Peekaboo Loop Trail

Peekaboo Loop is a 5.5-mile round-trip hike from Bryce Point, dropping into a loop among Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos before climbing back to the rim. Do it if you want to walk inside the formations rather than take them in only from an overlook. Allow three to four hours. The approach drops 670 feet to the loop, and the complete walk gains about 1,560 feet, so this is a strenuous half-day hike. The park recommends going clockwise. This is the standalone Bryce Point route, not the shorter Navajo/Peekaboo combination that starts from a different trailhead.

From Bryce Point the trail loses height quickly on the way to the circuit. Once you’re among the hoodoos, the path winds below Bryce and Inspiration points, changing direction around fins and narrow rock walls. The loop itself has plenty of short ups and downs, but the biggest effort comes on the climb back to Bryce Point: you have to regain the height you gave up at the start. Take your time on the descent too; it makes the return climb feel longer if you spend all your energy early.

A man-made arch leads into a small grotto, then short switchbacks drop you to the base of the Wall of Windows, where the rock openings loom close beside the trail. Look up from there and you can see grottos cut into the cliffs. The route also passes the Three Wisemen, The Organ and The Cathedral, with long views east toward Aquarius Plateau, Canaan Mountain and Kaiparowits Plateau. At the Wall of Windows, frame the hoodoos through one of the natural openings; it gives the towers scale and makes a more distinctive picture than another close shot of orange rock.

Bryce is known for having the world’s largest collection of hoodoos. These towers formed in layers of rock that weather at different rates. Rain and snowmelt open cracks; when water freezes inside them, it widens the breaks, and erosion gradually separates the rock into fins, windows and columns. That process is still at work, which is why the formations are fragile. Stay on the trail and leave the rock where it is.

Horses and mules share parts of the route, especially in summer. Give riders the right of way and follow their directions at narrow spots. There is no water along the trail; the only listed toilet is a seasonal pit toilet on the west side of the loop. Pets aren’t allowed, though service animals are. Start at Bryce Point; oversized vehicles can’t use its lot while the park shuttle is operating. The park entrance fee applies.