Fairyland Point to Sunset Point
There are two ways to get from Fairyland Point to Sunset Point.Fairyland Trail: (5.5 miles, 1,000-foot elevation gain) The World Outdoors, an outdoor adventure tour company, chooses this trail for its customers' Bryce hiking experience. The trail is less crowded than others in the park, and can be hiked in about half a day. From Fairyland Point, the trail descends along a ridge, then rises and falls in to Campbell Canyon, where a short side trail leads to Tower Arch. The path continues up Campbell Canyon past the white-rock Chinese Wall and rejoins the rim near Sunrise Point. While this hike involves a lot of ascents and descents, it is fairly wide and has few steep dropoffs to aggravate your acrophobia.
Rim Trail: (2.5 miles, 540-foot elevation gain): A flatter option that starts and ends in the same places. This trail takes less than two hours, even at a leisurely pace. The major slowing factor on this trail is the scenery, not the difficulty.
Other Trails
Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden Loops: (about 1.5 miles each, or 3.0 miles for both, 500-foot elevation loss, then gain) These trails both start near Sunset Point. The Navajo Trail descends from the rim along a series of switchbacks that can look intimidating from the top. However, the switchbacks ease down in small sections. If you're in doubt, take a look at the people coming up the trail. If they made it, you probably can, too. (NOTE: After a rainstorm, the switchbacks can be quite muddy and slippery. A walking pole or sure-footed companion will be a big help.) After the switchbacks, the path passes through a small slot canyon, then weaves up and down through the floor of the Bryce Amphitheater.Other hiking trails are available that range from the one-mile Bristlecone Loop Trail to the 22.5-mile Under-the-Rim Trail. Park rangers provide hiking information and trail maps at the Visitor Center. If you plan to hike the back country, be sure to get a permit.
Many thanks to The World Outdoors for their assistance in preparing this article
