Three Things to Experience in Bryce Canyon Country
See the combination of towering red rocks and shimmering sky through camping, canyoneering, and stargazing when staying in Bryce Canyon Country. Take time to experience this area and never regret it.
Camping
Bryce Canyon Country offers a wide variety of camping opportunities. From RVing to backpacking, the perfect adventure is waiting. Campgrounds are available in both desert and high-mountain forests ranging from 4,000 to over 11,000 feet in elevation and each campground is near countless attractions and activities.
Bryce Canyon National Park has two campgrounds with approximately 100 campsites each. Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest has 37 campsites right in the middle of the red rocks scenery. Many other campgrounds in the surrounding areas place campers either among the red, human-spire hoodoos and giant-walled canyons or the ponderosa pine forests.
Camping is the best way to enjoy nature and fully take in its beauty. Bryce Canyon Country has some of the most beautiful camping sceneries right next door to the canyons.
Canyoneering
Other ways to fully take in the beauty of the Bryce Canyon area is to hike, rappel and scramble through the red rock formations. In other words, canyoneering through Slot Canyons is a special activity.
Sandstone slot canyons are carved by wind and water leaving behind narrow, river-like spaces. Winter snow-melts and rain storms predominantly contribute to the erosion and shaping of the canyons. Canyoneering allows adventurers to explore the narrow, dark spaces of Bryce Canyon Country.
On a good weather day, the slot canyon adventure will be one of the most exciting experiences. Preparing to enter the slot canyons is important. Go on a warm weather day unless prepared with a drysuit or wetsuit to insulate yourself against cold waters.
Slot Canyons is one of the best locations for a unique adventure not to be forgotten.
Stargazing
Once the sun sets behind the red rock formations, the night sky provides a beautiful glow from the stars. Bryce Canyon National Park is a low-populated area that is far from major cities allowing travelers to see up to 7,500 stars on a moonless night. Visitors have the opportunity to gaze at and camp beneath the beauty of the Milky Way stretching from horizon to horizon.
Capitol Reef National Park, also in Bryce Canyon Country, was the seventh area within the National Park Service to be designated an “International Dark Sky Park” by the International Dark-Sky Association. They ranked it a “Gold Tier” location, meaning it has the highest-quality of night skies during the annual International Dark Sky Week.
The opportunities to gaze at the celestial bodies extend across Bryce Canyon Country, with dark sky opportunities all along Scenic Byway 12 and from Panguitch to Cedar Breaks along Scenic Byway 143.
While at Cedar Breaks, visitors can experience the stunning night skies throughout the summer season by attending a “star party” hosted by park rangers and volunteer astronomers. At dusk, as the sunlight fades, guests will be taught about the astronomical wonders overhead before having the chance to view the cosmic bodies through high-powered telescopes.
Bryce Canyon also offers almost 100 astronomy programs each year, giving the visitors the opportunity to learn about the life cycles of stars, missions into space, the stories of constellations, and more.
For those who want to enjoy the scenery a little closer to earth, Bryce offers full moon hikes—guided tours through Bryce Canyon’s iconic landscape. Experience a completely different view of the majestic Canyon Country with only the moon above to light the way.
For more activities in Bryce Canyon Country, visit us online.
