We set our sights on conquering one more hike during our June 2024 trip to Bryce Canyon, Utah, and that was the Queen’s Garden. The decision making process lay in choosing whether to embark on an out-and-back hike or extend our adventure by connecting a couple of trails. Ultimately, we opted for the connecting trail, and our next decision was to determine whether to ascend or descend the Queen’s Garden Trail. We agreed to begin on the west side of the Peek-a-Boo Trail and ascend the Queen’s Garden Trail based on how much we loved that portion of the Peek-Boo Trail when we hiked it in 2020.
All of our hikes we have done on our own. If you prefer, you can find guided hikes in Bryce Canyon at several places including Viator.
Location
Taking the Park Bus
After another hearty breakfast at the Bryce Canyon Lodge, we caught the Bryce Canyon Bus which would take us to Bryce Point where we would begin our hike to Queen’s Garden. A big shout-out to Bryce Canyon Bus System. A bus arrives at each marked spot throughout the park and also the nearby town. about every 15 minutes. We caught the bus going towards town, then hopped off at the visitor center and caught another bus heading to Bryce Point. This avoided having to ride the bus the entire route through town and saved us a good half hour. The bus was standing room only at times, but quick, efficient, no charge and easy to hop on and off. All in all, this is a great park perk.
Bryce Point
We arrived at Bryce Point ready to hike. Bryce Point is one of 13 scenic viewing areas in the park. You can drive the Southern Scenic Drive and stop to view nine of the scenic views, they are easily accessible with ample parking. Four of the view points are located just off the main road near and around the lodge area. The park bus stops at all four of these, although you will need a car for the other nine.
Peekaboo Trail
Peekaboo trail is a loop trail but we were only hiking the western side. We followed the signs and the trail from Bryce Point and turned left when we reached Peekaboo loop trail. Again, as in Fairyland Loop, this is a desert hike and you need to be well prepared for such; extreme heat and also not much shade. Bring water, electrolytes, food, and also good hiking shoes. Hiking expericence and good physical condition is a big plus. This is a moderate to strenuous trail, the path is easy enough but the ascents can be steep and the heat is real. Remember, although hiking down is optional, hiking back up is mandatory!
Immediately entering the canyon we were wowed. I believe this is the most spectacular trail in the park. The scenery in this hike is beyond amazing. It didn’t take much time before we came to our first walkthrough arch and the view after the arch is also breath taking.
On this trail, we were able to walk among the hoodoos which is really what helps makes this trail so popular. The second tunnel framed the beautiful scenery we were about to hike into, again, so many beautiful formations.
The Queen’s Garden
Seemed like we went up and back down more times than I could count until we walked along the canyon bottom and followed the sign to the Queens Garden Trail. The Queen’s Garden Trail was named after Queen Victoria as one of the hoodoos is supposed to look like her sitting on the throne. We did not find this particular hoodoo. We had thought it was the hoodoo in the photo at the top of this page but we were informed later that it wasn’t Queen Victoria. The Queen’s Garden was a nice relief for a bit, almost like a walk in the park, until we hit the switchbacks.
The switchbacks were brutal and it was a tough hike up. The path itself was ok, but the steep switchbacks and the heat made this brutal. You could see hiker’s resting at every spot of shade you passed, us included!
Conclusion
Bryce Point to the Queen’s Garden via Peekaboo is a fantastic way to see the canyon. I believe the west side of Peekaboo is the prettiest, although in 2020 I enjoyed the entire loop as well. What is really great about these trails is you can mix and match the trails and access most of them from a few different areas. That way, if like us, you are return visitors, or you are hiking for several days you can change your hiking path and see new areas. This hike took us a bit over 5 hours and was 5.5 miles long. We stopped a lot for photos, breaks, and snacks.
roproAll Photos on this trip were taken with our Apple iphone16 Pro
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Bryce Canyon National Park
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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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Beautiful photos of a beautiful hike Lori. Glad we did this in January, through. It was pretty with a little snow on it. Have a wonderful Wednesday. Allan
Maybe if we go again we will go in January and hope for snow! Finding as we get older it is harder to hike like this in the heat! Lori
Very convenient that there’s a bus that takes you to notable hikes and sites in Bryce Canyon! The Queen’s Garden looks absolutely majestic; I don’t recall seeing it when I was in Bryce, but now I’ll need to return to see it! Thanks for sharing!
I really do like the bus system. I think most of our national parks have some type of bus system, but this one seem to be particularly user-friendly!
Wow! That’s all I can think about to describe the photos and scenery. Thank you for this wonderful tour.
Bryce Canyon is almost like a dream when walking through it! Thanks for commenting! Lori
We were in Bryce like 15 years ago. Loved it
It is such an awesome park!
Could not believe how much we lived Bryce and zion
Utah is such a wonderful state. So many National Parks and each have their own vibe.
I find Bryce Canyon one of the most inspirational locations I’ve ever seen and your exquisite posts brings back all those wonderful memories! Thanks for another excellent experience!
I agree, Rick, Bryce Canyon is indeed inspirational. Truly a place to energize your soul! Lori
We hiked this trail when we visited Bryce Canyon a couple of years ago. That was in the winter and the landscape was covered in snow. It was beautiful. But it’s nice to see how different it looks in the summer.
It is a great trail. I would love to see it with snow!