Parking
Use the small pullout on the east side of Scenic Southern Drive near mile 9, at the Whiteman Connecting Trail trailhead.
Overview
About Whiteman Connecting Trail
Why go
- Quick access to the Under-the-Rim Trail
- Views of pink cliffs beyond a fire-scarred slope
Heads up
- The return climb makes the walk harder than the downhill start suggests
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Bryce Canyon map
Full mapElevation8,202–8,694 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
3 active Bryce Canyon alerts
- CautionUnder-the-Rim Trail hiker advisoryMentions Under-the-Rim Trail, referenced in this guideHike the Under-the-Rim Trail only if you are prepared for deteriorated conditions and delayed emergency response. - The trail has many places with deteriorated trail conditions.Official details
- ClosureTrail closures due to recent weather eventWall Street and the Bryce Connector Trail to Peekaboo Loop are closed until further notice because of a recent weather event. - Do not enter these closed trails.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Bryce Canyon Tour Guide
Your drive to Whiteman Connecting Trail, 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
Whiteman Connecting Trail: A Wooded Walk Below the Rim0:00 / 0:22
“You're approaching the Whiteman Connecting Trail trailhead, for a wooded walk below the rim. Along the route, a fire-scarred slope opens a view of distant pink cliffs.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Bryce Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Whiteman Bench Picnic Area: Life After Fire
- The Pine That Smells Like Vanilla
- Farview and Piracy Point: A Break Above the Valleys
- Swamp Canyon: Why the Name Fits
- 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 Whiteman Connecting Trail
A short taste of the backcountryWhiteman Connecting Trail is an out-and-back from the pullout on Scenic Southern Drive near…
Whiteman Connecting Trail is an out-and-back from the pullout on Scenic Southern Drive near mile 9 to a junction with the Under-the-Rim Trail. The connector is about one mile each way, so walking back to the road makes it 2 miles round trip. Allow about 1½ to 2 hours. It is a handy way to sample Bryce’s wooded backcountry without taking on the much longer Under-the-Rim route, though the return climb is the catch.
Follow the wash to the junctionFrom the pullout, the path heads south and briefly parallels the road before entering…
From the pullout, the path heads south and briefly parallels the road before entering juniper-pine forest. It turns northeast by a dry wash and follows the wash downhill to the Under-the-Rim junction. The descent is about 490 feet; on the way back, climb most of it. A fire-scarred slope opens to distant pink cliffs. For the wider Mud Canyon views, continue north on Under-the-Rim beyond this trail’s mapped endpoint.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Bryce Canyon
15 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
50 sightingsUtah Prairie DogMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
331 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
118 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.
