Everything to Know About Cedar Breaks National Monument

Less than an hour and a half from Bryce Canyon National Park sits an amazing hidden gem called Cedar Breaks National Monument.  This little park is often called the mini Bryce Canyon but there is one major difference.

While 2.5 million people visit Bryce Canyon every year, less than 700k visit Cedar Breaks.  With similar red rock views but less than half the crowds, you might actually prefer Cedar Breaks.  And with less crowds, comes more peace and quiet out in nature.

With that peace and quiet, you can enjoy beautiful hiking trails, a great campground and overlook an incredible amphitheater sitting at 10,000 feet. 

So let’s jump right in with everything you need to know about Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Important Links 

• Cedar Breaks National Monument website
• Cedar Breaks Current Conditions – READ if planning a late fall, winter, or spring trip!
• Point Supreme Campground – Make Reservations Here
• Hiking Journal – Never Forget the Details of Your Favorite Hikes Again!
• Camping Journal – Never Forget Your Camping Trips Details Again!

Location

First off, let’s discuss where Cedar Breaks National Monument is located.  The monument is located in the mountains of southwestern Utah, about 45 minutes from Cedar City.

Cedar Breaks is definitely worth adding to any Utah road trip.  Whether you swing by for a few hours or you stay for a few days in their campground you’re looking at a little bit of a drive.  You’ll be driving just over 4 hours from Salt Lake City, about 2 hours from Zion National Park and about an hour and a half from Bryce Canyon.  

Fees

At Cedar Breaks National Monument there is an entrance fee to be aware of.  Whether you enter the park by foot, in a car, or on a motorcycle, there is a fee.  Here are the standard fees.

• Standard Vehicle: $25 (Valid for 7 days)
• Motorcycle: $20 (Valid for 7 days)
• Per Person (walking): $15 (Valid for 7 days)

The typical person/couple/family will pay the standard fee of $25 per vehicle.   This will give them access to the park for 7 days without any additional fees.  

However, if you are looking to visit longer than 7 days, there is an Annual Pass Option! 

Annual Pass Options

Depending on whether you are looking to enter Cedar Breaks multiple times in a year, or you want to visit multiple parks in a year, there are a couple options for you.

• Annual Pass – $45 (Entrance to Cedar Breaks National Monument for 12 months)
• America the Beautiful Pass – $80 (Entrance to all federal recreation areas)
• Senior Annual Pass – $20 (Ages 62+ for Entrance to All Parks)
• Senior Lifetime Pass – $80 (Ages 62+ for Lifetime Entrance to All Parks)
• Military Annual Pass – Free (Entrance to All Parks in a year)
• Military Lifetime Pass – Free (Lifetime Entrance to All Parks)

The annual passes are valid for 12 months and the lifetime passes are, you guessed it, valid for a lifetime.  With any of these passes in your possession, you and your ID can enter any federal recreation area with a car-full of guests.  My husband and I have purchased the America the Beautiful Pass now for the last 4 years and it has saved us a ton of money! 

Visitor Center

Cedar Breaks National Monument has a brand spanking new visitor center that was opened in 2024.  With 2,800 square feet of information, displays and amazing park rangers, you’ll be able to learn all about the area and ask questions.  There are bathrooms here as well.  

Just be aware, the visitor center sits at over 10,000 feet of elevation and gets some serious snow in the winter.  The building typically opens in late May, and closes in the middle of October.  My husband and I visited on October 12th 2025 and everything was closed for the season.  

Use the address below to head directly to the visitor center.  

Address: 4730 South Highway 148 Brian Head, UT 84719

Winter Months

Before we jump into all of the amazing things that Cedar Breaks National Monument has to offer, you’ll want to be aware of the “winter months” and what that looks like at Cedar Breaks.

From mid-October to late May, the park is still open 24 hours a day.  But once that first snow falls, the national monument has limited access.  So limited, that access is restricted to snowmobiles, cross-country skis, and snowshoeing only.  

The dates of closure do vary each year, so you’ll have to check the Current Conditions Page to figure out when the park restricts access.  

Things To Do Here

Cedar Breaks National Monument offers the public stunning red rock views, but what else can you do here?  

There are a few great hiking trails that run throughout the park if you want to get some exercise.  And if you want to stay for more than just a half day, you can enjoy a great camping trip at the Point Supreme Campground.

If you come in the winter, you can enjoy snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross country skiing.  But if you come on the weekends in the summer months, you can enjoy the Night Sky Tours that are free of charge.  

Hiking

There are 4 awesome hiking trails at Cedar Breaks National Monument.  The sunset trail is paved and easy for just about anyone to walk on.  The remaining trails are unpaved, but fairly easy to hike.  

If you only have an hour or so here, I highly recommend completing at least part of the South Rim Trail.  This beautiful trail leads you right along the rim of the amphitheater and gives beautiful views of the stunning red rock.  

List of Trails

• Sunset Trail – 2 miles (Paved) – Easy
• Nature Trail – 0.6 miles  – Easy
• Alpine Pond Loop Trail – 1-2 miles (Figure 8 Loop) – Moderate
• South Rim Trail – 5 miles – Moderate

The South Rim Trail can be broken up into smaller pieces if you don’t want to hike the entire 5 mile out-and-back trail.  

Night Sky Tours

From Mid-May to Mid-October Cedar Breaks National Monument offers Night Sky Tours on Friday and Saturday nights.  From 10,000 feet of elevation, you’ll have a unique vantage point of the stars.  

From 6:30pm to 10:30pm you can join a ranger at the Point Supreme Overlook for these tours. Their telescope will allow you to see planets, nebulas and more stars than you can count.  

Campground 

If you’re thinking about camping at Cedar Breaks National Monument, you’ll need to book a site on recreation.gov.  This link will take you directly to the website where you’ll be booking either a non-electric tent site or a non-electric RV site at Point Supreme Campground.  

The campground is open from mid-June to mid-September because of its 10,000ft altitude.  This will give you cooler temperatures in the summer months and a nice reprieve from the heat of lower altitudes.

Reservations for campsites can be made up to 6 months in advance on a rolling basis.  You can stay from 1 night to 14 nights at a time, but only up to 30 days per season.   

Campground Amenities

The Point Supreme Campground has flush toilets and warm showers that can be accessed with a door code.  Each site has a picnic table, a fire ring, a tent pad (if a tent site), a place to park your camper (if a camper site), and a place to park your vehicle.  

From the campground you are within walking distance to 3 of the 4 hiking trails. And you are just a few minutes drive from the visitor center. 

Non-Electric Tent Sites

The tent sites are non-electric with a picnic table and a fire ring.  There is a small gravel area to park your vehicle and a pad for your tent.  

As of 2026, tent sites are $30 per night.  

Non-Electric RV Sites

Non-Electric RV sites vary in size, so be sure to read the description for the site you intend to book.  Each site is gravel and fairly level for parking your RV.  There is a place to park your vehicle, a picnic table and a fire ring.  

As of 2026, RV sites are $30 per night.

If you have a larger rig, please refer to the information below.  As per the NPS website: 

“The best sites for RV’s are 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 21. For larger motor-homes, sites 1, 8, 15, and 21 are best. Only RV”s 40 feet or shorter can fit in Point Supreme campground RV campsites.” – From the NPS website

Things to do in the area

Many times the national monuments are a little out of the way when it comes to driveability.  However, Cedar Breaks National Monument is within 2 hours of Zion National Park and an hour and a half of Bryce Canyon National Park.  If you’re roadtripping Utah, I highly recommend adding this little detour to your list.

As for Bryce Canyon, the hiking here is absolutely beautiful!  I highly recommend the Navajo Loop, the Queens Garden Loop and the Peekaboo Loop.  You can combine each of these for one longer hiking day.  

Conclusion

Cedar Breaks National Monument is a beautiful place to visit for a day, go camping for a few days, or return to again and again.  With beautiful red rock views, great hiking trails, and an altitude of 10,000 feet, this monument is not to be missed.  

As always, feel free to email me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com with any questions and I’ll do my best to help you.

-Happy Hiking!