The Rim Trail

The Rim Trail is a 5.5-mile point-to-point walk from Bryce Point north to Fairyland Point, linking Inspiration, Sunset and Sunrise Points along the edge of Bryce Amphitheater. It strings together the park’s best-known hoodoo views without dropping into the formations below. If you want a long look at the amphitheater without a steep descent, this is the route to choose. Allow about three to four hours for the full walk, including stops. The Park Service calls it easy to moderate and lists 719 feet of total climbing. It trends downhill northbound overall, though there are rolling stretches, and the trail stays high enough that a steady grade can feel harder than it looks.

Start at Bryce Point and finish at Fairyland Point for the full one-way route. Parking is available at both ends, and the park shuttle serves Bryce, Inspiration, Sunset and Sunrise Points; Fairyland has no shuttle, so arrange a pickup or choose a served endpoint if you need the bus. You can also hike any single section and turn around. Restrooms are available at Sunset Point year-round and seasonally near Sunrise Point; water refill is available at Sunset Point year-round. There’s no trail reservation, though park entry fees may apply.

This first 1.5 miles follows the rim above the amphitheater. The open edge gives you a close look into the hoodoo-filled slopes and forested breaks below. It is one of the more exposed stretches, with some short climbs despite the route’s general northbound descent. The Bryce Point–Inspiration Point section is regularly closed in winter, so check access before planning this end of the walk.

The next 0.7 mile keeps to the rim and joins two major overlooks. Inspiration Point makes a useful turnaround if you have already walked up from Bryce Point, or a short one-way start if your ride can meet you farther north. The views keep changing as the canyon opens and closes around the trail.

Between Sunset and Sunrise Points, the trail is 0.5 mile of concrete, the only paved section. It is the easiest part and is designated accessible; the half-mile segment has about 34 feet of gain; walking it out and back makes a simple one-mile outing. This is also the only section where ordinary pets are allowed. Dogs are not permitted on the rest of the Rim Trail.

The final 2.8 miles continue north along the rim to Fairyland Point. This is the longest gap between named access points, so plan for the full stretch if you are walking all the way through. The route remains on the plateau edge; it does not descend into the hoodoo amphitheater. The full north end is a quieter way to extend the walk beyond the central viewpoints, but there is no shuttle at Fairyland.

The rocks began as sediment in an ancient lake and floodplain roughly 50 million years ago. After the plateau rose, water and ice started the slow work of breaking it apart. Water seeps into cracks, freezes and expands, splitting the rock into walls, windows and finally the separate hoodoo towers. Rain also dissolves some of the mineral cement between layers, so the softer bands wear back faster. From the overlooks, look for the ledges and narrow necks that show those different layers at work.

At Bryce Point or Inspiration Point, leave a strip of pale rim rock in the foreground and frame the hoodoos beyond it; that gives a phone photo more depth than a tight crop of the orange formations.