Bryce Canyon National Park, located in southern Utah, offers many magnificent views of crimson-red colored rocks called hoodoos. Sunset Point at Bryce Canyon is a quick and easy way to get an amazing panoramic view of the canyon.
However, despite its name, it actually isn’t the best for sunset … more on that down below.
Hike Overview
Length: 1.1 miles roundtrip (but it’s only ~450 feet from the parking to Sunset Point viewpoint
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: 82 feet
Dog Friendly: Yes (this is one of the few hikes/viewpoints in Bryce Canyon that allows pets)
Parking: Free
Restrooms: Yes at the parking lot
Admission Fee: You’ll need to pay a vehicle fee to enter Bryce Canyon National Park ($35) but it is valid for 7 days
Directions
We drove to Sunset Point directly after visiting Bonneville Salt Flats in Salt Lake City. Luckily, we managed to still catch the sunset!
Sunset Point Viewpoint
The viewing areas at Sunset Point are only a short walk (a few minutes) from the parking lot. But if you visit during winter, be extra careful of the ground because there can be snow/ice. Brea and I anticipated this and so had snow cleats on our hiking shoes! They were very useful.
If you come during sunset, there can be a lot of people but don’t worry, there are a lot of viewing areas. We were able to find an area all to ourselves.
Make sure to dress warmly especially during winter! It was cold but seeing snow on the hoodoos was breathtaking.
If you want to go on a longer hike, you can continue walking and you’ll arrive at Sunrise Point. Since we had our dog with us and the sun was setting, we just stayed at Sunset Point.
The name of this viewpoint/hike is misleading though because as I mentioned earlier, this wasn’t really a great spot for sunset. There were a lot of shadows overcasting the hoodoos but the view was still amazing!
[…] when we arrived at the parking lot at Bryce Point, it was still pretty empty (compared to Sunset Point the night prior). We managed to find a really good viewing area and had it all to ourselves the […]