What's the best time to visit Bryce Canyon?
The best time to visit Bryce Canyon is between June and September, offering perfect weather for hiking and nighttime stargazing, with mild days and cool evenings. Summer brings the park’s peak season, complete with educational programs and cultural festivals, despite brief rain showers. This period ensures full access to park amenities and a rich array of activities for all visitors.
Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is one of the most popular national parks in the United States, and just one look at the scenery, or even the photos, will help you see why.
Bryce Canyon has some of the most spectacular natural beauty in the United States. Its unique rock formations, including the famous hoodoos, or rock spires, are a photographer’s and rock climber’s dream. The rugged canyon and surrounding landscapes provide beautiful backdrops for hiking, horseback riding, and camping under the stars.
If you are a lover of the outdoors, you have to visit Bryce Canyon while you are in the United States. Visiting when the national park is at its best is a must, so keep reading to figure out when is the best time to come.
The Overall Best Time to Visit Bryce Canyon
Ekaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock
The best time to visit Bryce Canyon is from June to September, during the extended summer season when the warm weather is perfect for exploring.
Unlike many of Utah’s national parks, Bryce Canyon isn’t unbearably hot in the summer. From June to September, average high temperatures are usually in the mid-high 70s.
Nights are very chilly, even in the summer, with temperatures in the high 40s or low 50s after dark. The hottest month is July, according to government statistics, but even then, temperatures rarely go above 80 degrees.
This weather is ideal for exploring all that Bryce Canyon has to offer. You can:
- Go hiking
- Camp overnight and see the beautiful night skies
- Go on a scenic road trip
- Go on a horseback riding excursion
Summer is the rainiest month in the park, with sudden thunderstorms sometimes causing flash flooding. However, when rain does happen, it only lasts a short while, so just take shelter during the storm and then go back to exploring.
Summer is definitely the most popular time to visit Bryce Canyon National Park, but there are some positives to visiting when there are the most visitors around.
That means that park amenities such as the visitor center are open the longest. To accommodate all the visitors, the national park also organizes the most events in the summer.
The majority of ranger programming, such as guided walks around the Rim, the Bryce Canyon Evening Program, and the Night Sky Telescope Program, occurs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
These programs are hits with kids and adults alike. In the summer, Bryce Canyon also plays host to a surprising number of cultural events. In June, visit the park for the Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival if you like stargazing, or visit in July for the Bryce Canyon Geology Festival.
Learning more about how the park was formed or about the sky above it can give you a deeper appreciation for the beautiful landscapes that you are seeing.
Cheapest Time to Visit Bryce Canyon
Galyna Andrusko/Shutterstock
The cheapest time to visit Bryce Canyon is in the winter when the chilly weather chases away many potential visitors. Between November and March, prices are at their lowest around Bryce Canyon.
The park is pretty cold between October and April, and only the most experienced outdoors enthusiasts are willing to brave its steep, icy paths. Since this is the low season, most places lower their prices.
Winter is the cheapest season to find accommodations in Bryce Canyon. In the city of Bryce Canyon itself, you can find hotels offering discounts of 25% compared to peak prices. Stay a bit further away, and you’ll save even more.
If you’re hoping to combine your visit to Bryce Canyon with a trip to the rest of southern Utah, winter is the best time to do so while saving money.
Hotels near other popular national parks in the area, such as Zion National Park, also have discounted rates. Flights into Utah are also cheap during this time. The cheapest month to fly into the state is January, but you can also find good deals in March or November.
Least Busy Time to Visit Bryce Canyon
Christopher Moswitzer/Shutterstock
The least busy time to visit Bryce Canyon is in the spring (April to mid-May) or the middle of fall (October). During this time, you’ll beat the crowds and still enjoy nice weather.
Bryce Canyon has extreme temperatures thanks to its elevation. By the middle of spring, daily temperatures are usually in the high 50s or low 60s, but nighttime temperatures are still in the 30s and sometimes even lower.
October nighttime temperatures are also around freezing, although daytime highs are usually in the high 50s. However, this is still good weather for hiking as long as you have good, warm layers and sturdy hiking shoes.
Weather in the spring and fall is unpredictable, which chases many visitors away, but the bright side is that you can do cold-weather activities such as snowshoeing at higher altitudes, followed by a pleasant hike.
In the spring, amenities such as the shuttle and campgrounds slowly begin to open up as more visitors start to arrive. Seasonal businesses offering organized activities in the park are also starting to open. The sparse vegetation yields wildflowers, making the hikes beautiful.
In the fall, the sunsets are at their most beautiful. In the spring and fall, visitor center hours are shorter than in the summer, but it is still open until 6:00 P.M.
You can also enjoy some ranger programming, such as guided walks, as well as festivals. Bryce Canyon is trying to expand its festivals to take place throughout the year. Towards the end of September, you can visit Heritage Days, a festival celebrating the history and multicultural nature of the area.
Winter has the fewest visitors in absolute terms, so if you really want to go when there is nobody around, visit between November and late February.
However, spring and fall also receive comparatively few visitors, and you can wander around even popular trails, such as the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, and not see other hikers.
Worst Time to Visit Bryce Canyon
Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock
The worst time to visit Bryce Canyon weather-wise is the winter, although for hardy explorers, this season has some benefits. Bryce Canyon suffers through intense, long winters.
In January and February, average high temperatures are barely above freezing, and at night, temperatures are around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Camping is probably out of the question, and even other physical activities, such as hiking, are not pleasant at these temperatures.
Bryce Canyon gets a lot of snow and ice, which means that many trails are impassable in the winter. You may be disappointed when you head there and realize that your favorite part of the park is not possible to visit.
Even the Main Road is often closed after a certain point. Always check the current conditions on the official Bryce Canyon National Park website before visiting. However, winter in Bryce Canyon is a stark, majestic sight. The snow makes the red rock hoodoos look even more special.
You can join rangers on snowshoe tours and try your hand at cross-country skiing. The trails are more breathtaking when you’re the only one on them.
The nearby town of Bryce Canyon City is even more charming in the snowy winter when it’s just you and the locals. Visit in February, and you’ll catch the Bryce Canyon Winter Festival, a fun local event with ski races, first aid demonstrations, and craft activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
IrinaK/Shutterstock
Here are a few other questions that can help you figure out when to visit Bryce Canyon.
What’s the best month to visit Bryce Canyon National Park?
The best month to visit Bryce Canyon National Park is June, which has the best weather and plenty of ranger programs.
When should I visit Zion and Bryce?
To visit both Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, visit in late spring or early fall. Zion is hotter than Bryce and can get unbearable in the summer.
What is the rainy season in Bryce Canyon?
Bryce Canyon is affected by desert monsoons in July and August, making them the rainiest months. Expect sudden thunderstorms and flooding.
Which month is best to visit Utah?
May is the best month to visit Utah if you want to see all of the state’s beautiful sights, especially before the desert gets too hot.
So, What’s the Best Time to Visit Bryce Canyon?
Bryce Canyon is at its best in the short, glorious summer, between June and September, when temperatures are warm, and you can catch the most programming. October to April is the low season, with fewer crowds and lower prices, but also frigid nighttime temperatures.