We arrived mid afternoon our first day at Bryce Canyon during our June 2024 trip and decided we had time to hike the Mossy Cave Trail. This short out and back trail is only 0.8 miles (1.3km) and is also an easy hike.
Location
The Bryce Canyon shuttle bus does not go to the Mossy Cave Trail so you do have to drive here. It is located 4 miles east of the Intersection of hwy 12 and hwy 63 just a bit outside of the main entrance on the way to the town of Tropic.
Mossy Cave Trail
The Mossy Cave Trail is an easy packed dirt trail with a few loose rocks and the only true elevation is just before you reach the cave. The trial starts by passing red rock hoodoos through a valley.
You will come to a bridge which crosses a creek bed. You can easily walk down to the creek as we saw several people enjoying getting their feet wet on such a hot day.
The Waterfall
You’ll hit another bridge and then you will see the waterfall! It’s actually a man-made waterfall, and it has a pretty interesting history. Years ago, members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints settled near Bryce Canyon in a place they called Tropic. In 1892, they decided they needed a consistent water source, so they diverted water from the East Fork of the Sevier River into this valley. 40 men dug a 10 mile canal by hand. This channel started from the river, over the plateau and down into the canyon to bring water to the town of Tropic and today, the waterfall still flows!
To access the waterfall, we walked down and around the side of the bridge. We followed the trail along the creek and then walked along the creek. The waterfall is a bit of an oasis in this hot dry area and many people were playing here and also waiting their turn to get photos of the waterfall. All in all a lot of fun.
Mossy Cave
After the waterfall, if you go to the left, you will ascend just a short distance to Mossy Cave, named so because of the green moss inside the cave. In the winter, the cave is filled with large icicles. I usually don’t say this, but I truly do not think it was worth the effort to trek up the hill to see the cave. I would have been fine returning back after the waterfall.
The Way Back
You head back the way you came. If you like, at the junction of the waterfall and cave, you can continue and walk above the waterfall.
Conclusion
The Mossy Cave Trail is a fun little hike at Bryce Canyon because of the waterfall. It is also a great trail for kids and those who don’t want to hike much elevation. Although it is a nice trail, I probably would not need to do it again, although I did enjoy the waterfall.
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Bryce Canyon National Park
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Our Favorite Hiking Gear
We have been hiking for quite a few years now and here are a few of our favorite hiking gear items:
Womens’s Hiking Shoes: This is the first trip I wore my new Merrill Women’s Bravada 2 Hiking Shoes and they are the best hiking shoe I have had yet. They are lightweight, fit like a sneaker and have a good grip;..
Men’s Hiking Shoes, Steve absolutely loves his Hoka Speedgoat 6 Trailrunners. Although these are not specifically hiking shoes, but trail runners, he loves that they are lightweight, have a good grip, great support and comfortable.
Men’s Compression Socks– Due to varicose veins, Steve wears Bomba’s compression socks. He says they are great for hiking and traveling. You won’t find these on Amazon but here is the Bomba’s link.
Women’s Wool Socks. I always wear wool socks when hiking, no matter what the weather. My favorite brand is Darn Tough and they just do not wear out. I have some pairs over 10 years old and they are as good as ever.
Steve’s Backpack. Steve uses the Gregory 24 L backpack and likes that it has a water reservoir, pockets, and is easy to organize.
My Backpack– I use an 11 year old CamelBak Hydration pack which I can no longer find. The Rouge CamalBak is very similar as it has a 2.5 L bladder and 2 outside pockets. I am hoping I never have to replace mine as I love it, but if so, I would buy The Rogue.
The Gen-X Travels recommendations for hotels, restaurants, activities or tour companies are based on our own experiences unless noted. We are not sponsored by any business or company and all trips are at our expense. All photos are by myself or my husband unless otherwise noted. We are affiliates of some companies such as Amazon,Viator, and others which we do receive a small commission from, at no cost to you if you buy or book through one of our links.
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Sounds like my kind of hike! Short and flatish with some water!
It is really a nice trail! I do love waterfalls.
I’ve always heard that Utah was a great place to visit for the outdoors. Your photos definitely seem to back that up!
–Scott
Utah is really an amazing State! This is our second trip out here and we hope to come again! Lori
I do love Bryce Canyon. This looks like a wonderful trail Lori. Allan
Bryce is truly a gem!
Okay, there was definitely not a waterfall here when I hiked this trail! Of course, I was here in November, so I guess that makes sense. Now I wish I’d seen it earlier in the season with water flowing.
Oh wow! It never occurred to me that it would dry up in the fall, but that makes sense! I guess they have been getting a lot of rain this spring. The next day we hiked a slot in Escalante which was dry, but people that we chatted with on our hike had told us many of the slots had water they had wanted to hike. Also while Jeeping we drove through shallow water over the backroads in a few places so maybe this is a wet year?
How beautiful with the water flowing!
It was really nice!