, with one of the park's longest views across the Grand Staircase. The road-end is about 40 minutes from the Visitor Center before stops, so make the drive if you want the broad southern panorama or plan to hike. Rainbow Point shares the endpoint and is a short walk away, but it faces north toward Bryce's amphitheater; doing both gives you two different views. If time is tight, the extra drive can be a lot for a quick overlook.

The main road runs 18 miles from the north entrance to this southern endpoint. Drive straight to the end first, then visit overlooks as you head north; that keeps the pullouts on your right. You'll need to leave the car and take a short walk to the railing because little of the view is visible from the parking area. The viewpoint route is paved and fairly level, and the overlook is marked wheelchair accessible.

Look south from the near Pink Cliffs, across the forest-muted Grey Cliffs, to the pale White Cliffs and the canyons beyond. The bands continue toward the Kaibab Upwarp at the horizon. On a clear day, trace the layers rather than filling the frame with just the closest hoodoos; a strip of nearby cliff in the foreground helps show how far the staircase runs. The full panorama reaches more than 100 miles.

Tectonic uplift raised this country from sea level over roughly 20 million years and tilted the plateau, leaving Bryce's southern end about 1,000 feet higher than its north. Rivers carved through the uplifted rock to expose the staircase. Its five cliff bands preserve an unusually long sedimentary record, covering about 300 million years of life and changing environments.

Pick out Molly's Nipple, a cone among the White Cliffs. It looks volcanic, but its cap of harder sandstone resisted erosion. Farther southeast, Navajo Mountain rises more than 80 miles away near Page. It is a laccolith: magma pushed upward and domed the rock above it, then cooled underground instead of erupting.

The paved approach to Yovimpa Point also leads to the Bristlecone Loop, an easy one-mile walk usually taking 30 to 60 minutes through high-elevation forest above 9,100 feet. The loop passes ancient bristlecone pines. One park page estimates the oldest tree at Yovimpa at over 1,600 years; another says pines on the loop reach 1,800, so the park's pages give different figures.

The Riggs Spring Loop also starts here, but it is a much bigger commitment: 8.5 miles with about 2,248 feet of climbing. Treat spring water before drinking and check trail conditions before setting out.