Bristlecone Loop Trail

Bristlecone Loop is a 1.0-mile circuit near Bryce Canyon’s southern end, walking through high forest to open rim views before returning to the Rainbow Point parking area. It is a good short choice for ancient trees and distant country; it does not descend into the hoodoo-filled Amphitheater. Allow about an hour for the loop and its roughly 200 feet of climbing.

Start at the Bristlecone Loop trailhead on the southeast side of the Rainbow Point lot. The path winds through white fir, Douglas fir and ponderosa pine, then reaches a more open, windy stretch along the rim. The full loop returns toward the same parking area. Keep the route to the Bristlecone Loop: the separate walks to Rainbow and Yovimpa points add distance and are not included in this one-mile circuit. The short closing link beside the lot is less clearly mapped than the main tread; follow the park’s trail markers through this section.

The high ridge is home to bristlecone pines up to 1,800 years old, growing above 9,100 feet. The contrast is part of the walk: sheltered evergreen forest gives way to wind-shaped trees and broad views across the Four Corners region. At the open rim, frame a bristlecone against the distant landscape to show the scale of the view.