Parking
Start at Swamp Canyon Viewpoint, mile 6 of the Southern Scenic Drive. Oversized vehicles are permitted; there is no park shuttle south of Bryce Point.
Overview
About Swamp Canyon Loop
Why go
- A quieter change of pace from the amphitheater’s hoodoo trails.
- Meadow, forest, and canyon scenery change throughout the loop.
Heads up
- Sparse signs make a map important.
- The mapped line measures longer than the rounded four-mile figure.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Bryce Canyon map
Full mapElevation7,438–8,084 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
3 active Bryce Canyon alerts
- CautionUnder-the-Rim Trail damage and hiker advisoryMentions Under-the-Rim Trail, referenced in this guideUnder-the-Rim Trail conditions are deteriorated in many places; hike at your own risk. - Use a map and be able to navigate in the backcountry; strong wayfinding skills are essential.Official details
- ClosureWall Street closed after recent rainsWall Street is closed until further notice because of recent rains. - Other park trails are open, but hikers are urged to use caution. Check current park conditions before hiking.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Bryce Canyon Tour Guide
Your drive to Swamp Canyon Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Bryce Canyon National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Bryce Canyon audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Swamp Canyon: Why the Name Fits0:00 / 0:21
“Swamp Canyon's overlook is coming up, with Mud and Noon Canyon Buttes beyond the rim. Two tiny creeks and a spring keep the canyon below unusually wet for Bryce, supporting grasses and willows.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Bryce Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Pine That Smells Like Vanilla
- CCC Picnic Area: The Camp Behind the Name
- Whiteman Connecting Trail: A Wooded Walk Below the Rim
- Paria View: A Mountain on the Horizon
- 30 audio storiesacross Bryce Canyon’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wapiti, Utah Prairie Dog, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 24 trails, 41 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Super fun and useful app! We especially enjoyed the guide as we drove through Bryce Canyon National Park.”
Trail guide
Hiking Swamp Canyon Loop
A quieter four-mile circuitSwamp Canyon Loop is a moderate circuit from Swamp Canyon Viewpoint into Bryce’s forested…
Swamp Canyon Loop is a moderate circuit from Swamp Canyon Viewpoint into Bryce’s forested backcountry. Clockwise, it follows Sheep Creek Connector, 1.1 miles of Under-the-Rim Trail, then Swamp Canyon Connector back to the viewpoint. The official figure is four miles, with three to four hours on foot. A connected measurement of the mapped line is about 4.4 miles, so leave slack in your schedule. You trade the close-packed hoodoos of the amphitheater for woods, an open meadow, and a walk through the namesake canyon.
Pick the direction that suits youGoing counterclockwise sends you down the broad Swamp Canyon ravine first, then leaves the…
Going counterclockwise sends you down the broad Swamp Canyon ravine first, then leaves the Sheep Creek side for the climb back to the rim; some hikers prefer this more gradual wooded finish. Either way, expect about 800 feet of climbing over the loop. Wayfinding is sparse compared with Bryce Amphitheater trails, so carry a paper map or download one before you set out.
Sheep Creek and the rim meadowThe Sheep Creek side crosses a meadow near the rim; late spring is the season most associated…
The Sheep Creek side crosses a meadow near the rim; late spring is the season most associated with its wildflowers. The route enters a wooded plateau and descends past exposed sandstone. Red formations appear in gaps between the trees before the drainage opens into a sandy, earthen gully.
Across Under-the-RimAt the junction, the loop follows 1.
At the junction, the loop follows 1.1 miles of Under-the-Rim Trail through woods, below a steep promontory and over a sandy saddle. It then descends a hillside toward the flat floor of Swamp Canyon. This section feels more like a backcountry traverse than the exposed hoodoo walks around the main amphitheater.
The Swamp Canyon ravineThis connector follows a broad ravine between the viewpoint and canyon floor.
This connector follows a broad ravine between the viewpoint and canyon floor. Clockwise, you climb it out; counterclockwise takes you down it near the start. The route begins more gently and gets steeper near the rim, where orange-red formations rise beside the trail. For a photo, include the pines and some trail-side foreground with the formations; the wooded slope gives the rock its scale.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Bryce Canyon
15 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
51 sightingsUtah Prairie DogMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
334 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
120 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
41 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
44 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Bryce Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
