Bryce Canyon’s Queens Garden Trail: Unique and Beautiful

Bryce Canyon National Park has been wowing visitors for decades.  And part of that amazement can be found while hiking the Queens Garden Trail.  

The unique orange rock is unlike any other place in the world!  And whether you are an advanced hiker or just want to see more, you should definitely hike the Queens Garden Trail in Bryce Canyon.  

And while you’re hiking, if you have a little extra time, you HAVE to combine the Queens Garden Trail and the Navajo Loop Trail. So let’s dive into everything you need to know about this hike!  

Important Links

• Bryce Canyon National Park website – NPS.com
• Queens Garden Trail – AllTrails Link
• Hiking Backpack Essentials Freebie – Never Forget Hiking Must Haves Again!
• Hike the Navajo Loop Trail – More Hiking in the Area
• Bryce Canyon National Park Brochure
• Hiking Journal – Never Forget the Details of Your Favorite Hikes Again!

Location

The Queens Garden Trail is located inside Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. This trail is absolutely worth road tripping to, even if you only have a half day here.

But how far of a drive are we talking?  You’ll be driving just over 2 hours from St. George, UT, about 4 hours south of Salt Lake City, UT, and about 4 hours from Las Vegas, NV.  If you are flying to one of these airports in the morning, you might be able to hit the trails by the afternoon!

Fees

All National Parks, Lakeshores, etc. require their guests to pay a fee.  The average family/couple/person who drives a private vehicle into Bryce Canyon will pay the $35 standard fee.  This fee buys a 7-day park pass and will cover you and a car-full of guests.  

If for some reason you are riding a motorcycle, you’ll pay a $30 fee.  This pass is also good for 7 days.

Now, if you intend to visit Byrce Canyon more than 2 times in a 12 month period, you can purchase an Annual Pass for $70.  This pass is good for 12 months for you, your ID, and a car-full of guests.  You can only purchase the Annual Park Pass inside the park.

And if you are a National Park enthusiast, there is the America The Beautiful Pass. This pass can be purchased ahead of time or at most federal locations for $80.  This pass gets you 12 months of free entry to any federal recreation area.  If you plan to visit more than 3 national parks in a 12 month span, this pass will save you a ton of money!  

Parking

Okay, so you know about the fee and where the trail is, but let’s discuss parking for the Queens Garden Trail.  Both the Queens Garden Trail and the Navajo Loop Trail begin at the end of Sunset Point Road.  There is a decent parking lot here with toilets and a beautiful view at sunrise or sunset.  

In short, you’ll want to park here, or you can type “Bryce Canyon National Park Sunset Point” into your preferred map app. 

Just be aware that you will want to arrive here early in the morning or later in the afternoon.  This parking lot DOES frequently fill up.  We hiked this trail in the middle of October and the parking lot was FULL by 9am.   

The Elements

One last important note before we get to the actual hike.  There are 3 major things to be aware of when it comes to the elements in Bryce Canyon National Park.  The altitude, the sun, and the dry air.

Most of the park sits at 8,000 feet, so you’ll want to make sure that you are drinking plenty of water.  If you feel a little bit of altitude sickness when you are hiking, be sure to slow down, catch your breath, and keep sipping that water.

As for the sun, there is little to no shade in this park.  And add in the fact that you are 8,000 feet closer to the sun, you are more susceptible to sunburn.  Make sure to pack plenty of sunscreen, hats and sunglasses.

And finally, the dry air.  There is little to no humidity here and you’ll probably find yourself feeling extra dry while visiting Bryce Canyon.  Again, drink plenty of water and electrolytes to help combat this.  And you might want to pack some chapstick and hand lotion.  

Ok ok, enough about the fees and the elements, let’s get to the hike!

Trail Stats

Hiking the Queens Garden Trail gives you a few options. If you are just going to hike down to the Queens Garden area and then back the way you came, here are the trail stats.

• Distance: 1.8 miles (Out-and-Back)
• Elevation Gain: 450 feet
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Time of Trail: 1-2 hours

However, most people add in part of the Navajo Loop Trail to make a longer loop.  And if you have time, I highly recommend doing that.  So if you’re up for a little bit of a longer trail, here are your trail stats! 

• Distance: 3 miles (Loop)
• Elevation Gain: 650 feet
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Time of Trail: 1-2 hours 

And if you’re feeling ambitious, you can also add the Peak-a-Boo Loop to your day and make it approximately a 7.25 mile hike.  My husband and I added this loop to our morning hike and found that it was far less crowded and offered some incredible views!

+Our Itinerary

My husband and I hiked the Queens Garden Trail in October of 2025.  We also added the Navajo Loop Trail and the Peak-a-Boo Loop for a grand total of 7.25 miles.  This morning of hiking was one of the highlights of our year!  

Here is our exact itinerary so you have an idea how to plan.  

• Sunrise: 7:25am
• Arrived/Parked: 7:30am
• Started Hiking: 8:00am
• Hiked for: 4.5 hours (7.25 miles)
• Return to Truck: 12:30pm

In short, we completed the Navajo Loop Trail, the Peak-a-Boo Trail and the Queens Garden Trail in about 4.5 hours.  This totaled about 7.25 miles of incredible Utah hiking.  If you have the ability and the time, I cannot recommend this longer loop enough!

Whether you are adding the extra trails or not, here is what to expect from the Queens Garden Trail.  

Hiking Down

If you are only hiking the shorter out-and-back version of the Queens Garden Trail, you will find this to be the easiest descent into the canyon.  All of the other trails are much steeper, so this is a great trail to take down if you are new to hiking. And when you return the way you came, it’s the easiest way out.

On the other hand, if you plan on hiking both the Navajo Loop and the Queens Garden, I highly recommend hiking down the Navajo Loop and then back up the Queens Garden. This will give you the easiest incline out of the canyon. 

No matter the loop you decide to hike, you’ll pass some beautiful rock structures called hoodoos.  These structures are typically tall spire-like shapes and they surround you on this entire hike.  

The Trail

The trail is very easy to follow and very well marked.  The sign above can be seen just as you are about to descend into the canyon.  You’ll walk along steep cliffs above and below you and even pass through a door-like passageway on this trail.  

If you are hiking here early enough you will be able to get a cool photo here.  However, if you come later, this area can turn into a bit of a bottle neck.  Either way, it’s a one of a kind part of the hike.  

Going down is pretty easy.  There are dozens of switchbacks that make the descent just about unnoticeable.  And before you know it, you’ll be reaching the queens garden area.     

The Queen – A Quick History!

Once you’ve followed the trail down to the Queens Garden Area, you will be able to see the hoodoo in the image below. While personally I think this is a bit of a stretch, this hoodoo does look like a famous statue in England.

This hoodoo was formed by wind, rain, snow and time.  Somewhere along the line, people began to notice that this particular hoodoo looks like Queen Victoria.  More specifically, it looks like a statue of Queen Victoria in London, England.  

And this is why the trail is named the Queens Garden Trail.  

Back the Way You Came, or Make It a Loop?

Alright, so you’ve seen the queen (if you look from the right angle).  And now you’re ready to make a choice.  At this point in the hike, you’ll either be returning the way you came, or you can combine this trail with the Navajo Loop Trail.

If you go back the way you came, you know exactly what to expect, but with a little more difficulty. 

If you decide to continue onto the Navajo Loop, your distance will be longer.  BUT, you’ll be treated by hiking right beside Thor’s Hammer.    

Navajo Loop Trail

If you decide to go back on the Navajo Loop Trail, you’ll be looking at a steep climb out of the canyon.  But the pay off of hiking right by Thor’s Hammer is actually really cool.  This structure is famous for looking like the hammer of the Marvel comic book character Thor.  If you’ve seen any of the Avenger’s movies in the last 15 years, you know what I’m talking about.

On the Navajo Loop Trail you’ll hike up the steep switchbacks, and once you’ve left that steep section, you’ll be right above Thor’s Hammer.  You can read all the details about the Navajo Loop Trail here.   

My Recommendation

As I’ve already said, I highly recommend hiking the Navajo Loop Trail, the Queens Garden Trail and the Peak-a-Boo Loop if you have the time and energy. And here is the direction I’d hike it!

Start by descending on the Navajo Loop Trail, right next to Thor’s Hammer. You’ll then come to an intersection and pick up the Tropic Trail (to the right). 

After you’ve done that little trail, you’ll take a right onto the Peak-a-Boo Trail and hike that loop in its entirety.  The Peak-a-Boo Trail is incredible and much less crowded.  It will add about 3.5 miles to your hike, but it’s so worth it.

Once you have completed that loop, you’ll go back the way you came on the Tropic Trail and when you get back to the first intersection you came to, you can go right and hike the Queens Garden Trail.  You’ll follow this out of the canyon and head back to your car.

We totalled about 7.25 miles, but it was worth it for all the incredible parts of the park we got to see!  And if you aren’t done hiking yet, here are a few other options in the park.  

Other Trails

In Bryce Canyon National Park there are plenty of other hiking trails. Again, I absolutely recommend you add in the Navajo Loop Trail. This trail has the famous switchbacks you’ve probably seen on social media.

Once you’re in the park, you’ll also want to drive the Scenic Drive.  Along this 18 mile road there are many pull-offs where you can stop and view different areas of the park.  This is a great option if you aren’t a hiker, but still want to see as much as possible.

If you are looking for a longer trail, there is the Fairyland Loop. This trail is much longer, but is an incredible loop to see even more of the unique hoodoos of Bryce Canyon.  

And if you’re up for a little road trip, there is also some great hiking within 2 hours of Bryce.  Let’s check those out.  

More Hiking Outside of the Park

Southern Utah has so many famous hikes. Hikes like Angels Landing in Zion National Park.  But if you are looking for something a little less intense, you can hike the Watchman Trail, the Canyon Overlook Trail, or go hiking in Kolob Canyon.  All of these trails are less than 2 hours away and make for great afternoon hikes.

For something slightly off the beaten path, you are only a little over an hour from Cedar Breaks National Monument.  This monument very much resembles Bryce Canyon, but has less than half the number of visitors each year.  

Conclusion

Hiking the Queen Garden Trail is a must-do when visiting Bryce Canyon.  If you have the time, you’ll definitely want to combine this trail with the Navajo Loop Trail for an even more impressive hike.

Hiking in Bryce Canyon feels like hiking on Mars with the glowing red and orange rock all around you.  The Queens Garden Trail offers the perfect taste of this amazing national park.  

As always, feel free to email me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com with any questions about this trail or the area.

-Happy Hiking!