Backpacking Bryce Canyon National Park

The rim of Bryce Canyon as seen from the Under the Rim Trail

Becky & Ed at Iron Spring Camp Site

Getting Started

Here's a picture of Becky & me out on the trail. You can follow our route by viewing this Map at the official Bryce Canyon National Park web site. We backpacked the Under the Rim Trail October 1-5, 2005. The backpacking permit was free, but we had to get it in person at the visitor's center. We got it on Friday evening, then started our backpack trip on Saturday. We had two logistical problems to deal with before we began hiking. The first was water. The only sources of water were at Riggs Springs (end of day one) and at Yellow Creek (end of day four). Fortunately, we were able to cache water at Swamp Canyon (end of day three). Swamp Canyon is only a mile off the road, so we parked at the trailhead and hiked down to cache water in collapsable jugs near the campsite. The second logistical problem was travel to the starting location. We parked our car at Bryce Point & begged for someone to give us a ride down to Rainbow Point. It took a while, but we found Andrew Craig of Trek America who gave us a lift. While we riding, he lamented that while many from outside the United States are visiting our country's natural wonders, few Americans are. It probably cheered him up a bit to see Becky & I bacpacking through Bryce Canyon.

Our 5-Day Backpack

Day 1

Rainbow Point to Riggs Spring Campsite
(5.2 miles)

After getting all of our equipment into our backpacks, caching water, parking our car & getting a ride to Rainbow Point, It was about 3:00 PM by the time we got started. We had to hustle to get down to Riggs Springs by dusk. The fall foliage was prettiest on this part of our route, but we couldn't stop & admire it very often.

Ridge not far from Rainbow Point

Day 2

Riggs Spring to Iron Spring
(7.2 miles)

The first thing we had to do after breakfast was filter water. In addition to filling up our water bottles, we had to fill up several collapsable jugs. Ou next available water would be the water we cached at Swamp Canyon at the end of day three. The Riggs Spring Loop is the steepest part of the hike. We had to climb up about 1,500' back up to Rainbow Point, and carrying the extra water made it that much tougher. When we reached Rainbow Point, it dawned on us that we should have cached water there rather than hauling it up from Riggs Spring. Although the distance was relatively short, it was definitely our hardest day.

View from Swamp Creek Campsite

Day 3

Iron Spring to Swamp Canyon
(6.9 miles)

The wind kicked up and was pretty strong when we breaking camp. We had to make sure one of us was in the tent until we took it down. During the rest of the trip the wind was often strong. Rather than a constant wind like we're used to in the Midwest, we would hear gusts swirling down the slope. Sometimes they would hit us, and sometimes they would miss us. The erie sound they made always sounded ominous.

Yellow Creek - One of the Few Creeks with Water

Yellow Creek - One of the Few Creeks with Water

Day 4

Swamp Canyon to Yellow Creek Right Fork
(9.3 miles)

Don't put too much stock in the descriptions in the park literature about the Under the Rim trail. It gives you the impression the trail is boring but offers solitude. The solitude part is absolutely true. In 5 days, we only saw 2 other backpackers and a few day hikers at the two endpoints. We thought the views along the trail were quite nice. It's true that there aren't many rock formations like you see at the north end of the park, but there were many nice views of the red rock along the rim and some good views of the surrounding countryside. We think this a very underrated trail. Although day 4 was our longest day, it wasn't particulary difficult. We left at daybreak & had no trouble reaching Yellow Creek. It was good to see water again.

The Hat Shop

Day 5

Yellow Creek Right Fork to Bryce Point
(2.8 miles)

Day 5 was a short day, but we saw the most interesting formations of the entire backpack trip that day. A portion of it is pictured to the left and it's called the "Hat Shop". There are quite a few of these red sandstone pillars with different type rocks on top of them.

Day 6 - Day Hiking

Bryce Canyon is best known for the rock formations (called "Hoodoos") that are common in the northern part of the park where you can day hike to them. Below are a couple of the best known ones. Thor's Hammer is the upper left picture. There was a trail closure, so we couldn't get a good close-up of it. It is commonly used as the symbol of Bryce Canyon National Park. The bottom left photo is "Queen Victoria". It's located in a section of the park that is called "Queens Garden" on the maps. "Wall Street" is shown in the upper right photo. It's a long, slender Douglas fir growing out of a slot canyon. They have posters of Wall Street in the park gift shop. Becky bought one & has it in her office. I think it's the most impressive sight in the entire park. The photograph in the lower right is the waterfall on the Mossy Cave Trail. This trail is often overlooked because you have to exit the park (take a right on Highway 12) to get to the trailhead. It's a short trail, but it was nice to walk along the stream and see the waterfall after hiking through dry areas.

Ed's Tips for Backpacking the "Under the Rim Trail"

It's a linear trail, not a loop. You'll either have to backtrack, leave a car at both ends, or beg for a ride. Even when it runs, the shuttle doesn't service the south end of the park.
The only reliable water is at Rigg's Springs & Yellow Fork. If you hike it in dry weather, you'll need to carry or cache water. Be sure to ask about the availability of water when you get your backpacking permit.
Be prepared for cold weather. The elevation of the trail ranges from 7,500 to 9,000 feet. At the Ruby Inn (just outside the park entrance), they said it got down to 18F when we were hiking it in early October. I don't think it got that cold, because our water didn't freeze, but it was definitely close to 32F.
Stake your tent down good so that it doesn't get blown away when the wind gusts.
Be sure to allow at least one extra day for day hiking so that you can see Thor's Hammer & Wall Street. If you have had enough of camping out after backpacking the Under the Rim Trail, try Ruby's Inn just outside the park entrance.
When you leave the park, take a right on Highway 12 and hike the Mossy Cave trail down to the waterfall.

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