Queens Garden in Bryce Canyon National Park | 12 Utah Staycations
Queens Garden in Bryce Canyon National Park is a .8 mile roundtrip hike. We’ve written about it here and here in the past. I’ll admit, it’s steep going in, but it. Is. So. Worth. It. It’s the most popular hike in the park and if you’ve hiked it before, you know why. Bryce Canyon National Park is completely breathtaking but unless you make the trek into the canyon, you won’t really experience it.
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It’s the most popular hike in the park and if you’ve hiked it before, you know why. Bryce Canyon National Park is completely breathtaking but unless you make the trek into the canyon, you won’t really experience it. We’ve written about it here and here in the past.
I (Harmony) have hiked Queens Garden a few times, but I was SO excited to share this hike with Stephanie and her family because it was THEIR FIRST TIME AT BRYCE!
Since it was April and with snow still on the ground at Bryce Canyon National Park, we figured it would be the perfect time to hike. We started hiking with 6 kids and 3 babies. I’ve never really thought about how scary this hike could be.
There are drop-offs and if you aren’t watching your kids super close, it could be a scary situation. I’ve hiked this a handful of times and I’ve never seen this many people on the trail before.
Granted, I’ve hiked Queens Garden in the dead of winter or super early in July, but I couldn’t believe how many people were there.
Because of all the snow, Queens Garden was the only trail that was open to the public. Usually, you can continue on from Queens Garden to Navajo Loop Trail but it’s closed during the winter.
Some of the highlights of Queens Garden are the rock tunnels, the switchbacks (I know this isn’t normally a highlight but I love looking back at them.) the hoodoos and seeing the Queen at the end.
There’s also benches and stops along the way if you want to rest and take it easy. There’s some shade along the way, but really, there isn’t a whole bunch. So when it’s crowded, the shade is most coveted.
Be sure to bring plenty of water and some snacks. We bought some sandwiches and packed them in so we could picnic at the Queens Garden.
While coming out is tough since it’s up the whole way, just take it easy. Since we were hiking with friends, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We didn’t even have to bring out the Trail Fairy.
Queens Garden is a must when in Bryce Canyon National Park! Be sure to follow along and see all the other activities and hikes we did on our fourth Utah Staycation! Don't forget to enter our giveaway here!
- 1.8 miles round trip
- Most websites say moderate hike, that being said, my 5 year old made it all by herself. Our 3 year made it 75% of the way on his own.
- It’s slippery, muddy, snowy and sometimes icy on the ground. My kids wore normal shoes, nothing fancy and then did just fine.
- Bathrooms at the lodge. Go before, there aren't any on the trail.
- Not a whole lot of shade.
