Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Scenic Drive

Scenic Drive picture in Bryce Canyon National Park

Scenic Drive 2 picture in Bryce Canyon National Park

Scenic Drive 3 picture in Bryce Canyon National Park

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Details

Sightseeing Type
2 hours to Half Day Time to Spend

4.7

Overall

Scorecard

Value

5.0
Facilities

3.0
Atmosphere

5.0

Read about how we rank Things to Do.

The park's 38-mile (round-trip) scenic drive features 13 viewpoints along the route. The northern overlooks have the most hoodoos, but the southern overlooks offer the most expansive views. If you've got time, you'll find plenty of hiking trails, ranger programs and picnic areas to take advantage of along the way.

Previous visitors used words like "awesome" and "fantastic" to describe the route, recommending future travelers set aside several hours for the drive to allow for frequent stops. Keep in mind: Park rangers estimate that the drive takes a minimum of three hours.

The park encourages visitors to start their driving tour of Bryce Canyon National Park by driving straight to Rainbow Point at the very southern end of the park. From there, the whole park stretches out before you as you travel north. Access to the drive is included in park admission. Highway 12, or Utah's All-American Road, cuts across the northern part of the park, providing access to the Bryce Canyon area. Highway 63 runs south of Highway 12, running through the central part of the park past the visitor center, the campgrounds and all of the scenic overlooks.

More Best Things to Do in Bryce Canyon National Park

Inspiration Point picture in Bryce Canyon National Park

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Visitor Center picture in Bryce Canyon National Park

Sunset Point picture in Bryce Canyon National Park

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#1 Inspiration Point For diverse perspectives of the main amphitheater, head to Inspiration Point, which is home to three levels of viewpoints. From here, visitors can look toward the Silent City (near Sunset ... Read more » Sumiko Scott / Getty Images

#2 Bryce Point One of the most popular viewpoints in the park, Bryce Point offers stunning sunrises for those willing to get up early. As the sun rises, it looks like the tops ... Read more » Apexphotos / Getty Images

#3 Sunrise Point This scenic point offers not only amazing views but some of the more fancifully named formations in the park. Visitors have views of the Boat Mesa and the Sinking Ship ... Read more » littleting/Pradthana Jarusriboonchai / Getty Images

#4 Scenic Drive The park's 38-mile (round-trip) scenic drive features 13 viewpoints along the route. The northern overlooks have the most hoodoos, but the southern overlooks offer the most expansive views. If ... Read more » Daniel Grill / Getty Images

#5 Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point Located at the southern end of the park, Rainbow Point offers expansive views of the entire park back to the north. Yovimpa Point, which is also located here, is where ... Read more » VW Pics / Getty Images

#6 Fairyland Canyon This scenic overlook, which sits 1 mile north of the park entrance station, is a great place to see hoodoos up close. The trailhead for the strenuous 8-mile Fairyland Loop ... Read more » David H. Carriere / Getty Images

#7 Visitor Center According to recent travelers, starting your Bryce Canyon experience at the visitor center is a must. Here, you'll find a ranger help desk, exhibits on the area, interactive consoles ... Read more » Al_HikesAZ / Flickr

#8 Sunset Point Sunset Point is home to some of Bryce Canyon's most famous hoodoos, including the Silent City, a maze of hoodoos and fins concentrated in a tight formation, and Thor ... Read more » Don & Melinda Crawford/UIG / Getty Images