Navajo Loop Trail

Navajo Loop Trail is a 1.3-mile loop from Sunset Point that drops into Bryce Amphitheater and climbs back out by the other branch. The full circuit gains 515 feet; allow one to two hours. It’s the right choice if you want to walk among the hoodoos instead of only looking down from the rim. It’s short, but steep enough to feel like a proper hike. The separate Queen’s Garden/Navajo combination is 2.9 miles and adds Queen’s Garden and the Rim Trail, so choose that one if you want a longer circuit.

When both sides are open, go down Wall Street and climb back by Two Bridges; that’s the recommended direction. The first section drops on tight switchbacks between bright bands of orange, pink and pale limestone. The dirt tread turns sharply, and the grade makes this a real descent, not a gentle walk into the canyon. Wall Street narrows into a high-walled corridor, with a tall Douglas-fir rising between the rock walls. Stop in a wider spot to look up at the scale, then watch the next turn underfoot as you continue.

The Two Bridges side brings you past two natural rock spans before the final climb toward Sunset Point. Thor’s Hammer, Bryce’s best-known hoodoo, stands just below the rim and is best seen from this side. For a photo, keep a bend of trail or the fir trees in the frame with the hoodoo; it gives the formation scale and shows that you’re looking into a whole amphitheater, not at a lone rock. Take a moment to look back through the walls as you climb; the view changes quickly as the switchbacks turn.

These walls are part of the Claron Formation, limestone laid down about 50 million years ago in a large freshwater lake. Iron oxides color the lower layers red, orange and yellow; manganese oxides add pink and purple patches. The paler upper limestone has fewer mineral impurities, so the color boundary is easy to pick out from the trail. You can see the layers at eye level here, then look back toward the rim and spot the same bands across the amphitheater. Bryce is famous for its hoodoos, and Thor’s Hammer is the park’s most recognizable one.

Wall Street closes during winter, while the Two Bridges side stays open year-round. When the full loop isn’t available, you can walk Two Bridges as an out-and-back or connect it with another trail. There’s no separate official distance for that out-and-back, so don’t use the full loop’s 1.3-mile figure for it. Check current trail conditions before setting out, since seasonal access changes which route you can walk.

Parking is at the Sunset Point trailhead, and the park shuttle serves the area when it’s operating. Oversized vehicles can’t use these lots during shuttle operation. An accessible restroom and drinking water are available at Sunset Point; the restroom water station is year-round, while the separate viewpoint fill station is seasonal. A park entrance pass is required, but no reservation is listed for this hike. Pets aren’t allowed on the trail; service animals are permitted.